Our Process

The journey that we guide our clients through from initial contact to competition and beyond

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Appointment

1. Preparation

2. Initial design

3. Planning

4. Design & tender

5. Construction

6. Hand over

Appointment

Our pre-appointment process has been carefully designed to provide you with a clear picture of the road ahead, and help you to establish a strong understanding of all the key aspects you should consider at this early stage. The three steps described below provide both our prospective clients and our expert team the opportunity to get to know one another and explore the potential of the project before committing to work together.

Initial conversation

Initial conversation

The first step is an initial phone conversation with one of our Project Directors. The main purpose of this telephone call is to discuss with you the key parameters of your project and establish if and how we can help.

Prior this informal conversation, our Project Director will consider the information provided and use the call as an opportunity to ascertain in more detail what you would like to achieve, the potential of the project and what restrictions there may be, and the scope of architectural services that is most suitable.

They will then offer some preliminary advice regarding the feasibility of the project in relation to planning restrictions and the target budget.

After we have established if and how we can assist you with your project, the next step is an introduction meeting with our Project Team.

Introduction meeting

Introduction meeting

The introduction meeting, which can take place at our Islington practice or virtually, is an opportunity for us to get to know each other better, discuss your project in more detail and give you a sense of what our collaboration will be like before you commit to working with us.

We begin with a short presentation about the unique process that we been perfecting over many years.

The three team members assigned to your project will introduce their specialised roles: Design, Technical Design and Project Management, using illustrated examples.

We proceed to discuss the details of the project and provide preliminary advice on design, planning, construction, budget and timeframe.

Appointment

Appointment

The next step is for us to issue our scope and fee proposal for the project. Depending on the particular requirements and the scope offered, our fees may be based either on a percentage of the construction cost, or on a fixed sum.

To provide our prospective clients with a broad picture of the project ahead, we include a full list of the other consultants that may be required to contribute, including estimated costs as well as a preliminary project programme.

To complete the pre-appointment process, we usually propose a visit to the site for the assigned Project Director to verify some of our early thoughts, answer any questions about the fee proposal and, most importantly, ensure all parties are happy to embark on the journey ahead together.

Stage 1

Preparation

Comprehensive and thorough preparation is absolutely essential for delivering a smooth process and achieving great results. Our Preparation stage comprises three elements which are briefly described below.

Measured Survey

Measured Survey

To enable us to build an accurate 3D model of the existing site and any existing buildings, we need a Measured Survey. This may be a 2D CAD survey or a 3D laser scan survey, depending on the particulars of the project.

We will obtain suitable quotes for you to consider. Depending on the chosen scope of the project, we will then either appoint the surveying company directly, or invite you to appoint them under us and we will liaise with them on your behalf.

3D BIM Model

3D BIM Model

Based on the data from the Measured Survey, we will build a comprehensive and fully accurate 3D model of the existing site.

This model will be created in a BIM (Building Information Modelling) environment and will be referred to throughout every stage the project, from inception through to final completion.

Using such advanced technology, the full suite of project information such as drawings, schedules and specifications can be derived from this single coordinated 3D model.

Briefing Process

Briefing Process

During the Briefing Process stage, we conduct in-depth interviews, ideally with everyone who will be living in the home once it is finished.

We discuss and expertly analyse all the requirements and aspirations for the project in great detail.

The resulting high-definition brief, from which the design emerges, ensures that what we create a is a true expression of the personal 'scenarios' of our clients. This embodies the unique way in which our clients aspire to live in their home and its surroundings.

Stage 2

Initial design

Based on a combination of the brief, plus environmental, structural and planning considerations, we develop an exciting initial proposal. During interactive design meetings, we explore the proposed scheme within a 3D virtual environment, discuss any comments and tweak the model live in front of you to test out ideas and suggestions that might come up in the discussion. Following each meeting, we send all the information presented for review. Based on the comments we receive, we produce revisions and further develop the scheme before the next meeting. There are three steps within the initial design stage.

Brief

Brief

The high-definition brief developed during the Preparation stage is developed into a 3-dimensional simulation which is both revealing and informative, illuminating our clients' aspirations, requirements and patterns of habitation.

We discuss our interpretation of the brief whilst exploring together the simulation that we created within a virtual environment, to ensure that we both understood and interpreted the brief correctly.

