gowthorpe + co
Project Brief


"Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing:--"Oh, how beautiful!" and sitting in the shade,
While better men than we go out and start their working lives At rubbing weeds from grave-paths with broken dinner-knives."

Rudyard Kipling - 'The Glory of the Garden'.

  • We believe that a thorough project brief is the basis of all successful projects.

  • Requiring the client and the professional team to write down what is to be designed (and why) clarifies understanding and helps avoid the misunderstandings which can dog commercial projects.

  • Commercial pressure often results in projects going ahead prematurely.

  • Even a short phase of careful planning and the testing of designs and ideas pay great dividends.

  • The continuing stream of new methods of procuring buildings reflects the search for the Holy Grail of a perfect form contract. Such a contract would produce what the client wants on time and within budget with minimal client involvement.

  • This does not exist.

  • All of the currently available forms of contract offer certain advantages.

  • We can help to select the contract most suitable for an individual project but to achieve its objectives the client will need to spend time with us so that we can develop a detailed understanding of all its requirements.