The Architectural Process: What it’s Like to Work With Us

Every project is different, but a well-managed process follows a clear rhythm. At Slavin Architects, our service isn’t a collection of disconnected tasks – it’s a continuous arc that begins with listening and ends with learning from the building in use. What follows is an outline of what clients can expect when they engage us to lead a project from feasibility through to handover.

1. Feasibility & Concept Design

Consultation & Briefing
We begin by understanding the project’s intent. This includes conversations with the client, users, stakeholders and, where appropriate, the wider community. These may be single workshops or a staged engagement process depending on the project’s scale and cultural context.
The purpose of consultation
We minute every session and include key findings in the Concept Design Report to ensure the brief is clear, endorsed and traceable.

Site Investigation
Before solutions can be proposed, we need to understand the opportunities and constraints of the site. We undertake:

• site visits, photo records and measured surveys
• initial research into planning and funding requirements
• environmental and climatic data gathering
• heritage and cultural checks (including ACH assessments where relevant)
• arrangement of specialist surveys (feature, services, geotech, etc.)

For some projects, we begin with a masterplan to understand long-term needs and staging before progressing to building concepts.

Concept Design Development
Once the brief is agreed, we prepare concept designs and refine them in response to feedback. If structural or services decisions materially affect the design, we engage early engineering advice, including Order of Probable Costs (OPCs).
When the concept is stable, we obtain independent cost advice from a quantity surveyor and integrate the OPCs.

Concept Design Report
This report typically includes:

• the endorsed reverse brief or guiding principles
• analysis of context, constraints and opportunities
• explanation of the design process and iterations
• heritage, environmental or Country-related commentary (as relevant)
• cost summary and budget alignment

With cost and concept confirmed, we move into detailed design.

2. Detailed Design

Consultant Engagement
If not already appointed, this stage is where we bring in the full consultant team: structural, civil, hydraulic, mechanical, electrical, ESD, acoustic, accessibility, building surveyor and others as required.

Design Development
We begin to resolve the building in detail:

• construction methodology
• room layouts and internal planning
• joinery design
• materials and product selections
• coordination of all consultant designs into a unified architectural solution
• development of critical details
• preparation of a specification outline
• cataloguing all major design decisions

Planning applications may occur early in this stage, but increasingly we submit them later once more detail is resolved, as approval bodies now expect comprehensive information.
Cost Alignment
At the conclusion of Detailed Design, the QS updates the cost plan.
If adjustments are required, we make them now – when changes are manageable and least disruptive.
Detailed Design Report
Before moving into documentation, we issue a final design report confirming scope, decisions, consultant inputs and cost alignment.

3. Construction Documentation

This stage turns the design into precise instructions suitable for pricing and construction. We prepare:

• a complete project specification
• full construction drawing set
• schedules (joinery, doors, windows, finishes, fittings, equipment, etc.)
• detailed coordination with all consultant documentation

We also commission a Pre-Tender Estimate (PTE) from the QS.
Once all documentation is coordinated and approved, we issue the full package for tender.

4. Tender & Procurement

We manage the entire tender process on the client’s behalf, including:

• issuing documents and answering RFIs
• preparing addenda and clarifying documentation
• facilitating site walkthroughs with tenderers
• hosting additional site access sessions for specialist subcontractors
• assessing tender submissions alongside the client
• coordinating a QS tender reconciliation

Our aim is to ensure every tenderer understands the design, scope, risks and expectations – resulting in transparent pricing and fewer surprises during construction.

5. Contract Administration & Construction

Once a builder is appointed, we administer the contract and remain involved throughout construction.
This includes:

• responding to contractor queries
• assessing shop drawings and material submissions
• evaluating variations and extension-of-time claims
• conducting site inspections to review quality and compliance
• issuing instructions and clarifications
• chairing meetings and keeping formal records
• monitoring progress and programme

Although briefly touched on here, our role during construction is a key part of ensuring continuity. Architects hold the design intent, the technical rationale and the memory of decisions made over months or years – all essential for protecting value and achieving the project’s objectives.

6. Handover & Post-Occupancy

At completion, we:

• conduct defects inspections
• manage the Defects Liability Period
• review final certificates and handover documentation
• support commissioning and operational readiness

Our involvement doesn’t end at practical completion. We seek feedback, reflect on the project internally, and document lessons learned for future work. Good buildings evolve from good processes – and learning is part of that process.

A Continuous Journey, Not Isolated Stages

While each phase has its own outputs, the architectural process is most powerful when it remains continuous. A full service allows design, cost, documentation and construction decisions to inform each other – and ensures nothing is lost between stages.
This integrated approach leads to better outcomes: better performance, better value, better stewardship of place, and buildings that continue to serve their communities for decades.