Statement of need

The first step is to establish a set of criteria that will form the basis for assessing and establishing the need for the building. These may be:

䊉 the function,

䊉 the timing,

䊉 the priorities.

This is followed by the preparation of a detailed description of the building’s intended function. A detailed list that identifies everything to be accommodated both inside and outside the building envelope should be prepared. Checklist 6 is a summary of the basic information required to prepare a statement of need, i.e., to establish the extent and relationship of all the different activities and functions that need to be accommodated in the building.

At this stage, the project should not be thought of in terms of shape, size, or number of stories, but entirely in terms of function. To understand fully the requirements for a building, it is helpful to prepare flow charts of the activities to be accommodated, together with diagrams illustrating the relationships between major areas of activity, core areas, circulation spaces, entrances and items of plant and equipment. The numbers of people involved, the size of the plant and equipment, and the volume of information and materials they will process should all be listed.

In cases where activities need to be kept separate, the reasons should be given. The need for separation may be based on considerations like safety, confidentiality, status, comfort, Checklist 4. Action by working party at first meeting

Appoint chairman, usually client representative

Prepare and agree initial statement of need (the initial project objective) Determine outline requirements of each member

Identify knowledge gaps (using Checklist 6)

Allocate responsibility for determining missing knowledge Prepare schedule for data collection

Where appropriate, initiate research to establish requirements and specification Prepare programme and schedule of meetings to achieve the initial review date Establish success criteria

and cleanliness. The acceptable limits of the incompatible activities should be specified. For example, where activities have incompatible noise levels, the acceptable and generated levels should be given. Activities that need to be adjacent must be identified, together with the type of interaction that will take place between them. Those activities that could equally well be housed in one space, or need to be kept separate should also be identified.

It is important to emphasize any unusual or special requirements and for copies of existing technical descriptions of work or its organization to be made available. If possible, it is advisable not to think in terms of any similarities with facilities in existing buildings, because some aspects of building technology change so rapidly that copying the technology of a previous building may not provide the most cost-effective solution.

Where new functions can be accommodated within an existing building or facility, all relevant details of the building, such as size, use and form of construction, should be available. Any legal or physical restrictions on the way that the building can be adapted for future use should be identified, for example, restrictions on use or floor loading. Any known limitations or restrictions on use should be identified with any natural or artificial feature that needs to be retained.

The statement of need should say whether suitable land is available for the proposed development and its location. If the land is not yet in the possession of the client, the proposed method of acquisition and timing should be identified. If available, surveys of the land or any relevant information should also be supplied. Where shared occupancy is envisaged, any constraints imposed by current use, such as restrictions on dust levels, noise/vibrations and sensitive operations should be classified.

Checklist 5. Action at stage 2 – the initial review meeting

Identify any major problems with availability of data review Checklist 4 for each interest

Establish criteria against which initial statement of need can be reviewed Review need to proceed as one of:

i. Need established – proceed to functional brief ii. Need established – not urgent, action suspended

iii. Need/Not established – reassess initial objective or suspend action Confirm the need and establish project priority

prepare formal statement of need

Submit statement of need to client management for formal review and obtain signed-off brief as outline project approval to proceed to concept and scheme design stage

Checklist 6. Information for the statement of need

1 Activities and functions (for each activity give the following information):

䊉 a thorough description of the function or use

䊉 the number of rooms and/or open areas required

䊉 additional access, area for maintenance of equipment

䊉 the numbers of people involved

䊉 the space required for each activity

䊉 the required minimum floor-to-ceiling height of each space

䊉 frequency of use – continuous, permanent, or intermittent in hours or days

䊉 special equipment, function, type, size, weight.

2 Services required by each function:

䊉 telecommunications – BT, wireless and satellite communications

䊉 air conditioning

䊉 ventilation, extract

䊉 lighting

䊉 power – low voltage, high voltage, vacuum

䊉 piped gases

䊉 effluent treatment

䊉 wastes

䊉 water – potable, treated, H & C

䊉 heating/steam

䊉 IT

䊉 fibre optic links.

3 Environmental control:

䊉 temperature, air changes, pressure zones, dust/particle control, fume extraction, bacteria control.

4 Cleanliness standards.

5 Environmental conditions.

6 Security:

䊉 privacy

䊉 soundproofing

䊉 safety – theft, access, egress, fire.

7 Hazardous activities:

The statement of need should identify time constraints relating to the vacation of existing accommodation, to current or proposed land occupancy, or to any other deadlines and key dates which must be met. It should also consider how long it would be before the various activities and functions need to be changed to meet future anticipated requirements. Such information will enable a decision to be made on whether it is likely to be more cost-effective in the long term to design the building with built-in flexibility.

The working party should then examine the statement of need from every point of view to establish whether or not a new building is necessary or financially viable. During this process many alternatives will be considered and options developed. Each should be evaluated to ensure that the best arrangements for the client are developed (see Checklist 7).

8 Wall, floor, ceiling finishes:

䊉 specify standards and specific type of finishes required.

9 Relationships:

䊉 relationships with which room/activity/function

䊉 define if room/activity/function is associated.

10 Interrelationship between function and local environment 11 Facilities provided by other related facilities:

䊉 services – type, quantity, volume

䊉 waste treatment

䊉 storage

䊉 component/material supplies

䊉 computing, data

䊉 people movement

䊉 access, egress, size, shape, flow rates.

12 Environmental factors:

䊉 impact on landscape

䊉 security

䊉 visual appearance

䊉 access

䊉 delivery vehicles – size, shape, frequency, time

䊉 parking – permanent, visitors

䊉 protection against pollution of the environment with scale and type of pollutants

䊉 planning restrictions – constraints, public enquiry, conservation areas, listed buildings, preservation orders, rights of light

䊉 requirements of statutory authorities and services companies

䊉 site surveys of available sites.

The working party must also assess the level of risk to be incurred, based on the accuracy of the information available. To ensure objective analysis and evaluation it is necessary to establish criteria, such as return on capital investment, against which the statement of need should be compared. Once the need is established, a formal statement of need can be prepared and presented to the client for approval.