Office design brief: a client checklist

01Why the design brief matters

An office design brief connects business objectives to spatial requirements. It defines the scope, available inputs and acceptance criteria. Detailed visualisations alone cannot establish a shared understanding of what must be delivered.

Prepare the brief before detailed design. Refine it as surveys and decisions progress, keeping agreed versions. Changes to occupancy, room use or equipment should be assessed for design, cost and programme implications.

02Work patterns and room schedule

Describe how the organisation works: simultaneous occupancy, team relationships, visitor frequency and restricted areas. Total headcount may differ from the number of desks occupied at one time; record the distinction.

• Workspaces: assigned desks, shared desks, private offices and focus rooms.
• Meeting rooms: capacity, video calls, privacy and booking.
• Shared facilities: reception, storage, kitchen and informal meeting areas.
• Technical spaces: server rooms, equipment and cleaning storage.
• Visitor routes, accessibility and access control.

A room data sheet can capture use, capacity, equipment, lighting, acoustics and finishes. It makes requirements traceable through plans and specifications.

03Inputs and building services

Attach drawings, measured survey results and available information about existing structures and services. Distinguish landlord-provided information from items requiring verification. Agree load constraints, connection points and available capacities early.

Describe operational needs rather than copying arbitrary catalogue values. Meeting-room occupancy, call equipment, meeting duration and noise requirements guide ventilation, lighting, electrical and communications design.

For a server room, identify equipment, supplier heat-load data, resilience and maintenance needs. Standard workspace assumptions are not sufficient. Specialists determine fire safety and other applicable requirements for the particular project.

04Deliverables and approvals

List expected deliverables: concept, plans, visualisations, construction drawings, schedules and specifications. If a BIM model is required, define its purpose, scope, exchange formats and coordination rules. “Use Revit” does not adequately define a client deliverable.

Appoint a representative to consolidate business comments and approve decisions. Combine feedback from different departments into one agreed review. Define inputs, outputs and review procedures for each stage.

State budget constraints and the costs they cover. Separately define procurement and design supervision tasks: samples, substitutions, visits, reports and contractor queries.

05Check the brief before starting

Check that requirements are consistent. Increasing occupancy without increasing area may affect acoustics, engineering loads and shared facilities. Resolve those implications before freezing the layout.

• List all rooms and work patterns.
• Assign a status and owner to each input.
• Make requirements verifiable through documents or tests.
• Define deliverables, formats and approval roles.
• Agree change and material selection procedures.

Can a template be used? Yes, as a question structure. Do not copy another project's areas, capacities or room schedules without checking them.

Who prepares the brief? The client sets business requirements; the design team helps translate them into technical parameters. Authorised participants agree the final version.

Are product brands required immediately? Not always. Initial performance requirements and budget ranges may be sufficient, with specific products approved during design and procurement.

Related: Design and fit-out services · ETAZHY GROUP projects ·