Planning is the thought process that takes place before any action. Or as the dictionary says, “an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action”. Your planning for a building would include setting goals, agreeing on the outcomes that you desire, and considering priorities. Your goal-setting should address the five key issues that every building project faces - the Needs, the Constraints, the Context, the Budget, and the Schedule. Another critical aspect of planning is to consider the process of developing the project and how you will manage it. So planning consists of all the actions you take at the very beginning of your building project.
Who Does The Planning
Normally the user organization would complete the planning for the intended facility. However, the owner of the facility, a parent organization or other stakeholders may have a role in the planning. It is normally a good idea to have the staff that will work in the facility involved. Since many organizations do not have facility managers, it is not uncommon to use a professional consultant for guidance and research.
Why Plan
Planning is the only way to understand your goals and set targets for what you want to achieve. If instead of planning, you start with design; you relinquish control over your goals. You may never understand your true needs until too late.
How To Plan
After you get organized, there are five main issues to sort out as mentioned above. To get organized think about the process you will need: assembling a building committee, identifying stakeholders and other participants, approvals needed from your parent organization, procurement requirements, assembling baseline information (maps, drawings, studies), etc.
It is unlikely that you can fully address any one of the five issues in just one meeting. Think about when and how often you will meet. Unless you meet very frequently, a year or more may be needed for the research, discussion and integration of all the key issues: NEEDS, CONSTRAINTS, CONTEXT, BUDGET, and SCHEDULE.
Here is a brief description of the goals you would set for each issue. A more detailed list of needed goals can be found in our RESOURCES.
NEEDS: How much new space, renovated space and remodeled space do you need? What features, systems, and character do the spaces need?
CONSTRAINTS: What hurdles will you encounter - parent organization, building codes, zoning, easements, etc.
CONTEXT: Where is space available or where can it be created? What relationships between spaces do you need? Where should the space be located?
BUDGET: How much can you afford? What costs will there be?
SCHEDULE: Are there deadlines? How long will everything take? Are there tangential issues like fund raising?