Turn a daily need into a design decision
Educational example: a household needs another bedroom while retaining the living area and limiting unnecessary circulation. Before fixing a construction area, compare room relationships: what should be close, what needs privacy and which access routes must remain. The table is a preparation worksheet, not a plan or an Archidep completed project.
Use the same comparison criteria for each option. Gaining a room is not necessarily an improvement if another becomes hard to access. Identify assumptions too: a wall thought to be movable or a proposed opening is not an established technical possibility. Plan the necessary checks before developing the option.
| Need | Comparison criterion | Starting information |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep and work | Privacy, noise and circulation to shared rooms. | Occupants, schedules and intended uses. |
| Improve circulation | Routes, doors and kitchen–dining relationships. | Existing drawing, photos and dimensions to check. |
| Keep outdoor access | Relationship between rooms, thresholds and garden. | Current access and elements to retain. |
| Adapt over time | Ability to change a room’s function. | Current needs and anticipated changes. |
The situations that start a drawing project
A home whose rooms no longer match daily routines, a parent or housemate moving in, a wish to catch more daylight or gain storage, preparation for a project that will have to go through the municipality: starting points that do not call for the same work.
The first conversation establishes which of these starting points actually describes your project, and whether the answer belongs with design, an addition, a renovation or another process.
- Which rooms are missing and which are poorly used?
- What uses will the house still have to support in a few years?
- Which elements absolutely must be kept?
- Will the project need a permit or another process?
From the brief to design options
The brief gathers the needs: rooms, circulation, daylight, storage and how occupants will change. It acts as a filter to compare options before a solution is drawn, instead of the other way around.
Depending on the mandate, the work may stop at an initial study, continue to full drawings or include preparation of documents for the municipality. These are separate scopes that the quote must name.
The building may also raise questions belonging to other professionals: structure, electrical, mechanical. Those contributions are coordinated, but their drawings and their responsibility stay separate from architectural design.
What the mandate delivers, what stays separate
The quote describes the documents handed over during the mandate: the brief, the design drawings and the documents needed for decisions; if the municipal submission is part of the scope, the items of that file.
Generally separate: construction work, engineering drawings, municipal fees and, unless the mandate provides for them, submission follow-up or site supervision. The quote must state these limits before work begins.
- Delivered: brief, design drawings, permit documents if the mandate includes them
- Coordinated: required professionals and exchanges useful to the file
- Separate: construction, engineering, municipal fees, site supervision
Who produces what around the project
The owner brings the desired way of living, the decisions and the information about the building. Archidep structures the brief, produces the design and coordinates exchanges. The municipality reads the zoning and, depending on the project, processes the permit application.
Other professionals join in depending on the building and the scope. The quote should identify who produces which document, so that no responsibility is left unanswered.
Preparing the first conversation
Missing records do not prevent a start: say what exists and what is missing. A missing drawing is not a blocker; it is part of the information to establish from the outset.
- Building address and municipality or borough
- Photos or descriptions of the rooms involved
- Drawings, certificate of location or older documents, if available
- Household priorities and uses to preserve
- Indicative budget and target schedule
Studio schedule and municipal schedule
The design schedule depends on available records, decisions to make and the scope agreed in the quote. It is defined with the mandate, not before it is accepted.
The municipality sets its own requirements, meetings and review timelines. A prepared file does not mean an authorization is granted, and no design schedule replaces a municipal decision.
Questions and answers
Must I choose a layout before the first conversation?
You may bring ideas, but describe the problems and priorities first. An online plan can illustrate an atmosphere or room relationship; it does not establish suitability for your building, site or applicable rules. State whether you need an options study or development of a selected option.
Are permit drawings sufficient for construction?
The purpose and detail level of documents must be defined. A municipal application does not automatically include every construction detail, product selection, other discipline’s drawing or construction-phase service. Identify what will be delivered and what must be completed before requesting prices or starting work.