What to Include in your Brief: Setting the Foundation for a Successful Project
- Alex English
- May 20
- 4 min read
Written by Alex English from Alex English Architecture.
Every considered piece of architecture begins not with a drawing, but with a conversation.
Long before the lines are drawn or materials selected, a project begins with intent—with the client’s vision, values, and way of life. And at the heart of that conversation is the brief. Thoughtful, clear, and generous in detail, the brief is the foundation upon which the entire project rests.
As an architect working along the Surf Coast, based in Anglesea, I’ve learned that the most successful outcomes aren’t born from guesswork—they’re shaped by listening. And the truth is this: you, the client, already have all the answers. The architect’s role is to ask the right questions and carefully draw them out.
The more openly and thoroughly you share, the more refined, personal, and fitting your project can become.
Why the Brief Matters
A strong brief is more than a checklist of rooms or square meterage. It’s a window into how you live—or how you aspire to live. It captures not only what you want, but why.
In an architectural process that values clarity and collaboration, the brief provides a shared understanding—a reference point to return to when complexity arises. It defines scope, guides decisions, and ultimately aligns design with purpose.
What to Include in Your Brief
Below are some of the elements I recommend clients reflect on. These don’t need to be answered perfectly—they’re a starting point, not a test. What matters is generosity in sharing, so we can piece together a dwelling that truly reflects who you are.
1. How Do You Want to Live?
This is the most important question, and the one that often reveals the most.
What do your days look like at home?
Where do you start your mornings?
Do you gather often, or seek quiet retreat?
Are there rituals, hobbies, or routines the space needs to honour?
Design flows from the way you live. A well-considered home supports and elevates that life—not just on day one, but for decades to come.
2. Site + Place
If you're building along a dynamic landscape like the Surf Coast, your site already offers a language of its own—light, views, orientation, topography, and vegetation.
What is it about the land that drew you to it?
How does the sun move across it?
Are there elements you want to embrace (views, breezes, sunlight) or shelter from (wind, neighbouring homes, exposure)?
A good architect will read the site deeply—but your observations and relationship to the place are just as essential.
3. Aesthetic + Atmosphere
Rather than referencing trends or styles, think about how you want the space to feel.
Calm and minimal? Warm and textural? Light-filled and open?
Are there materials you’ve always loved?
Is there a place—another home, a gallery, a retreat—you felt connected to?
Atmosphere is more enduring than style. It’s the emotional tone of the space. The more we understand what resonates with you, the more we can shape a dwelling that feels instinctively right.
4. Priorities + Non-Negotiables
Every project involves choices. Understanding your top priorities helps guide those decisions thoughtfully.
What are the must-haves? (e.g. number of bedrooms, accessibility, workspace)
Where can you be flexible?
Are there elements you’re willing to invest in for long-term value?
Clarity here helps us allocate your budget with intention and integrity.
5. Budget + Timeline
Open conversations around cost are not only practical—they’re essential. As architects, our role is to work creatively within your parameters.
What is your ideal investment range?
What allowances have been made for site conditions, consultants, landscaping, and furnishings?
Do you have a timeline in mind? Are there key milestones (e.g. holidays, school terms, life events) to consider?
Transparency early on allows us to design with realism, not compromise.
The Brief as a Conversation
A good brief evolves. It might begin as a single page and grow as we delve deeper into the project. It may shift as ideas develop. That’s part of the process.
But it always begins with you.
As your architect, my role is not to impose a vision, but to uncover yours—to draw it out with care, and give it form through light, proportion, material, and memory. The more openly you share, the more nuanced and personal the design can become.
Working Together on the Surf Coast
Designing a project in places like Anglesea, Lorne & the Surf Coast means more than just responding to landscape—it means tuning into how you want to live within it.
Whether you're building from the ground up or reimagining an existing space, your brief is the first step in giving your project meaning and clarity.
So bring it all—the moodboards and the scribbles, the must-haves and the maybe-somedays. Bring your routines, your aspirations, your imperfect sketches, your questions.
Because you already hold the answers—my role is simply to listen.
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