Write the brief before the shortlist
Choosing a design partner begins with knowing what you need from one. Before searching for names, write a short brief that any firm could read and respond to. It does not need to be long, but it should be specific.
Include the city and building, the area and handover condition, the number of people and how often they are in, the move-in date the business needs, and an honest budget range or at least the principle behind it. Add the few things that matter most to the organisation, whether that is client meetings, focused work, collaboration or growth. Then note what you already have: a lease, a landlord's fit-out manual, a measured drawing.
A brief like this does two things. It allows you to compare responses fairly, because everyone is answering the same question. And it shows you which firms read carefully, because their first questions will be about your brief rather than their portfolio.
Decide which model suits you
Workplace projects in India are commonly delivered in one of two ways, with variations in between.
In a design-only appointment, an architect or interior designer develops the design and documents it. A separate contractor, or several trade contractors, then build it, often chosen by tender. You hold two or more contracts, and someone, either you, the designer or a project manager, coordinates between them. This model gives you independent design advice and competitive pricing on construction, at the cost of more coordination.
In a design-and-build appointment, one firm takes responsibility for both. You hold a single contract, and design and construction can overlap, which may shorten the programme. The trade-off is that design advice and construction pricing come from the same source, so transparency in how costs are built up matters more.
Neither model is better in principle. The right one depends on your in-house capacity to manage a project, the complexity of the building and how much risk you wish to hold.
What to ask in a first meeting
A first meeting should feel like a working session, not a presentation. Some questions that reveal how a firm thinks:
- What would you want to know about our building before you started designing?
- How do you establish the brief, and who in our organisation would you speak to?
- How do you estimate cost at each stage, and how often does the estimate change?
- What approvals would this building need, and who obtains them?
- Who will be on site day to day, and how much of their time is committed to us?
- How do you handle a change requested after design is frozen?
- What happens at handover, and what support do you provide in the months after?
Listen for specifics. A firm that answers with process, names and examples of what it would check is more useful than one that answers with assurances.
Read the portfolio honestly
Portfolios are curated, and the photographs are taken at their best moment. Look past the images to the information. Ask which projects are similar in scale, building type and budget to yours. Ask what the firm's role was on each: concept only, full design, design and build, or a part of a larger team. Photographs can be shared across consultants and contractors, and it is fair to ask who did what.
Look for consistency of detail rather than spectacle. Are joints clean, are services integrated, do ceilings and lights align? Do the spaces look usable as well as photogenic? A portfolio of calm, well-resolved rooms often says more than one of striking reception areas.
Check references and visit sites
Speak to previous clients directly, without the firm in the room. Ask whether the project finished on the date and budget agreed, how changes were handled and how the firm behaved when something went wrong. Ask whether they would appoint the firm again.
Where possible, visit a completed office that has been occupied for some time, and a site currently under construction. The first shows how the work has aged and whether the design suits its users. The second shows how the firm runs a site: tidiness, safety practice, protection of finished work and the presence of supervision.
Understand the commercial model
Fees and prices are structured in different ways. Designers may charge a fixed fee, a fee tied to area, or a percentage of construction cost. Design-and-build firms may offer a lump sum, a rate-based contract measured on completion, or an open-book arrangement with an agreed margin. Each distributes risk differently.
Ask for the basis in writing, and ask how it changes if the scope does. Clarify payment milestones, retention, defects liability and who carries the cost of approvals, permits and building management deposits. Confirm how GST is applied. A proposal that is clear about these matters is usually a sign of a firm that will be clear on site.
Know who will run your site
The people you meet during selection are not always the people who deliver the project. Ask to meet the project manager and site engineer who would be assigned, and ask how many other sites they are running at the same time. Their experience with your type of building, whether a tech park with strict working rules or an older standalone building, matters more than the size of the firm.
Some warning signs are worth noting: a price far below the others with no clear explanation, reluctance to share references, vague answers about approvals, pressure to sign quickly, or a design presented before your brief has been discussed. None is conclusive alone. Together they suggest caution.
Space Craft would expect to be judged by these same questions. Any firm worth appointing should welcome them.