Form

Form

Based on the abstract simulation developed during the previous step, the scheme now begins to take shape.

Familiar architectural elements such as walls, floors and stairs gradually emerge, embracing the various daily activities whilst enhancing the desired relationships between them.

At the end of this step of the process, the form of the building is fully developed and agreed.

Material

Material

With the special qualities of the scheme established and agreed, we ask ourselves the following question:

Which materials lend themselves effectively and sustainably to the realisation of the design?

To answer this question, we consider style, planning restrictions, budget and sustainability.

We believe that architecture should provide a backdrop for living, not take centre stage. Life itself is vibrant and full of colour, so materials are used in their honest, natural state.

Stage 3

Planning

Planning in the UK in general, and in Greater London in particular, can be a complex process. It is an intricate maze of policies, standards and regulations that require both specialised and current knowledge and skills in order to navigate it successfully.

Over many years, we have developed a failsafe approach and effective methodology that has allowed us to maintain an outstanding track record, spanning over more than a decade.

During the Planning stage, we prepare and submit all of the drawings and documentation required for obtaining planning permission and liaise with the local council's Case Officers on behalf of our clients.

Depending on the nature of the proposed scheme and local planning restrictions, we may advise seeking pre-planning advice prior to submission of a full planning application.

2007-2022

71 projects

Planning track record

  • 89% Secured in a single round
  • 4% Secured in a second round
  • 3% Secured in a single appeal
  • 1% Secured in a second appeal
  • 3% Not secured

Stage 4

Detail Design & Tender

Detail Design

During this stage, we develop the detail of the scheme and design special features and built-in joinery items.

We discuss and agree on all material finishes and select the kitchen and bathrooms with all fixtures and fittings. We then proceed to develop mechanical, electrical and lighting schemes and collaborate with our clients to select all the required details.

This enjoyable process is highly interactive. During design meetings, we explore the proposed scheme with our clients using our immersive real-time 3D visualisation software, displaying realistic materials and light conditions.

The ability to adjust the model live to try out new ideas makes the process all the more exciting, and our design meetings are designed to feel like a collaborative and interactive workshop.

Tender

Based on the approved Detail Design, we develop the Technical Design of the scheme in collaboration with the other consultants and prepare a drawing set with all information required for accurate pricing and selection of the main contractor for the site.

For most projects, along with the pricing document we will issue a full set of NBS (National Building Standard) specifications covering matters of best practice, compliance and quality control.

Our experience shows that the accuracy and level of detail included in this documentation plays a key role in obtaining accurate and reliable quotes, and helps to maintain the highest level of quality control during construction on site.

The selection of a main contractor for the project marks the conclusion of this stage, and final preparation for the realisation of the project commences.

Stage 5

Construction

Once a main contractor has been chosen and the final contract sum negotiated and agreed, the building contract is prepared and signed.

We recommend using a standard form of building contract that is appropriate to the size of the project. This would typically be one of the building contracts published by the JCT (Joint Contracts Tribunal).

Once construction work commences on site, regular site visits will be conducted to inspect the works and determine whether the project is proceeding in accordance with the contract. The contractor will be provided with further instructions, information and drawings as required.

The works completed on site will be valued monthly to determine the appropriate portion of the contract sum which can be released for payment.

Once all work is complete, our clients move into their new home. At this point, a rectification period will begin to allow the structure to settle and any minor latent defects to present themselves.

Stage 6

Handover

At the end of the rectification period, a visit will be arranged to conduct final inspections and arrange for correction of any apparent defects by the contractor.

Once all of these items have been completed, we conclude the building contract and allow our clients to continue enjoying the new home for many years to come.

We always remain available for any questions or advice that our clients may need and aim to stay in touch to hear about how clients experience and interact with the new home that we have created together.

