A weak brief survives the design phase but loses on site. The questions below are the ones we want answered — by the client, in writing — before any line is drawn. They are not glamorous, but they prevent more variations than any single design move.
1. The headcount and the plan
- Current headcount, by team.
- Forecast headcount in 12 and 24 months, by team.
- Hybrid policy and assumed in-office ratio.
- Number of meeting rooms by capacity (2-, 4-, 8-, 12-person).
- Phone booth count.
2. The constraints
- Budget — total, with a stated contingency.
- Move-in date — and what is fixed about it.
- Building constraints — column grid, MEP risers, ceiling height, after-hours access.
- Regulatory — any compliance grades the floor needs to meet (lab adjacency, banking, BPO certifications).
3. The intent
- Three adjectives that describe how the floor should feel.
- Three offices the client admires (with reasons).
- Three offices the client wants to avoid (with reasons).
- A statement on hierarchy — does the executive zone read materially different, or is the floor egalitarian?
4. The non-negotiables
- Acoustic targets, by room type.
- Daylight access targets (e.g. % of seats within 10 m of a window).
- Wellness commitments (biophilic, air quality, daylight).
- Branded zones — where they are required and where they are forbidden.
5. The decisions and the deciders
- Who signs off the brief.
- Who signs off the concept.
- Who signs off the BOQ.
- Escalation path when a decision is contested mid-project.
A practical note on length
A good brief is rarely longer than ten pages. Long briefs hide indecision; short briefs hide rigour. The right length is whatever it takes to answer the five sections above without padding.