The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
This is a comprehensive guide to what the RIBA stages of work are, and why they matter to architects, builders and commissioning clients
As outlined in the diagram below, the eight stages (from 0-7) are as follows:
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Stage 0: Strategic Definition
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Stage 6: Handover
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Stage 7: Use
RIBA Plan of Work 2020: What’s new?
The main changes are to do with building information modelling (BIM) (the technology of design) and sustainability. BIM is now fully part of the Plan of Work, while the importance of sustainability has been made much clearer.
Can you use the RIBA Plan of Work for design & build?
RIBA says that the Plan of Work is ‘procurement neutral’. It is intended to be just as suited for design & build projects as ones that use the traditional procurement method. The word ‘architect’ doesn’t appear on the Plan of Work itself, it always refers to the ‘design team’.
So whether you hire a building contractor to oversee the whole project, or an architect and then later a contractor, or even handle everything yourself, the Plan of Work should still be relevant.
RIBA Stage 0: Strategic Definition
You might find this strange for an organisation whose members earn their living designing buildings, but the first thing RIBA wants anyone thinking about a construction project to do is to consider carefully whether building is the correct solution to their problem.
According to RIBA, you only appoint your design team at the end of Stage 1: Stage 0 is about the discussions you need to have and the calculations you need to make before you are ready to commit to a project.
If you need architectural guidance at this stage – and many people and organisations will need help to know if their ideas are practical – RIBA suggests you hire a client adviser, an architect who won’t be the one who later designs your building. Our experience is that in practice that most smaller clients won’t be budgeting to pay for separate independent advice, but according to the Plan of Work, that is what they should be doing.
At Stage 0, you should consider the options for your project, work out the limits to your budget and assess the site or sites you are discussing.
RIBA Stage 1: Preparation and Briefing
This is the official start of the project: having been encouraged to think freely at Stage 0, in RIBA Stage 1, you are now pinning down what you want to achieve with the project, including:
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Project Outcomes
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Sustainability Outcomes
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Quality Aspirations
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Spatial Requirements
In order to make sure that these goals are practical, this stage includes:
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Agreeing the Project Budget
One of the big changes between the 2013 and 2020 versions of the RIBA Plan of Work is the prominence of BIM. That doesn’t mean that you, as the client, need to have advanced design or other software running on your laptop. It does mean that there is an opportunity for you to make the most of technology that is recommended by the government and that successful developers all say increases return on investment.
But if you do want to make the most of it, you will have to make sure that the team you use throughout the project, from architects to builders, all have good BIM capability. There is no point your architect sending computer files of complex and detailed 3D models to a builder who still largely operates using paper. At Stage 1, you should decide if you think advanced technology is useful to your project and set BIM goals if it is.
Stages 0 and 1 are absolutely crucial, but a surprising number of developments – even large ones – progress to design and sometimes even construction without clear outcomes. Before the time the design process begins, as the client you should have a fully thought-through brief ready.
At the end of Stage 1, you pick your design team. For clients with smaller projects, this usually means appointing an architect or a building contractor. They will be the Principal Designer, which is a role with statutory duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
Those regulations state that the Principal Designer “plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the pre-construction phase”. It’s also their job to make sure that everyone else working on the design takes health & safety into account, and to coordinate with the Principal Contractor, who will be responsible for those matters during construction.
RIBA Stage 2: Concept Design
Based on that brief, your design team starts to work on the design. They will do the bulk of the design work during Stages 2-4. Again, RIBA urges patience at RIBA Stage 2: it advises against committing to something resembling a completed design too early.
For instance, although it suggests obtaining planning pre-application advice at this stage – and you should be engaging with the council formally or informally at this point – RIBA suggests that only experienced clients should consider submitting their actual planning applications at this point.
It is normally during this stage that your principal designer will contract the specialist consultants – eg, tree surveyors, fire safety consultants – you might need.
Stage 2 is when design reviews happen – you and the design team work together, exploring ideas and analysing options, to get to a concept that fulfils both your wants and needs. It starts with rough ideas and evolves towards a workable design.
How detailed that concept is up to you and your design team to decide – “There is no right or wrong approach,” according to RIBA. If you only feel comfortable going ahead with a design that has been checked by a structural engineer, for instance, then there will be some overlap between RIBA design stages 2 and 3 in your case. If not, there will be a clear moment when 2 ends and 3 begins. Either path will work, says RIBA.
RIBA Stage 3: Spatial Coordination
Formerly known as the ‘Developed Design’ stage, this is where the practical aspects of the concept are decided. For instance, at RIBA Stage 3 your design team should be thinking about how your project will meet legal requirements, such as building regulations. You or your architect might hire a structural engineer to assess the design.
And, as you and the design team agree the details, you should update your budget and check that you can still afford the design as it has evolved. You should check your sustainability strategy, and all consultant recommendations should be incorporated into the design. At this point, you might also decide on construction methods.If possible, the main design should not change after Stage 3.
During Stage 3 or at the end of it, you will normally prepare your planning drawings and submit your planning application.
RIBA Stage 4: Technical Design
Stages 4 and 5 will often overlap. At RIBA Stage 4, you complete everything that needs to be done before manufacturing and construction starts. For instance, if you are getting bespoke elements such as a staircase or non-standard window frames made by a supplier, the design for those should be finalised at Stage 4.
If you are using the traditional procurement method, your design team will prepare the drawings and documentation for the tender process. And any relevant specialist subcontractors will be approached to join the project.
The overlapping of this stage with stage 5 and the level of detail required will vary depending on the type of project and procurement route selected.
At this stage, you should aprepare your building regulations plans, apply for building regulations approval and discharge any pre-commencement planning conditions.
RIBA Stage 5: Manufacturing and Construction
As we mentioned earlier, Stage 5 has been renamed to take into account the increasing use of pre-made elements or whole structures in construction. Most of the work in RIBA Stage 5 is done by the building contractor, their subcontractors and manufacturing suppliers.
By this point you will need to have decided and made clear who in your team has what responsibilities under Construction (Design & Management) regulations, ideally in writing.
If you don’t do this, you will end up with everyone having the default responsibilities set out in the CDM regulations for Principal Designer, Principal Contractor and client. This could leave you or the people you have hired could end up in a legal position you or they didn’t expect.
The design team’s job at this point is to inspect construction and to answer any queries the contractors have.
Some planning conditions might have to be discharged during construction.
RIBA Stage 6: Handover
According to RIBA Stages 6 and 7 start at the same time, with the completion of the building works. In larger projects, where several structures are being built and completed at different times, they can also overlap with Stage 5.
At Stage 6, as the client, you become the main person (or company) responsible for the site. The building contractor will hand over documents including a building owner’s manual and the health and safety file.
For the design and build teams, Stage 6 can still involve practical tasks, such as discharging planning conditions and rectifying defects. But it is also the time to assess how well the project has gone, and learn lessons. It’s especially important that this review is scheduled for larger projects, where the design team may not be working together in the near future.
RIBA Stage 7: Use
This is the part of the project that traditionally architects have been accused of not caring enough about, and one that RIBA wants them to become more involved with. It’s also the one that should last the longest, being open-ended until the point is reached when the building needs to be substantially refurbished, altered or replaced.
For the client or the new owners, the focus is on the care of the building and evaluating whether it is working as intended.
With the RIBA Plan of Work’s new focus on sustainability, both clients and architects are being encouraged to spend more time thinking from Stage 0 onwards about not only the whole life of the building but also how it can be adapted or reused or its materials easily recycled at the end of its current use.