You have now seen the full cycle of our process from appointment to hand over! You can use the button below to view the process again, or keep scrolling down to contact us

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Frequently Asked Questions

There is no doubt that choosing an architect is a big decision and there’s a huge amount of information to consider. As you may have already experienced, different firms and architectural practices across London tend to differ in terms of the language they use, which aspects they emphasise and in their fees and scope structures. We have compiled an essential guide to choosing an architect, which includes the three most important considerations to have on your list whilst you come to a decision. This guide is based on our fifteen years of experience as a top architectural practice in London and includes our expert recommendations to ensure you make the right choice and select the architect that is best suited to you and your project. Click here to read the full guide.
  • As a dynamic practice operating in London’s premium residential market, managing projects remotely and conducting virtual meetings was a very familiar territory for us, long before the pandemic began and ‘working remotely’ became the norm.
  • Our clients have very busy lifestyles and may move between several different locations, both within the UK and beyond, during the lifecycle of a typical project.
  • To accommodate such client needs and enable us to run their projects smoothly we had all the technology and know-how associated with remote working in place for several years.
  • Read our full (Virtual) Process
The scenario design process was developed, tested and perfected through over a decade of extensive delivery of residential projects within and around London, some of its key features are listed below:   
  • Scenario based design – We start each and every project with a meticulous analysis of our client’s vision, requirements and aspirations. We do this by asking our clients to imagine their everyday scenarios living in the completed house and describe their desired interaction with it. 
We then translate the resulting high definition brief into an informative and revealing 3-dimensional simulation, illuminating aspirations, requirements and patterns of habitation. 
  • Uniquely interactive - Our client’s deep involvement in the process does not stop with completion of the brief. Our design meetings are highly interactive, informal and fun. 
Sitting together in front of a real time 3D model of the proposed design with realistic materials, lighting and textures we push and pull the proposed scheme together to explore its full potential and drag and drop different materials to explore various options. hen we invite our clients to take a virtual reality tour through advanced equipment that is always available in our practice for our clients to explore their projects at different stages of development. 
  • Designed to reflect you – Based purely on your lifestyle, aspirations and requirements and free from externally imposed concepts, metaphors and pre-conceptions, a completely fresh and unique design will gradually emerge and it will tell your story not ours. 
It will not look like an image cut out of a trendy architecture magazine and not designed to intentionally impress anyone. It will feel familiar, warm and inviting and you will recognise yourself in it because it will be a genuine expression of the unique way in which you and your family wish to interact with it and enjoy it for many years to come.
Any architectural project comprises three main aspects, Creative design, Technical design and Project Management. A successful architectural project can only be achieved when all three aspects are properly performed and harmoniously integrated by an experienced professional. But can we really except a single person to specialise and shine in all three aspects and furthermore skilfully negotiate and balance the often contradictory challenges these aspects present? The basic assumption underlying the common structure of almost all other architectural practices today is that it is possible and this is precisely what is expected from the lone and often junior Architect that would typically be assigned to run your project start to finish. Scenario works in a completely different and new way, we believe in specialism and teamwork and therefore assign three experienced specialists for each and every project. A project team in Scenario is composed of a Project Director, a Designer and a Technical Designer, seamlessly collaborating to deliver results, which are noticeably superior to anything that a single person, skilful as they may be, could ever produce.
A key aspect, absolutely necessary to ensure successful delivery of your project is appointing a suitable and competent professional team. If we work together on your project we would be appointed as your Architects and Lead Consultants and help you to assemble the rest of the professional team. Most projects in and around London will require at least four additional consultants, a Structural Engineer, a Quantity Surveyor for cost control, an Approved Inspector to ensure and certify compliance with building regulations and a Party Wall Surveyor if any work is to be done to a party wall or structure. For some projects, depending on scale, complexity and your specific aspirations it may be recommended/required to use the services of additional consultants. Including but not limited to: Planning, Heritage, Right of Light, Landscape Designer, Audio Visual and Building Services Engineer. When appropriate, we will discuss these options with you and obtain relevant quotes for all additional consultants for you to consider.
Planning in the U.K in general and in Greater London in particular is admittedly a tricky business. It is a complex maze of policies, standards and regulations that requires specialised and up to date knowledge and skills to navigate successfully.  Over the years we developed a strong approach and an effective methodology, allowing us to maintain an outstanding track record stretching over more than a decade. Successfully securing planning permission for our clients across Greater London and the Home Counties.  The key aspects of our approach to planning are listed below: 
