The task of the designer is firstly to take the stated objectives of his clients and using his technical and artistic knowledge, translate these into a brief which outlines what they really need within the limits of their resources and the practicalities not only of what is possible but also what is permissible within the law.

Having defined the brief and then agreed this with his clients, his next task is to translate it into practical proposals. Such proposals might include concepts which, due to his clients’ limited knowledge and experience might never have figured in their imagination. Some such design ideas may not meet with his clients’ approval and must be dropped but in the meantime even the suggestion may be enough to stimulate their thoughts towards further ideas which up to that point had never entered their minds.

The questions which the designer should ask may be sufficient to make his clients re-consider their actual needs and how their property is to be maintained and managed when built. The answers to these questions may even reveal that the clients do not need a new building at all or that they ought to be looking at a different site.

The designer’s final task is to advise on the practical steps towards the realisation of his clients, dreams including obtaining the necessary official approvals, the preparation of detailed specifications, obtaining tenders and overseeing the construction and financial management of the project. Hopefully, the end result will be a building with which his clients are fully satisfied and which they will enjoy.