The Plan of Work

The architecture and wider construction industry is often filled with jargon, but one area that is essential to understand is how to refer to the various stages in a project lifecycle. The RIBA Plan of Work 2020 provides a clear roadmap for how a building project progresses from concept to occupation. Knowing what services are typically offered at each stage — from strategic definition and feasibility studies to technical design, construction, and long-term building use — helps clients make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and engage the right specialists at the right time. It also highlights how integrated disciplines such as sustainability, accessibility, fire safety, structural engineering, and digital design tools contribute to achieving project objectives, regulatory compliance, and long-term performance. By understanding the Plan of Work, clients and stakeholders can better anticipate project risks, ensure accountability, and maximise the value and safety of their investment.

The list of services which may be carried out at each stage of the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 is extensive, so the following is an attempt to curate these into a list representative of a typical large-scale project. Smaller projects would generally select a subset of this list:

Stage 0: Strategic definition

• Stakeholder engagement and consultation: Early engagement with key stakeholders, including the community, users, and regulatory bodies, to align the project with broader goals and expectations
• Feasibility studies: Includes assessing project viability, zoning laws, and financial constraints.
• Master planning: This can be expanded into larger development planning efforts, including site analysis.
• Site analysis: Investigate topography, climate, infrastructure, and more.
• Ecology and environmental surveying: Early analysis of environmental impacts and sustainability.
• Retrofitting and renovation: Modifying existing buildings to meet modern standards, including energy efficiency upgrades.
• Historic building conservation: Specialising in the preservation and restoration of historic buildings.

Stage 1: Preparation and briefing

• Project brief development: Collaborating with the client to develop a comprehensive and structured project brief.
• Schematic design: Initial design ideas including early sketches, scope, and considerations.
• Accessibility consulting: Early integration of accessibility standards into the design.
• Sustainability consulting: Integrating energy efficiency and low-impact design principles.
• Legal and regulatory compliance: Addressing issues like zoning, planning, and other legal matters specific to the project or location.

Stage 2: Concept design

• CGI visualisations, walkthroughs/animations/VR: Renderings and immersive visual aids to express design intent.
• 3D-printed models: Early tangible representations of the design.
• Capital and operational costs: Estimating costs involved in the design, construction, and maintenance phases.

Stage 3: Spatial coordination

• Planning applications: Preparing and submitting documents to gain planning approval.
• Landscape and visual impact assessment
• U-value, thermal bridge and condensation risk calculations: Identifying and analysing thermal and moisture performance.
• Detailed energy modelling: Deeper simulations to improve energy efficiency.
• Solar gains/shading analysis: Detailed study of sunlight and heat impacts.
• Overheating risk assessment: Identifying heat buildup risks and mitigation strategies.
• SAP and SBEM, leading to EPC: Energy performance calculations for building regulations compliance and producing Energy Performance Certificates (EPC).
• Acoustic design: Ensuring appropriate sound control and insulation.
• Heating, ventilation, plumbing, and electrical systems design: Integrating essential systems for comfort.
• Interior design: Finalising layout, materials, and finishes for internal spaces.
• Landscape and garden design: Outdoor spaces design, integrating with the surrounding environment.
• Lighting design: Early lighting plans, often integrated with BIM.
• Wayfinding design: Conceptualising wayfinding elements for the space.
• Water management and conservation: Including rainwater harvesting, greywater systems, and sustainable water usage strategies.
• Climate resilience design: Focus on designing buildings that are resilient to extreme weather conditions, such as flooding, storms, or heatwaves.
• Whole-life carbon assessments: Analysing the carbon footprint throughout the building's life cycle.
• Material selection and innovation: Using advanced or alternative materials (e.g., sustainable, low-carbon, or high-performance materials) with innovative construction techniques.
• Advanced structural systems design: For complex or non-standard designs, considering new structural systems or materials that increase performance, reduce environmental impact, or support the aesthetic goals.
• Digital fabrication: Integrating advanced technologies like laser cutting, CNC routing, or robotic construction techniques into the design.

Stage 4: Technical design

• Building performance simulation: Advanced simulations that integrate various design factors (thermal, lighting, air quality, acoustic, etc.) for more integrated performance analysis.
• Pre-construction airtightness testing: beneficial in renovation projects to gauge potential energy performance improvements.
• Structural engineering and SER: Detailed structural design and certification.
• Civil drainage and utilities engineering: Detailed plans for water, waste, and utilities.
• Fire safety and egress planning: Detailed planning for fire safety, egress routes, and fire-resistant materials.
• IT and communications design: Integrating modern communication technologies.
• Building security design: Ensuring the building has adequate security features such as surveillance, access control, and anti-theft measures.
• Circular economy and material reuse: Developing strategies to incorporate circular economy principles, such as the reuse of materials, recycling, and design for disassembly.
• Building warrants: Compliance with building regulations and securing necessary permits.
• Schedules and quantities: Materials and quantities breakdown for accurate costings.
• Construction documentation: Final drawings and specifications for construction.
• Tendering and procurement: Managing the process of contractor selection and materials procurement.

Stage 5: Manufacturing and construction

• Contract administration: Managing relationships and contract compliance between stakeholders.
• Project management: Overseeing project progress, timeline, and budget.
• Quality assurance and control: Regular checks and assessments during the construction phase to ensure the building meets all design and performance standards.
• Sustainability certification support (e.g., LEED, BREEAM): Assisting with certifications that demonstrate a building's sustainability and environmental performance.
• Dispute resolution and mediation: Addressing conflicts during construction.
• Health and safety (CDM coordination): Ensuring safety compliance on-site.
• As-bult airtightness testing: Early-stage airtightness checks in collaboration with simulations.
• Supply chain management: Managing and optimising the supply chain to reduce waste, lower costs, and improve efficiency.

Stage 6: Handover

• Building user manuals and training: Providing comprehensive guidance and training for the building's occupants to optimise its use and performance.
• Smart systems handover: Ensuring that building automation, smart systems, or technologies are properly integrated and the client is trained to operate them.
• Post-occupancy evaluation: Assessing building performance once in use.
• Building performance monitoring: Long-term monitoring of energy performance and operational efficiency.
• Lifecycle cost analysis: Ongoing evaluation of building systems for long-term cost optimisation.
• Retrofitting and renovation: Addressing future upgrades to improve performance or compliance.

Stage 7: Use

• Energy and resource monitoring: Offering ongoing monitoring of energy use, water consumption, and other resource metrics to optimise performance.
• Sustainability consulting: Ongoing sustainability support and improvements based on building use.
• Building maintenance strategy: Developing a plan for ongoing maintenance and system upgrades, including preventive measures and repairs.
• Tenant or user experience (UX) Design: Ongoing attention to user experience, focusing on comfort, usability, and engagement with the building over time.
• Smart Building integration: Implementing technologies like smart heating and lighting systems.
• Building adaptation and change management: Assisting the client in adapting the building for future uses or modifications based on evolving needs.

Sparran offer a signposting and advice service to help with suggestions for appropriate next steps, suitable professionals to engage, and resources to explore.