  • Collaborative – We start the conversation with planners early and advise most of our clients to seek pre-planning advice prior to submission of a full planning application. Our experience shows that when properly consulted and liaised with, most planning case officers will be receptive to conduct a professional dialogue, increasing chances of successes. 
  • Strategic – We tailor a custom planning strategy for each project based on its circumstances such as planning history, local context and specific challenging elements. We sometimes split applications or introduce minor tweaks to the scheme during the consideration period in conversation with the officers to prevent one contentious element from jeopardising approval of the main scheme.
  • Professional – Our experience shows that the quality and clarity of the submission in terms of background research, planning history of the property and context, precedent and of course the arguments presented to support the case has a tremendous effect on success rate. 
The standard consideration period for a residential project is eight weeks, this is the official time frame for your local council to carry out consultation with the neighbours and reach a decision.  We recommend allowing for a minimum of ten weeks from submission to decision as in practice the process always takes slightly longer for the following reasons: 
  • The decision period clock only starts ticking once the application is validated by the Council, This requires then to check that the forms are completed correctly and that the submission contains all the necessary drawings, statements and reports.
Validation can take anything from a few days to couple of weeks when the council is very busy, which is most of the time…
  • Although required by law to provide a decision within the statutory eight weeks period, it is not uncommon for councils to miss the deadline of the consideration period, normally only by a few days, sometimes longer. 
While there are some effective measures to apply pressure, which we do not hesitate to use when appropriate, it is generally beneficial for the project to bear with the council a little longer. 
  • In some cases the council may ask us as your agent for an extension of time, this may be requested due to internal reasons or as an acceptable result of a professional discussion that we are conducting with them about certain aspects of the application that they are not sure about.
Once we have an initial scheme designed for your project which you are happy to proceed with, we will advise whether we recommend obtaining pre-planning advice or proceeding directly to the submission of a full planning application. Most of our projects are submitted first to pre-planning when the following applies.
  • Our experience shows that planning officers respond better to projects when they feel consulted and collaborated with. We find that when we truly listen to their often helpful and valid feedback and treat them as consultants for the projects and not representative of an evil enforcing authority, they tend to collaborate well with us and demonstrate increased flexibility.
  • Although the council in theory have eight weeks to consider your application, in practice they are constantly overloaded. They will only look at your application in the last few days of the consideration period. If this is the first time that they come across a scheme that they were never consulted about, our chance to secure permission for you in a single attempt is significantly compromised.
  • The standard practice is for the council to consider the full planning application as submitted and then issue a yes or no decision. Case officers are not required or even encouraged to enter a discussion with us or accept resubmission of minor changes to the proposed scheme during the consideration period.
In practice our established working relationships and long-standing experience working across Greater London and the Home Counties often enables us to have a meaningful discussion and even introduce minor tweaks to the submitted scheme within the consideration period and prevent the application from being rejected. The chances for this strategy to deliver the desired results increases significantly with projects which were submitted first for a pre-planning advice.
In the past, it was common practice for local authorities to impose sustainability standards on residential developments. However, the 2015 Deregulation Act removed the obligation on local authorities to require any standard at all, which means the only requirements having fallen back to those of the Building Regulations.  With no clear and improved targets to work towards, in collaboration with Envision (www.envisioneco.com), we have created optional Sustainability ‘Levels’ to offer our clients the chance to drastically improve the sustainability credentials of their home. These ‘Levels’ encompassing Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond, traverse a clear and applicable route from basic compliance with current Building Regulations all the way to the full and rigorous HQM (Home Quality Mark) certification within Level Diamond. As the packages become more elaborate in terms of sustainability, analysis and implemented measures, they provide increasing tangible benefits. Ranging from thermal and acoustic comfort and wellbeing, to reduced carbon foot print, savings on running costs and significant advantages through the planning process.  The more elaborate packages obviously entail higher cost in terms of professional fees as well as impact on the construction cost, although each sustainability ‘Level’ will endeavour to not overly burden the construction budget.
In a nutshell building control is the means by which Local Authorities enforce compliance with current Building Regulations.  In practice there are two main ways to go about obtaining the required advice and certification for your project, via your Local Council’s Building Control Department or via direct appointment of an Approved Inspector who is authorised to carry out the inspection and certification on behalf of any local authority.   The role of either the Council’s Building Control Officer or an Approved Inspector is to verify that your project meets all current Building Regulations. They will review and approve all the drawings, inspect the actual work carried out on site and once the project is completed, issue the final compliance certificate. Due to an open market, healthy competition between local councils and approved inspectors, the process and associated costs are almost identical. Having said that, our experience is that the private inspectors still feel and behave more as your appointed consultants and the council’s service still feels more like a statutory inspection and it is often slower and less responsive.  While it is always good to be informed and understand the process well, as your appointed architects we will take care of this aspect of the project for you and save you considering comparable quotes that we will obtain on your behalf and appointing the selected provider. You can leave this aspect of your project entirely with us.  Building control is required for almost all projects, and for all the projects we ever worked on as only minor renovation works may be exempt.
