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Architecture vocabulary · Design Process

Brief

Meaning in architecture, with examples

/briːf/nounCore term

In architecture, brief means: A document that sets out what a building must provide: its uses, the list of spaces and their sizes, the budget, the schedule and the client's goals.

In Turkish: ihtiyaç programı, tasarım programı, proje programı

How it is used

Clients and competition organisers write or issue the brief; architects read it, question it, develop it and respond to it. British English says brief; American English often says program (architectural program). Studio projects also start with a brief.

Example sentences

  1. According to the brief, the library needs a reading room for 120 people.

  2. The client changed the brief twice, so we had to rethink the layout.

Common collocations

  • design brief
  • competition brief
  • respond to the brief
  • write a brief
  • clientThe person or organisation that commissions a building project and pays the architect, such as a homeowner, developer, company or public authority.
  • conceptThe central idea that guides a design and gives it a clear direction, such as a strong relationship with the landscape or a building organised around light.
  • feasibility studyAn early study that tests whether a project is possible and worthwhile on a given site, looking at planning rules, floor area, cost, brief and risks.
  • architectural competitionA contest in which architects submit design proposals for a project and a jury, often judging them anonymously, chooses the best one for a prize or the commission.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Design Process

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