What is a design brief?

A brief, or a design brief, is a very common document that many architects, designers and even builders will ask you to complete to that they can get an understanding of what you, the client, is looking to build.

At its most practical, it describes what you want in your future home/project.

This can be a list of the rooms and functions, but in this case we are looking at what you are going to build with, and what your priorities are in terms of what sustainable dreams you have.

Is it important to use low VOC products, or timber that is certified? Do you want to utilise local labour and make sure safety and health are prioritised in your project? Maybe you want the building to last for 100 years and only use materials that you make from scratch.

Sometimes, the designer might ask you to come up with a decision matrix which will cover a list of priorities for you and your family in terms of what are the non-negotiables, what are the priorities, preferences and then things that can be compromised across the length of the project.

Your design brief for materials then becomes the main point of communication of your wishes and wants for your future home, and hence it’s the tool you can use to get everyone in your team on the same page, and help everyone understand how you envisage your future home to be, plus what it will be made from, where those things are sources, and how they’re put together.

Recently, we participated in a webinar devoted to sustainable building materials and our friend and colleague Talina Edwards from Victorian design firm Envirotecture provided us with this handy decision matrix that might be valuable  in terms of thinking through the sustainability criteria for these areas, so you can prioritise what’s important to you when it comes to how you want to design, build and source materials for your project.

Fit for purpose/Performance

Resilience

Durability/Longevity

Maintenance

Cost (+ Labour)

Low Carbon

Low Water Footprint

Transport

Availability

Bushfire/ flood zones

Toxicity/Chemicals

Biophilic Design & Beauty

Sourcing and workers (i.e. child labour overseas)

Waste

Internal humidity and thermal performance

Performance solution report

Council approval

Health

Size

Recycled materials

Operational energy and embodied carbon

Whatever your dreams, wishes, capacities and priorities are, best to put them into a decision matrix so that you can identify what is actually important, and what is feasible given issues of location, time, budget and available labour.  Then you can come up with a project that is going to be manageable, and find professionals who can help you – knowing exactly what you want, and what you’re prepared to undertake.Check out our directory for a growing list of trades and professionals who are prepared to work with you and help realise your ideal home.