Architect Brief Builder
Assemble a coordination brief for architects, consultants and project teams.
TechnoGuru / Coordination Brief
Advisory · live
Draft a coordination brief
For architects, consultants and project teams. Assemble a plain-language brief of scope, what we'd need and the next action — a coordination input, not a statutory submission.
Your coordination brief — draft. Disciplines to coordinate: 4. Items to prepare: 5. People to involve: 0. Decisions to consider: 0.
Your coordination brief — draft
4
Disciplines
5
Items
0
Decisions
2
Notes
Scope summary
- At design stage we can review drawings and align systems early.
- You want a drawing-stage coordination review.
Disciplines to coordinate
What we'd need from you
- Decision-maker and appointed-consultant contacts
- Room dimensions and expected use cases
- Schematic drawings
- Reflected ceiling plans (RCP)
- Room schedule and capacities
Planning pack handoff
- 1. Copy advisory summary
- 2. Continue in the Brief Wizard
- 3. Or send drawings for review
A coordination-brief draft only — a starting input for a conversation, not a statutory submission, final design or BOQ guarantee. Final design, statutory review and approvals remain with the appointed consultants and authorities.
Architect Brief Builder — what it covers
The Architect Brief Builder helps architects, consultants and project teams assemble a plain-language coordination brief: a scope summary, the disciplines to coordinate, what TechnoGuru would need from you and a suggested next action. It is a coordination-input draft you can copy and refine — not a statutory submission, a final design or a BOQ. Final design, statutory review and approvals remain with the appointed consultants and authorities.
Disciplines this tool can point to
- AV systems
- Acoustics
- Auditorium & boardroom AV
- IT & networking
- Enterprise Wi-Fi
- CCTV & surveillance
- Access control
- Fire alarm
- Smart automation
- Lighting & scenes
- Building management (BMS)
- UPS / power backup
- AMC & lifecycle support
- Turnkey integration
What this tool does not do
- Produce statutory drawings, certification or sign-off
- Give final BOQ quantities or pricing
- Replace the architect-of-record or appointed consultants
- Generate device counts, layouts or routing
- Make any approval or compliance determination
What this tool does
The Architect Brief Builder helps architects, consultants and project teams assemble a plain-language coordination brief: a scope summary, the disciplines to coordinate, what TechnoGuru would need from you and a suggested next action. It is a coordination-input draft you can copy and refine — not a statutory submission, a final design or a BOQ. Final design, statutory review and approvals remain with the appointed consultants and authorities.
When to use
When you want to brief TechnoGuru for drawing-stage or BOQ coordination on a project.
When not to use
For statutory drawings, certifications or a final BOQ — those stay with the appointed consultants.
What this tool does not do
- Produce statutory drawings, certification or sign-off
- Give final BOQ quantities or pricing
- Replace the architect-of-record or appointed consultants
- Generate device counts, layouts or routing
- Make any approval or compliance determination
· Where this connects
The disciplines behind the answer.
Verification status: Decision support — editorial logic, no numeric claim · Methodology, assumptions and sources documented · reviewed 2026-08-30
· Engineering notes
How to read this tool’s output
Stage 1–3 (brief through BOQ/tender). Most useful at schematic and drawing stage, before systems provisions are locked into the BOQ.
What an engineer should know
The assumptions behind the numbers this tool produces.
- Helps architects, consultants and project teams assemble a plain-language coordination brief — scope summary, the disciplines to coordinate, what the studio would need, and a next action.
- The output is a coordination input for a conversation, not a statutory submission, a final design or a BOQ.
When this tool is the right one
The project moments and room types this is built for.
- Architect briefing the integrator for a drawing-stage coordination review.
- PMC assembling a multi-discipline coordination brief for a turnkey project.
What changes the answer in practice
Field conditions that move the result away from the planning figure.
- Drawing-stage involvement is the cheapest point to align systems with the architecture.
Defensible starting architectures
Vendor-neutral reference points, not a recommendation to buy — the right answer is the one that survives your site survey.
- Copyable coordination-brief draft a project lead can act on within two working days.
Common mistakes
Failure patterns we see on real projects.
- Treating the draft as a statutory deliverable — final design and approvals remain with the appointed consultants and authorities.
- Omitting available drawings, which makes a first review slower.
How this lands against adjacent systems
What else has to be agreed before this output is safe to build to.
- Hands off to /contact (share drawings) and links to the /for-architects journey and /process.
What this tool does not do
Deliberate limits — where the estimate stops and design begins.
- Produces no statutory drawings, certification or sign-off.
- Gives no final BOQ quantities or pricing.
Where this tool fits
The building types this output is calibrated for — and, where we have said so, the ones it is not.
