Architectural Programme Brief

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name: architectural-programme-brief
description: "Turn a client's wishes into an architectural brief that can actually be designed against — the accommodation schedule, the adjacencies, the budget reality, and the constraints named before they become change orders. Use when asked to write an architectural brief, prepare a project brief for a building, run a client briefing, or capture requirements for a new build or refurbishment. Produces the accommodation schedule with areas, the adjacency and circulation requirements, the site and statutory constraints, the budget and programme reality check, and the explicit exclusions."
---

# Architectural Programme Brief

Clients brief in rooms and adjectives; buildings are designed from areas, adjacencies and constraints. The gap between the two is where scope creep lives. This converts the conversation into a schedule you can design against, tests the budget against the areas before anyone draws anything, and writes down what the project is not — the single most valuable page in any brief.

## What This Skill Produces

- **An accommodation schedule** — every space with its area, occupancy, and the activity it must support
- **Adjacency and circulation requirements** — what must be near what, what must never be, and the routes between
- **Site and statutory constraints** — planning context, access, orientation, services, and known designations
- **Performance requirements** — servicing, acoustics, daylight, accessibility, and environmental targets, stated as requirements rather than aspirations
- **The budget and programme reality check** — the area total against the budget at a realistic rate, before design begins
- **Explicit exclusions** — what this project is not doing, agreed and written down

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The client and the driver** — who they are, and what problem the building is supposed to solve
- **The activities** — what will actually happen in the building, by whom, and when
- **The site** — location, area, existing structures, access, orientation, and any known designations or constraints
- **The budget and programme** — the number they have and the date they need it, however soft
- **The fixed points** — anything already decided, promised, or non-negotiable

## Framework: Activities Before Rooms, Areas Before Budget

1. **Brief the activity, not the room.** 'A place for forty people to eat that empties in twenty minutes' designs better than 'a canteen'. Rooms are a solution; activities are the requirement.
2. **Put an area against everything.** An unpriced schedule is a wish list. Areas are what make the budget conversation possible.
3. **Test the budget early and bluntly.** Total area at a realistic rate per square metre, against the stated budget. If it does not work, say so in the brief rather than discovering it at tender.
4. **Map adjacencies as a matrix.** Must-be-near, must-not-be-near, and the routes people take between them. This is where the plan actually comes from.
5. **Name constraints before they become surprises.** Planning context, rights of light, access, ground conditions, services capacity, listed status.
6. **Write the exclusions down and get them agreed.** The scope you did not include is only excluded if it is on paper.

## Deeper Material

- **[`references/worked-example.md`](references/worked-example.md)** — a community hall whose budget is £461k short of its own accommodation schedule, found before anyone drew a line. Read it when the shape of a good output is unclear, or to calibrate how specific the entries should be.

## Output Format

### Project brief: [project] · [client] · [date] · rev [n]

**Project driver:** [the problem the building solves, in one paragraph]

**Accommodation schedule**
| Space | Activity supported | Area (m²) | Occupancy | Key requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |
**Net area:** [x] m² · **Gross (at [n]% circulation/plant):** [y] m²

**Adjacencies:** must be adjacent [pairs] · must be separated [pairs] · key routes [list]

**Site & statutory:** [location, area, access, orientation, existing structures, designations, planning context, known constraints]

**Performance:** accessibility [standard] · environmental target [standard/rating] · acoustics [where it matters] · daylight [requirement] · servicing strategy [outline]

**Budget check:** [y] m² × [rate]/m² = **[construction cost estimate]** vs stated budget **[amount]** → [aligned / gap of [amount]]
**If there is a gap:** [the options — reduce area, change specification, phase, or increase budget]

**Programme:** [key dates, and whether they are achievable against a realistic consent and construction period]

**Explicitly excluded:** [what this project does not include — agreed with client on [date]]

**Assumptions:** [what has been assumed pending information, and what would change if wrong]

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Every space is justified by an activity, not just named
- [ ] Areas are stated and totalled, gross as well as net
- [ ] The budget is tested against the area before design begins
- [ ] Adjacencies are recorded as requirements, not left to the plan
- [ ] Statutory and site constraints are named rather than assumed away
- [ ] Exclusions are written down and agreed
- [ ] Assumptions are flagged with what changes if they turn out wrong

## Anti-Patterns
- **Briefing in room names.** Locks in a solution before the requirement is understood.
- **A schedule with no areas.** Guarantees the budget conversation happens after the design.
- **Deferring the budget test.** The gap does not shrink by being discovered later; it just costs more to fix.
- **Aspirations written as requirements.** 'Sustainable' is not a requirement; a target rating is.
- **No exclusions page.** Every undocumented exclusion becomes a variation.
- **Accepting a programme without testing it.** Consent periods are not negotiable by optimism.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "Write an architectural brief for a new community building"
- "Help me capture what the client actually needs"
- "Turn these client notes into a project brief"
- "Does this budget work for the accommodation they are asking for?"
- "Write a brief for a house extension"