# Design Brief > Turn a client conversation, loose notes, or a mood description into a structured architectural design brief — programme, site, design intent, materials, sustainability, budget, and open questions. Use when an architect needs to formalise design intent at RIBA Stage 1 / AIA Pre-Design, wants to "write a brief", "structure this client meeting", or turn a vague idea into a project north-star. Pairs… - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-gaia-computer-technologies-architecture-skills-design-brief` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [gaia-computer-technologies](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/gaia-computer-technologies) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [gaia-computer-technologies](https://github.com/gaia-computer-technologies) - **Source:** https://github.com/gaia-computer-technologies/architecture-skills/tree/main/plugins/concept-design/skills/design-brief - **Website:** https://www.gaia.computer/skills ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-gaia-computer-technologies-architecture-skills-design-brief ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Design Brief Generate a structured design brief from a conversation or loose notes. This is RIBA Stage 1 (Preparation and Briefing) / AIA Pre-Design work — the document every later decision refers back to. ## When to use When an architect or designer needs to formalise design intent — from a client conversation, a set of references, a site visit, or their own sketched notes. The brief becomes the project's north star: what gets built starts here. ## Input The user provides raw input in any form: - A transcript or notes from a client meeting - A list of rooms and requirements - A mood description: "We want it to feel like a Japanese ryokan but in Brooklyn" - A set of constraints: budget, site, timeline, programme - An image or set of references (if image input is available) ## Process 1. **Extract core requirements.** Identify: programme (what rooms/spaces), site (if mentioned), budget tier, timeline, key constraints, aesthetic direction. 2. **Identify unstated assumptions.** If someone says "3-bedroom house" but doesn't mention storage, circulation, or outdoor space — note these as items to confirm, don't skip them. 3. **Organise into sections** following architectural brief convention: - Project overview (one paragraph) - Programme (spatial requirements table) - Site and context (if known) - Design intent and aesthetic direction - Material preferences - Sustainability and environmental goals - Budget and phasing - Open questions (what still needs resolving) 4. **Write in the architect's voice.** The brief should sound like an architect wrote it for their own team, not like a form was filled in. Direct, specific, opinionated where the client was clear, honest about gaps. ## Domain knowledge ### Programme defaults by project type These are **professional conventions and typical ranges — not codes, not client requirements.** Use them to start a conversation and to spot forgotten spaces, and label every figure as a benchmark to confirm. Areas vary widely by market, site, and brief. When you carry a number into the brief, show its basis (e.g. "living at 25–35% of a 130–180m² residential programme"). **Single-family residential (3-bed):** - Living, dining, kitchen (often open plan): 45-65m² - Primary bedroom with ensuite: 20-28m² - Secondary bedrooms (x2): 12-16m² each - Family bathroom: 6-8m² - Entrance/circulation: 8-12m² - Storage (often forgotten): 4-8m² - Outdoor space: context-dependent - Utility/laundry: 4-6m² - Total: 130-180m² (typical, varies by market) **Small office (10-20 people):** - Open workspace: 5-8m² per person - Meeting rooms: 1 per 6-8 people, 12-16m² each - Focus/phone rooms: 1 per 10 people, 4m² - Kitchen/break area: 15-25m² - Reception: 10-15m² - Storage/server: 6-10m² **Restaurant (40-60 covers):** - Dining area: 1.2-1.8m² per cover - Kitchen: 30-40% of dining area - Bar: 8-15m² - WC (accessible + gendered or all-gender): 12-18m² - Storage/staff: 10-15m² - Outdoor dining: context-dependent ### Budget tier language - **Modest**: standard materials, practical choices, value-engineered details - **Mid-range**: good quality materials, some custom elements, considered details - **High-end**: premium materials throughout, bespoke joinery, architectural hardware - **Luxury**: no material constraints, fully custom, specialist craftspeople ### Sustainability defaults If the user doesn't mention sustainability, include a section noting: - Passive design strategies appropriate to climate - Material longevity over novelty - Energy performance targets (reference local standards) - Note: "Sustainability goals to be confirmed with client" ## Output format ``` DESIGN BRIEF ═════════════ PROJECT OVERVIEW [One paragraph summary: what, where, who, why] PROGRAMME ┌──────────────────────┬────────┬──────────────────────────┐ │ Space │ Area │ Notes │ ├──────────────────────┼────────┼──────────────────────────┤ │ [room] │ [m²] │ [adjacency, light, use] │ └──────────────────────┴────────┴──────────────────────────┘ Total: [x] m² (approx.) SITE & CONTEXT [If known. Orientation, access, neighbours, constraints.] DESIGN INTENT [Aesthetic direction, spatial quality, references. 2-3 paragraphs.] MATERIAL DIRECTION [Specific materials where stated, general direction where implied.] SUSTAINABILITY [Environmental goals, passive strategies, certifications if targeted.] BUDGET & PHASING [Tier, total if stated, phasing approach if relevant.] OPEN QUESTIONS - [Items that need resolving before schematic design begins] ``` ## What you don't do - Don't invent requirements the client didn't mention. Flag gaps in "Open Questions". - Don't use generic language: "a welcoming entrance" tells no one anything. Be specific about what welcoming means — material, scale, light, threshold. - Don't include cost estimates unless the user provides budget data. - Don't assume location-specific codes. Note "verify local requirements" where relevant. ## Guardrails - Programme areas are benchmarks to confirm, never requirements. Show the basis of any figure you use. - Anything touching life-safety, structure, accessibility, or planning: mark "requires verification by a qualified professional." ## Hand off to - **programme-schedule** — turn the programme into a checked schedule of accommodation with explicit net-to-gross. - **material-palette** — develop the material direction into a specifiable palette. - **concept-parti** — find the organising idea before the brief hardens the spatial logic. ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [gaia-computer-technologies](https://github.com/gaia-computer-technologies) - **Source:** [gaia-computer-technologies/architecture-skills](https://github.com/gaia-computer-technologies/architecture-skills) - **License:** MIT - **Homepage:** https://www.gaia.computer/skills Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-gaia-computer-technologies-architecture-skills-design-brief - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/gaia-computer-technologies - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.