Architecture 

OUR PROCESS

The Introduction Meeting

Here at The Mill, we believe that enjoying an easy relationship with your architect is essential for success. Not every architect is suited to every project. This introductory meeting will allow you to talk through your ideas, your brief and your budget. You can select from two options:

1. Our Office

This is a one-hour consultation in our Kingston Studio. We will discuss your project, offering advice on design possibilities and restraints. You will also see how we work so you can decide whether we are compatible. We encourage you to bring along drawings and information for your home and block. This meeting is free of both charge and obligation.

2. On Site

This is a one-hour assessment at your home. We will discuss your requirements and provide advice on design possibilities and constraints. We will also give you a feel for how our team works and what it would be like to work with us on delivering your project. This meeting has a fee payable at the time of booking.

Fee Proposal

After our initial meeting, we will prepare a proposal for you. It will include a breakdown of the design services we offer with their associated fees, as well as some past projects to help you get a feel for us as a team.

Concept Design

To commence your design work, we require an accurate land survey of your block in digital (CAD) form. If you do not have a recent survey, we can put you in touch with a consultant who can provide you this service.

Once we have an accurate digital base, we begin our process with a visit to your site and a detailed measure up of the existing dwelling (for renovation projects). We start by assessing your brief, your timeframe and your budget. We will hold a detailed conversation to gain a thorough understanding of your desired outcomes, and can help to prioritise your brief to ensure the best outcome for your budget.

When we are confident with our understanding of your requirements, we will turn our attention to your site. With our passion for environmental design, it is paramount to our process that we obtain the most value from what is naturally available.

We will look for constraints and opportunities including:

• Orientation
• Solar access
• Air movement across the site
• Available shading
• Existing trees
• Views
• Surrounding buildings

Following this analysis, we will overlay the council requirements for your area, including: Setbacks, Easements, Building envelope and Heritage/precinct codes.

Now we can begin to help you visualise the possibilities of your project with a series of conceptual designs, hand drafted and in plan form. These concepts focus on the plan form as the relationship between spaces is complicated and often difficult to get right. Once the relationship is established, the built form will follow with ease.

In the office, we will brainstorm out many varied ideas for how to meet your brief with your budget in mind. Importantly, we will present you with the concept we feel most strongly achieves the balance between brief, budget, and performance improvements. If you would like to explore more ideas, we will happily continue testing ideas and will do so at our approved hourly rate.

Design Development

When we are confident we have a concept design that encompasses your hopes for the project, we will move to transform them into computer based 3D modelling with floor plans, building elevations, and building sections. We model the terrain of your site and allow for accurate decisions on floor levels and site placement.

We can provide various options for the form of your building so you can gain an appreciation of what it will look like, inside and out.

Heritage Consultation, Coordination & Approval

Should your project involve a building of heritage significance, we will work closely with government heritage assessors to ensure that any designs we pursue are in keeping with both your brief and the desired character of your specific precinct.

Approval

The approval process differs based on various factors. These include your location, your site-specific requirements, and the type of project. Within the ACT, you can choose to follow a full Development Application process, or apply for a Development Approval Exempt Approval via a building certifier. We will explain these options, and help you to decide which is suitable for you.

Construction Documentation

A number of detailed drawings and specifications are needed to communicate the particulars of a design to your chosen builder. This is known as ‘Construction Documentation.’ We will guide you through all of the decisions in a planned manner in order to put you in a position to obtain multiple quotes, or work closely with a single builder to ensure a smooth transition to the physical building of your project.

The documentation includes detailed floor plans, building elevations, detailed sections, wet areas plans such as the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry. We will prepare written details about the design, including the building specifications, and interior and exterior fixtures and finishes schedules.

In addition to the standard architectural documentation included in our projects, we can also offer a full interior design service with our in house team. This additional service will be quoted on request.

During this stage, we will coordinate consultants and their documentation for you, including structural/mechanical/civil engineering, energy performance rating, tree management plans, and asbestos consultants.