Define: where successful projects begin
The define phase is where successful projects begin. We start from a blank page, working with you to sketch the environment that will deliver your goals. We set the agenda, delivering at the most strategic level of consultation, vision, and business outcomes. By aligning with your high-level commercial strategy before technical requirements are set, we ensure the project is defined by the business value it must realise. From the first engagement, we help shape the right facility around your goals, future growth, and operational realities.
Investing time with the right people and asking the right questions now saves you considerable time, cost, and complexity later.
Together, we identify what matters most, anticipate challenges, and ensure nothing critical is overlooked, giving you confidence before detailed design begins.
Expertise you can trust
Our in-house consultancy team specialises in mission-critical environments.
Through stakeholder workshops and user engagement, operational needs are translated into clear spatial and functional solutions.
At this point, multiple design options may be explored through layout studies, zoning diagrams and test fits, helping you understand how different approaches affect performance, efficiency and future flexibility. Early 3D models and visualisations can be used to communicate ideas clearly and support informed decision-making. As the preferred approach emerges, the architectural response begins to take clearer shape, establishing the core spatial and functional principles that will be developed further in the subsequent design stages.
By the conclusion of these early stages, the project scope, spatial strategy and key requirements are clearly articulated through coordinated outline drawings and supporting information, providing the confidence needed to progress into more detailed and technically focused design development.
Feasibility study
We assess viability, explore options, and identify constraints. This stage establishes whether and the conditions under which your project is technically and commercially achievable
Concept design
We develop the strategic vision into a workable concept. This includes initial layouts, process flows, and spatial requirements that align with your operational needs and regulatory requirements.
Front-end engineering design (FEED)
We define the complete project scope with technical precision. Detailed specifications, equipment lists, piping and instrumentation diagrams, and cost estimates provide the foundations for seamless delivery.
Find the answers to your questions
The primary objective is to establish a shared, unambiguous understanding of what needs to be built and why. This phase translates high-level business needs into actionable, measurable project requirements. We produce the user requirements specification (URS) and a brief plan, which act as the foundational documents for all subsequent phases.
We conduct a comprehensive Feasibility Study that evaluates technical viability, regulatory impact, risk factors, and financial projections. This study analyzes various solution alternatives and calculates key metrics, including the preliminary Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and projected Return on Investment (ROI), ensuring the proposed solution provides maximum value.
Utilising our in-house experts ensures a seamless transition from initial concept to physical delivery. Unlike standalone consultancies, our specialists work side-by-side with our construction and engineering teams. This integrated approach eliminates the 'knowledge gap', ensuring that the strategic advice we provide is grounded in practical reality and fully aligned with our end-to-end design and build capabilities.
Yes. Our consultancy expertise is highly scalable, ranging from the optimisation of basic laboratory design to the master planning of complex, mission-critical environments. Because we manage the full project lifecycle, our “Define” stage delivers a bespoke roadmap that balances immediate technical requirements with your long-term commercial and operational goals.
No, you are not contractually obliged to proceed to the construction phase with us. Our consultancy services are designed to provide a high-value output (such as a feasibility study or master plan) that gives you the clarity needed to make an informed investment decision.
However, the majority of our clients choose to continue with our in-house teams because of the seamless continuity it provides. Transitioning from “Define” to “Design and Deliver” with a single partner eliminates the risk of technical information being lost between different contractors and ensures that the experts who shaped your initial vision are the ones responsible for bringing it to life.
