Following our main post on RIBA Plan of work we’re going to cover the RIBA Stage 2.
Stage 2 is all about getting the concept design right and making sure that the visuals of the building are proceeding according to the client’s vision. The critical challenge of this stage is to make sure that the tasks undertaken are aligned with the goals of Stage 2. Going into too much detail too early can divert the attention away from what matters most for Stage 3; but if there’s not enough detail, Stage 3 becomes inefficient.
Dealing with Planning first
The RIBA recommends dealing with any developer obligations and levies before submitting an early planning application, because it’s quite risky. You may encounter clarity regarding these additional costs when you submit an early application. if not, you risk running into many project risks.
One of the most difficult tasks for a project team is determining where Stage 2 begins and ends. The RIBA Plan of Work requires that a design Concept be produced first before moving but not get into the detail design.
Dealing with the right amount of design concept design
One challenge at Stage 2 is determining what tasks and information requirements are needed to achieve the goal of the stage. In some cases, a designer might need intuition to design or make an architectural concept. In other situations, a detailed analysis might be required in order to test the design that has been created.
For example, some clients might be happy with “rule of thumb” calculations for stairways and toilets in an office building, or for light touch engineering inputs for other elements. Others may want greater certainty in the design, requiring detailed calculations for these elements. It’s important that the lead designer focuses the designing team on tasks which support and underpin the goals of Stage 2 and that will make the design as resilient as possible when Stage 3 starts up, when work will need to intensify on engineering teams and specialists needs to accelerate with work on this project.
Clients need to decide what information is required at this stage. Do you want to invest in large quantities of 2D content? 3D technologies, including VR and AR, are no longer gimmicks. They’re valid ways of undertaking Design Reviews and their usefulness should be considered alongside the requirement for traditional deliverables.