Delivered as a service ·
Auditoriums & BoardroomsEnterprise Network Design & InstallationCCTV & Surveillance· Example use
An architect at schematic stage selects the meeting and auditorium areas, AV and IT systems, available GA drawings, a drawing-stage review and a three-month timeline. The builder drafts a scope summary, the disciplines to coordinate, the drawings to send and the open points — copyable into an email to start a coordination review.
· Frequently asked
Architect Brief Builder —
what people ask first.
Who should use the Architect Brief Builder?
Architects, interior designers, consultants, PMCs, developers and project managers who want to bring TechnoGuru in for technical systems coordination at drawing or BOQ stage.
Does TechnoGuru replace my consultants?
No. TechnoGuru provides design-assist and technical systems coordination alongside your team. Final design, statutory review and approvals remain with the appointed consultants and the relevant authorities.
Can TechnoGuru review drawings before BOQ?
Yes — drawing-stage coordination is one of the most useful points to involve TechnoGuru, so systems provisions are aligned before the BOQ and tender are finalised.
Is the brief confidential?
The builder runs entirely in your browser and stores nothing. Share only drawings and information you are authorised to share, through proper channels. The output is a draft for your own use.
What happens after I send the brief?
A project lead reviews it and replies with a considered first reading — typically within two working days — and the coordination steps the project would need.
Engineering toolkit
Next in this sequence
Calculators whose inputs or outputs connect to this one.
- Drawing readiness
Drawing & BOQ Readiness Checker
Check whether your drawings, schedules, BOQ/spec status, site access and project team are ready for a systems conversation. Advisory; no pricing, quantities or final scope.
Advisory · copyableOpen - Lead intake
Project Brief Wizard
Six structured questions, a written response within two working days. The fastest path to engaging the practice on a real project.
6 questions · 2-day replyOpen - Readiness
Consultation Prep Checklist
Assemble the drawings, site information and people to prepare before the first conversation. Copyable; a preparation aid, not a scope.
Advisory · copyableOpen
· Begin
Brief drafted?
Send the drawings.
The first reply will come from a project lead, not a sales gateway, within two working days.
· Coordination checklist
The ELV coordination sheet, as a working document.
Eleven headings an architect actually works to, each naming what to coordinate, who holds the pen and the stage at which it bites. Every line is drawn from guidance TechnoGuru already publishes on its discipline pages — it carries no quantities, dimensions, device counts, cable sizes, rack elevations, network detail or security positions, because those belong in controlled project documents.
- Project / reference
- To complete
- Project type
- To complete
- Project stage
- To complete
- Systems in scope
- To complete
- Issued on / revision
- To complete
- Sheet last reviewed
- 2026-05-22
What the sheet emphasises at each stage
Early, the argument is about reserving space, pathways and the interfaces between disciplines. Late, it is about final locations, containment and power. The headings listed for each stage are derived from the rows below, so the two cannot drift apart.
| Stage | Emphasis | Headings live at this stage |
|---|---|---|
| Concept | Reserve space, pathways and the interfaces between disciplines. Nothing here needs a final location. | Power to coordinate · Data · Containment · Ceiling devices · Floor boxes · Rack / equipment space · Control room · Open coordination items |
| Design / schematic | Fix the shared drawings — reflected ceiling plan, door schedule, riser and rack positions — and agree who signs each one. | Power to coordinate · Data · Containment · Back boxes · Ceiling devices · Wall devices · Floor boxes · Rack / equipment space · Control room · Interfaces · Open coordination items |
| BOQ / tender | Turn the agreed provisions into scope: containment, power, outlets and the interface list, with exclusions named. | Power to coordinate · Data · Containment · Back boxes · Ceiling devices · Wall devices · Rack / equipment space · Interfaces · Open coordination items |
| Execution | Sequencing. Containment and back boxes before finishes; anything still open here is a site change. | Power to coordinate · Data · Containment · Back boxes · Open coordination items |
| Handover | Documentation, access and the operating position — what the FM team inherits. | Rack / equipment space · Open coordination items |
| Retrofit / existing | What can be coordinated at all: which areas stay live, and what the existing pathways will take. | Open coordination items |
Power to coordinate
Which systems need power, of what character, and who carries the provision in the electrical design.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment rooms | Agree which systems must ride through an outage and which fall to generator, so the standby provision is designed rather than assumed. | MEP / electrical consultant, with the integrator | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
| Equipment rooms | Agree the room conditions the standby plant will live in — space, ventilation and ambient temperature — before the room is dimensioned. | Architect + HVAC consultant | Concept · Design / schematic | To confirm |
| Meeting / boardrooms · Auditorium / hall | Agree the power provision at each display, projection and LED position alongside its mounting and containment constraint, not after it. | