Partial Checklist for Architectural Design

Here are some issues to check for your design.

• Site

  • How do vehicles access the site – and exit from it?

    • Employees

    • Visitors

    • Service vehicles

    • Emergency vehicles

  • How important is pedestrian access?

    • Where do they come from and go to?  Make assumptions if necessary.

  • Is it important for your building to be visible from the roads?  If so:

    • What aspect of the building should be emphasized?

    • Does this mean the building should be right at the corner or somewhere else on the site?

• Building Plans

  • Circulation

    • Where is the main employee entrance?

    • Where is the main service entrance?

    • Should the visitor entrance be separate?

    • Does every occupant have two separate protected exit paths to the exterior within 50’ (if building is sprinkled) of leaving their room/suite?

    • Is there a need for a passenger and/or freight elevator?

  • Adjacency

    • Are the rooms/spaces of the building that need to be together in fact together

      • Check what the building program said about this.

  • Views

    • Are there exterior views from the building that you should be taking advantage of?

  • Energy Use

    • Is the form or orientation of your building going to make it particularly costly or economical to occupy.

      • e.g. In northern climates taking advantage of solar energy for heating often means relatively “skinny” buildings with their long axis east-west to capture sun for both heating and daylighting.

  • Space Provision

    • Have you checked the sizes of the spaces against what the program required?

      • If there are differences can you explain why you made the changes?

• Building Elevations

  • Are your elevations important for aesthetic impact?

    • if so, what are their characteristics that address that impact?

  • Are those elevations (and potentially roof skylights) going to help or hinder the building’s energy use?

    • Related to this is the question of what are the materials of which the exterior envelope is made?

• Provision for Engineering Systems

  • What’s the longest span in your building?

    • Have you allowed enough depth for that span and HVAC and electrical systems?

  • Will it be possible to address lateral loads with your design?

  • Are their provisions for HVAC and plumbing equipment?

    • Space in the floor plan that allows good duct runs, outside air and exhaust air, equipment servicing

    • Is their sufficient space above the ceiling (or below the floor) for HVAC duct runs?

      • These issues are often best considered via building sections.

    • Are there vertical shafts sufficient for HVAC ducts (supply and return)

• Acoustic Issues

  • Have you separated noisy spaces (e.g. mechanical rooms) from quiet spaces?

  • Are there any special acoustic requirements that might affect the floor plan