How we work · Design to consent
The architectural design process, stage by stage
The architectural design process in New Zealand moves through clear stages, from the first conversation about your site to a consent set a council will grant and support while it is built. Here is how a project runs with us, so you know what happens next before you commit to anything.
01
First conversation
A straightforward chat about your site, what you want to build and roughly what you want to spend.
There is no cost to start. We talk through what you are trying to do, whether the idea fits the site and the budget, and whether we are the right people for it. If a project genuinely needs a registered architect or a specialist we do not cover, we will tell you plainly rather than take work we should not.
02
Site and brief
We get to know the land, the constraints and the way you actually want to use the building.
This is where we look at the real conditions: orientation, wind and sun, soil and drainage, the district plan rules and any overlays that apply. For rural and remote sites it also means access, services and how the place will be used through the seasons. The brief we agree here is what everything else is measured against.
03
Concept design
Early plans that test the idea on the site before anyone commits real money to it.
You get plans and enough form to understand how the building sits, how it works room to room, and how it responds to the site. This is the cheapest point to change your mind, so we would rather explore options here than redraw a consent set later.
04
Developed design
The concept is resolved into a buildable design, coordinated with any engineers and specialists.
Materials, structure and services are worked through so the design is genuinely buildable, not just good on paper. On insulated panel, seismic and commercial work this is where we coordinate the structural engineer and other consultants, and where buildability and sequencing get sorted before they become expensive surprises on site.
05
Consent documentation and LBP sign-off
A complete consent set that answers the council's questions, with LBP Design Class sign-off.
We prepare the coordinated drawings, details and specifications a council needs, and provide the Memorandum (Record of Building Work) as the Licensed Building Practitioner for the restricted building work. A set that anticipates the assessor's questions is the single biggest thing that avoids requests for further information and the delays they cause.
06
During construction
We stay reachable while the building goes up, so questions get answered by the person who drew it.
Drawings never answer every question a builder will have. We remain available through construction to resolve queries and site issues, so decisions are made by the person who understands the design intent rather than guessed at on site.
Ready to start at stage one?
Tell us about your site and what you want to build. There is no cost to start the conversation, and no jargon. Just a straightforward chat about whether we are the right fit.