ARC8084: Architectural practice

Business plan

C H O U J A N E T

N G T A M

H A R A S H A

L U C

K A U R

A S K E W - V A J R A

M A L G O R Z A T A

S Z A R N E C K A

Introduction • Name: BOX Design • Highly diverse team • Type of company: Cooperative, allows for communal ownership and decision making (Private Company Limited By Guarantee)

STEP 1 Defining objectives and methods of achieving them via

SMART Technique Smart Measurable Achievable Realistic Time

STEP 2

Prioritizing our objectives

• Company Structure reflection of firm culture • Each member valued equally for individual

Co-operative

strengths • Growing to a firm of 10 members within three years • Becoming a financially profitable company with a wide clientele within first two years

• Building can become a community focused activity for many projects • Form of social service by reduction of time and cost during contract

Community

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

administration phase

• Personal and professional networks

Local Network

• Sustainable local suppliers

• Focus on environmentally friendly materials and modular designs

Sustainable

Prioritizing •

Hierarchy of goals

•

Based on firm's own principles and USP

•

With fewer members, conscious need for satisfaction ,personal growth and loyalty

Marketing

PESTLE Analysis - market research •

Political: housing crisis, governmental focus on reducing carbon emissions

•

Environmental: current climate crisis

•

Social: lack of affordable housing for first-time buyers

•

Technological: advances in modular and pre-fabricated construction methods

•

Legal: Climate Change Act 2008, revised National Planning Policy Framework

•

Economic: incentives for self-build as well as environmentally conscious designs

• Sustainable and affordable architectural

USP- Unique Selling Point

design

• Focus on first time buyers and selfbuilders

• We are looking at approaching the young demographic interested in a climate conscious design and lifestyle. Due to a competitive house market and lack of governmental aid with house

Target market

buying, we would like to focus initially on providing sustainable and affordable housing for young families and professionals.

• Social media: active usage of platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to

keep

potential

clients

updated

on

projects development. Creation of monthly climate

change in architecture podcast, discussing possible

Marketing strategies: online presence

improvement in built environment.

• Website:

active

website,

updated

weekly

with progress information and photos on active projects.

• Keeping

a

number

of

formal

and

informal communication channels such as emails, website enquiry, telephone, Facebook messenger, video conference tools.

• Joining the RIBA as a Chartered Practice in order to advertise our company on the UK Directory of RIBA Chartered

Practices. It will allow us to build

RIBA Charted Practice

relationships with new clients, as it is distributed

to

approximately

5,000

clients annually. It is also a first point of information for potential, new clients, who do not have previous experience with architectural firms.

Networking Attending local construction seminars. Building relationships with local suppliers and sustainable businesses.

Attending climate conferences, to gain contacts amongst people working in the field of sustainable design and lifestyle.

Keeping a close relationship with University Architectural Depar tmnet, in order to gain more information about emerging technologies and materials.

Operations

• Focus

on

new

technologies

in

pre-

fabricated and modular design to achieve affordable and sustainable housing • Educating potential clients on benefits of

Pre-fabricated and modular design

choosing this type of construction • Minimizing potential risk factors connected with traditional construction methods • Usage of BIM at an early stage of design will allow for easy translation of design into a finished product

Staff training

Weekly CPDs in the sector of environmental design and construction

Subscriptions to a number of architectural and environmental publications

Attending conferences and webinars

Maintaining high level of knowledge of software systems and investing in the latest softwares

• Staff structure: as a cooperative business we will co-

own the practice and will not employ a hierarchy of staff. All office decisions will be made as a collective through a voting system, which will take place at weekly office meetings.

Company management

• Depending on the project and requirements we will

employ

a

number

of

consultants

to

provide specialist support for the practice on a temporary basis.

• Flexible working environment: a mixture of WFH and hot-desking within a rented incubator space.

The usage of

purpose-built

incubator

space

will provide facilities such as a cafeteria, printing, communal spaces and meeting rooms.

Office hardware

All employees will be provided with good quality laptop, allowing them to work remotely

Due to the flexible nature of the practice, we will provide each employee with a company mobile phone, so that they can be easily reached by clients and members of staff at any location

We will utilize facilities provided by incubator space such as printers, plotters and Internet networks

The practice will subscribe to a carsharing service, providing access to a car to each member of staff

All PPE for site visits will be provided by the office to ensure employees' safety

Practice library consisting of standard contract of appointments, industry publications, building regulations

• Using RIBA Plan of Work 2020 • Using standardized contract forms such

Project management

as RIBA Agreements 2010, JCT Contracts • Office Handbook will be available for all the employees and will outline details of procedures and processes established in

the practice, which builds upon RIBA Job Book and RIBA Plan of Work 2020

Organization systems • Employment of BIM system allowing for greater cost control and better integration of services at the design stage, which is crucial for pre-fabricated and modular construction methods. Improved risk management.

• Accreditation of BIM Level 2, will allow the practice to take part in tenders for public projects as well as government frameworks, in the future development of the practice.

• Employment of ISO9001- Quality Management System. The system will allow the practice to efficiently manage the responsibilities and resources, including human resources. The standard specifies usage of QMS, allowing for uniform approach on each project within the practice.

• Additional employment of ISO14001- Environmental Management System, will allow the practice to improve environmental standards and establish environ

Finance

• Bank Loan • START UP Founder-ship by Newcastle University which potentially could provide funding for initial 6-month,

Funding

including £7,500 in living cost and £50,000 in business development.

• Kickstarter, mainly using the platform as part of marketing also a potential source of funding for initial start-up.

• B & D Studios, Newcastle City Centre.

• Affordable, good community, lack of overhead.

Rent

• Alternative option: Duke Studio, Leeds.

• Offer range of available office space for rent, ranging from short term (1-month) co-working space to long term (12-

month) studio space which provide 24hour access.

• Only required if business turnover 1 is more than £85,000 in a 12-month period • The average turnover for UK microbusiness is approximately £286,879

Tax

• Able to reclaim the difference when input tax is more than output tax from HMRC • Hiring a finance adviser for annual tax audit •

1total

•

2

VAT business is charged for goods and service

•

3

VAT collected from customer

sales / gross revenue, not profit

• Professional liability insurance(PLI) covers compensation claims and legal fees if client sues the business for the professional service or advice offered is inadequate or mistakes

made that result in client's financial loss

Insurance

• Property and content insurance covers lost, stolen or damaged business equipment

• Public liability insurance covers all kind of

damage the business caused to a 3rd party property or injury of a member of the public

Thank You!