A concept design turns the client’s needs and the opportunities of a place into a coherent vision for a building. We develop concepts for homes, commercial and public buildings, establishing function, context, massing, facades and key materials before detailed documentation begins.
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We begin with how the building will be used, the spaces required, budget and intended programme. In parallel, we review planning rules, orientation, access, topography, neighbours and views. For commercial and public buildings we also consider user flows, accessibility and requirements arising from the particular use.
We develop the layout, circulation and relationships between the building’s principal zones. We test its position on the plot, massing, roof, glazing and entrances. Where a key issue has several strong answers, we compare options and explain their consequences for function, appearance and later project stages.
The outcome is an agreed architectural direction presented through plans, elevations, a model and visualisations appropriate to the scope. A concept allows decisions to be made while change remains a natural part of the process, and provides an organised basis for building documentation and consultant coordination.
The concept stage is the cheapest moment to change your mind. Moving a wall, rotating the house relative to the sun or dropping a storey costs a few hours of work here, whereas in building documentation it means recalculating the structure and revising every discipline. A well-resolved concept shortens the documentation that follows and reduces costly reversals.
Typically floor plans of every storey with described functions, the site layout, a three-dimensional model of the massing, proposed elevations and materials, and visualisations showing the building in its context. The material is prepared so that it can be shown to family, a bank or a contractor and used to obtain an initial construction estimate.
Some clients commission a concept to assess a plot’s potential before buying it, to test whether a project is viable, or to prepare material for a conversation with a bank. In such cases we close the work at this stage and leave the decision about further documentation for later — the concept remains valid and can be resumed.
The concept answers how the building should look and work: it establishes function, massing, position on the plot and the character of the elevations. Building documentation is the formal set with structure, services and approvals, submitted to the authority. The concept precedes it and forms its basis.
Usually from several weeks to a few months, depending on the scale of the building and the number of variants compared. The pace of feedback matters greatly — a concept develops over several rounds, each requiring discussion and decisions.
Yes, and it is often a sound decision. We check the local plan or the prospects of obtaining a planning decision, along with sunlight, access and whether the intended brief fits the plot at all. Such analysis can prevent the purchase of land where the intention would be unfeasible.
Usually two or three meaningfully different directions, rather than a dozen versions of the same idea. We then develop the chosen direction through further rounds of revisions. This way of working is agreed in the contract at the outset.
For an indicative estimate, usually yes — contractors can assess cost from plans, massing and a material description. A binding quotation requires documentation with structural and services solutions.
Yes. We have developed concepts for commercial premises, public buildings and extensions, including a concept for extending the town hall in Chojnice and buildings on the Old Market Square frontage. Scale and character affect the scope of analysis, but the way of working remains similar.
Tell us where the project is located and what support you need. We will come back with a suggested next step.
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