Design team meeting

Revision as of 13:58, 25 October 2016

Design is the process of creating a solution to a project brief and then preparing instructions allowing that solution to be constructed. At its most basic level, design can be seen as an iterative process, where, at each iteration, there are inputs, there is a design process and then there are outputs.

Building design is typically a multi-disciplinary process, involving a number of different designers, such as architects, engineers and so on, working together to create a single, holistic solution. Design teams typically start of as a relatively small group which might for example include architects, structural engineers and services engineers.

However, the increasing complexity of building design means that as the design progresses, there is an ever greater need for further specialist design input, and so design teams can develop to be large and complex.

It is important therefore that teams are properly organised and co-ordinated, so that designs prepared by different members of the team can be integrated to create a single, unified set of information. This will generally include the need for regular design team meetings.

Design team meetings will generally be co-ordinated by the lead designer, if one has been appointed, and may include all, or part of the design team. Sub meetings may be organised to deal with specific aspects of the design.

Design team meetings should be restricted only to issues to do with the developing design, and will generally only be attended by members of the design team. Other issues are better dealt with at wider project team or progress meetings which might also involve the client or their representatives.

It is important that design team meetings are properly organised, with an agenda sent out well in advance so that participants know what is expected from them, and that they are minuted so that any actions or decisions are captured. They should be scheduled so that appropriate decisions can be made and work co-ordinated to meet the project programme.

There may be outputs from the meeting, such as reports to the lead consultant, project manager or client, requests for information, requests for approvals, instructions to contractors and so on. Other parties may also have to be consulted regarding the progress of the design, such as users of the building, neighbours, the local planning authority, the building control body and so on.

Depending on the stage of development of a project, an agenda for a design team meeting might include the following items:

Minutes of the previous meeting.

Organisation.

• Appointments and personnel.
• Roles and responsibilities.
• Communications and reporting procedures.
• Programme and progress.
• Standard methods and procedures for drawings, computer aided design or building information modelling.

Brief.

• Client's requirements.
• Development of the brief.
• Procedures for reporting to client.
• Preparation of reports for the client.

Design development.

• Site information, surveys and constraints.
• Design options and issues.
• The need for additional information or studies.
• Coordination: General design, structures, services and so on.
• Design programme and next steps.

Approvals.

• Planning permission.
• Building Regulations.
• Funders, insurers.
• Legal issues.

Any other business

Date of next meeting

Find out more

Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Appointing consultants.
• Collaborative practices.
• Consultant team start-up meeting.
• Design methodology.
• Design responsibility matrix.
• Design review.
• Design team.
• Specialist contractors start-up meeting.
• Team behavioural roles.
• Team management.