Design process

Pre Design lays the foundation for the design work to come. We confirm our scope of services and fee structure in writing before design begins.

This first stage in the design process is about understanding every detail of your site and what is important to you and, if relevant, your stakeholders. We visit the site and gather as much information as possible including the intangibles that really make a place: views, access, neighbours, etc…

We review and assess the local authority rules and District Plan to fully understand what we are and aren’t allowed to do, and what may require resource Consent.

We engage a surveyor on your behalf to produce a topographical survey of your site so that we can accurately model this in our software.

We work with you to engage any additional professional expertise required to support your site’s location, topography and history. This could include iwi, Heritage New Zealand or geotechnical engineers.

Once we have a complete understanding of the site, regulations, constraints and your brief, we work in a collaborative studio environment to rigorously test our ideas against the project vision to develop a visual response. We then present you withmultiple concept solutions for critique and comment in the form of sketches, plans and 3D representations of the space.

We use your feedback from the Concept Design stage to further refine the brief and develop the design options into the perfect solution for you. We capture the big idea - form and function - in one package of architectural drawings comprising floor plans, sections, elevations and an outline specification.

This package is then used to engage external consultants and get a first price estimate. Your architect and relevant specialists will work closely with you to create indicative costs based on all of the available detail about your build. At the end of this stage, an Elemental Estimate of Cost can be established by a Quantity Surveyor.

Should a Resource Consent be required, this is the ideal stage in the project for us to prepare an application on your behalf, or to manage the process.

With all elements of the Preliminary Design secured, we now finalise the main design decisions - dimensions, structural elements, materials, finishes - locking in the overall look and feel, inside and out.

Developed Design is where the specification is set and any final budget considerations are taken into account. In this stage, we explore the look and feel of the spaces within to ensure that the architectural vision extends from the exterior throughout the build. We explore materials, fittings, fixtures and systems and show you exactly what the building will feel like to inhabit.

This key stage presents the last opportunity to refine the overall nature of the project before documentation commences.

During the Detailed Design stage, we close the doors and document the building for both Building Consent & Compliance, and for construction.

We advance your design to the level of detail that allows a construction contractor to assess the full scope of the project. This will include construction details, materials, components, systems and finishes.

Throughout the Detailed Design stage, we liaise closely with any external consultants to perfect the fine detailing and capture all of the information required to consent and construct your home.

During Procurement, we work with you to decide how you want to build and with whom.

We help you engage the right builder to ensure a smooth and successful project. This might be done by negotiating with a builder you already know and trust, or by seeking the best contractor for the job through a competitive tender. Once you’ve made your decision, we select and prepare the relevant contractual documentation so construction can begin in earnest.

Pre Design lays the foundation for the design work to come. Before any design begins, we confirm our scope of services and fee structure with you in writing, and work with you to establish your brief and target budget.

This first stage is about understanding every detail of your site and what is important to you and, where relevant, your stakeholders. We visit the site and gather as much information as possible, including the intangibles that really make a place: views, access, sun, neighbours.

We review the local authority rules and District Plan to fully understand what we are and aren't allowed to do, and whether resource consent may be required.

We engage a surveyor on your behalf to produce a topographical survey, giving us an accurate 3D model of your site to design within. And where your site's location, topography or history calls for it, we bring in further specialist input: from geotechnical engineers to consultation with iwi or Heritage New Zealand.