What is the process for designing an office fit out?
If you have not been part of an office Interior Design, refurbishment and fit out project before, the process can bewilder and overwhelm at the beginning. At Trifle* We aim to humanise and simplify that experience as best we can and ensure clients feel supported throughout.
We follow the RIBA (Royal institute of British Architects) Process when running any Workspace / Office Interior Design Project; there is a formula and rhythm to this that is understood by the majority of Professionals within the Architectural, Construction and Interior Design Industry so an immediate common ground is recognised. As each ‘stage’ ends it’s a gateway to the next with client approval and sign off agreed before proceeding to the next stage.
The stages in the office interior design process aligned to RIBA
STAGE 0-1: THE BRIEF & STRATEGY
Clients are keen to get started as quickly as possible until we begin to ask questions! Those questions tend to lead to more internal discussion being required in order to formulate the overall Design and Strategic Brief; The Brief is imperative to the success of a project so it is important to spend the time required exploring the answers; some may be easy to answer such as size of space? Budget? Hybrid or Full Time in the Office? Headcount? Other questions may need more consideration - How do you want to work? What type of collaboration areas are required? What style of meeting rooms will be needed? What are the Team specific requirements that enable a productive day? What is the overall vision for the space?
We always advise that if our questions produce for you more questions than answers (eg how much space DO we need?) then it could be that Workplace Consultancy is required; this process delves deeper into the Big questions of Why? alongside establishing company objectives and vision and ensuring there is alignment around the brief.
We are often tasked with helping to support making a Business case for the move or refurbishment and this process can involve feasibility studies of how the organisation would fit in one space or another or can explore a ‘move or improve’ type scenario amongst many other strategic questions. Your selected design team should be able to help you assess what kind of support you need in order that a comprehensive brief is buttoned down so that costly mistakes are not paid for down the line.
Getting the brief right is critical to a successful project
Planning the key overall timings at the start of a project
PROGRAMMING will generally be discussed alongside Brief development. What are the key timings (to move into a new or refurbished office); Once we have an idea of this we can work backwards to design a timing plan. Sometimes this raises challenges in regards to what Is feasible or what is in scope where time is short. Every Office Interior Design Project is different and requires a different level of Design Detail and Contractor Works; every Fit out is different depending on the initial readiness of the building; Do major MEP (Mechanical, electrical and plumbing) works need to be carried out or is the project only small works and more ‘cosmetic’; Are we reusing existing furniture or buying new, are bespoke items required? Furniture lead times have become longer in recent years so always need to be factored in early on in the planning process.
PROJECT TEAM The Project Team needs to establish early on with clear roles and responsibilities. Smaller projects may require a smaller team and less wider involvement but generally on the Design team side there will be a Design Manager who runs and oversees the project, a Strategic Lead, a Design Lead, Interior Designer/Space Planning, Furniture Management and Procurement, Technical Support, Visualiser and an Assistant or Junior. On the Client side there could be a Creative Lead, Day to Day internal Project Management lead and Budgetary Sign Off as a minimum, these could be from Ops/HR/Facilities/Marketing/Leadership. Externally there will often be an Independent Project Manager and/or Cost consultant/QS (Quantity surveyor), MEP consultant, I.T and /or AV consultant and there could be an Acoustician and Lighting consultant. A collaborative team alongside clarity over roles will make a huge difference to the success and smooth running of a project.
STAGE 2: CONCEPT DESIGN
Some might say this is where the magic happens; this is where we begin to realise all the possibilities and opportunities that a space offers with space planning alongside the Creative and explorative part of the design journey; we thrive on this being collaborative as well as being given the trust to go create. Whilst we are always keeping budget and time constraints in mind we make sure we have fun with this part of the process pushing and building ideas as we go. At the end of this stage the client will have a good idea as to the overall Creative direction, the Space planning the colour palette, textures and look and feel. We use space plans, illustrations and mood boards to bring the vision to life and offer work in progress meetings and checkpoints to ensure we are in tune with all the client requirements as we go. Collaboration and coordination with external partners will be critical throughout. It’s not unusual for the brief to flux and develop alongside conceptual thinking for an office interior design project but by the end of this stage the final brief, scope and space plan should be confirmed.
The magic of the concept design
Detailing the design so contractors know exactly how to build
STAGE 3: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
This is where the design begins to become reality; We will coordinate in detail with external partners incorporating Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing elements alongside IT and AV needs; we create detailed drawings and drawing packs detailing ceilings, power layouts, Partitioning layouts and Elevations alongside Decoration and finished schedules. At this stage coordination with fire consultants and H&S will be critical. Furniture schedules will also be detailed here and we are well used to creating options to allow for value engineering (VE) where required; VE is the process we go through to ensure the budget is me. We find having options lined up is a big help to this part of the process and gives the client choice. If you are going out to tender then at the final point of this stage this can happen. We are used to overseeing that part of the process and supporting the final decision on which contractor builder to partner with.
STAGE 4: TECHNICAL DESIGN
At this stage the drawings are becoming layered with further information to enable the construction lead/ contractor to build the office project. No stone will be left unturned so details such as fire sprinkler heads layout and how that fits with any pipe work, electrical trucking, ducting and ceiling tiles needs to be coordinated. By the end of the stage the drawings will describe the main components of the building and how they fit together. Construction sequencing, build ability and interfaces between programming, risk and the overall design will be considered. Specialist Contractors may be required also. At this point we will also be fine tuning Furniture specification and placing orders. Detailing biophilic (plants and greenery) elements will happen at this stage, orders will be made and install slots booked (and reconfirmed or adjusted as required along the way).
STAGE 5: CONSTRUCTION
When the build comes to life! Our role is one of overseeing and attending weekly project meetings that are ordinarily run and documented by an independent Project Manager with input from the Site/Construction Manager and from our Design Manager and wider team. Invariably things come up each week that need solving and the Design team are there to protect the integrity of the design vision and act as Design Guardian through this stage. There will likely be budgetary decisions along the way here also hence why a contingency sum is recommended.
At the end of this stage the construction or builder partner will hand over to us and the client; the move happens often in conjunction with furniture installation. At the end of this we are able to offer our styling services to bring the overall vision to life with accessories, plants and other objéts that connect the story of the business and bring it to life in the space.
The contractor will be in charge of the build with us overseeing
Project complete leaving a beautiful space
STAGE 6: IN USE
The momentous day when the client begins work in their new space and all the previous months of hard work comes to a magical end. We tend to visit regularly in the first month or so with final touches and tweaks. It is of course a huge privilege to get to see a space we have designed in use and making work life better for the company that works there.
Author: Emma Morley, Founder and Director
Emma founded Trifle* in 2010 after a career in marketing, event design and production. Frustrated by the fact that only advertising agencies had inspiring spaces she had a desire to make good design the norm for all office workers. Emma has worked across well over 150 interior projects during her career at the helm of Trifle*, she remains passionate about making amazing spaces but also making the industry more accessible, more human and more diverse.