Currently we recommend allowing between £2,500 and £3,000 per square metre for side extensions, rear extensions or front extensions. For basement extensions, which are most expensive way to add space to your home, we recommend that you allow between £3,000 and £3,500 per square metre. When it comes to roof extensions, our experience shows that it is better to allow a lump sum of £40,000-£60,000 for loft conversions with dormer windows and between £80,000 and £120,000 for mansard roof extensions. These ranges are based on averages from numerous actual projects that we have completed in and around London since we established Scenario in 2007. We only use these rough costs per square metre during the early stages of design to maintain awareness of your target budget until a cost professional is appointed and more accurate methods of estimation are employed. The actual cost for your project will depend on many factors, including the complexity of the design, level of structural support required, and selection of fixtures, fittings material finishes. Using these rough ranges as a guide we will work together with you in an interactive process to optimise budget and scope and find the balance that works best for you. The estimated costs per square metre mentioned above are for the build costs only and exclude VAT and professional fees.
Currently we recommend allowing between £2,500 and £3,000 per square metre for areas which will undergo an extensive renovation. We designate an area of the project as extensive renovation if the planned works includes substantial changes to layouts, significant structural works, re-plumbing, re-wiring and full redecoration. For areas of lighter internal renovation which do not require significant changes to layout or substantial structural works but do require full redecoration, re-plumbing and rewiring, we recommend allowing between £2,000 and £2,500 as an estimated cost per square metre, we designate these areas as requiring medium renovation. If there areas in your project which only call for a light renovation such as re-plastering, and painting, installing new floor finishes and light modifications of electrics and plumbing fittings, we will designate these as areas of light renovation and recommend that you allow £1,500-£2,000 per square metre or even as low as between £1,000-£1,500 if you only have light touches in mind. The real cost for your project will depend on several different variables including the complexity of the design, extent of structural works and level of fixtures, fittings and material finishes. These estimated costs per square metre are for the build cost excluding VAT and professional fees.
If you are thinking about building a new house from scratch for which the term Self Build is often used, we currently recommend allowing between £2,500 and £3,500 per square metre for projects in and around London. This may sound like a very wide range initially, perhaps too wide to be useful? As soon as we can establish even a few of the basics of your requirements and aspirations for the project we can safely narrow it down and customise it to match your intentions. The key parameters that will help us to refine initial estimates are whether or not a basement is required to achieve your target floor area, the likely construction method and corresponding structural approach and of course your desired level of fixtures, fittings and material finishes. Another key parameter that we must consider right from the outset is the level of sustainability that we are aiming at, are you satisfied with the base line requirements as defined by current building regulations, or should we aim higher? Working together with sustainability experts we have created our own bespoke set of sustainability packages which allows you to place your sustainability target anywhere you wish. This can range from basic compliance to an extremely sustainable and energy efficient standard which comes with great savings on running costs, future proofing and wellbeing benefits such as improved air quality, thermal comfort, and considerate and healthier surface finishes.
The fee structure that we will offer will depend on the type and scale of your project as well as the scope required from us. The vast majority of the projects we take on are what we call ‘full projects’, these are projects for which we will provide full Architectural services from inception to completion, covering the standard scope of services offered by most RIBA Chartered Architects and more. For these full projects our fees will be calculated on the basis of an agreed percentage of the final cost of the building works exclusive of VAT and professional fees. At any given time, we will calculate our fees based on the latest construction cost estimates available until the final cost of the building works has been ascertained. Our fees will be adjusted both forward and retrospectively to reflect any increase in budget and scope of the project, and forward only (due to work already completed) to reflect any decrease in budget/scope. During early stages, our fees will be calculated based on our in-house estimation tool and once available, on estimates by the appointed Quantity Surveyor, followed by actual prices of returned tenders and finally, the contract sum reflecting any changes during construction. Under unusual circumstances we may agree to take on projects only up to a certain stage, for example up to planning, and sometimes from a certain stage if we are taking over from another Architect. For these ‘partial scope projects’ we will normally put forward a simple fixed lump sum proposal.

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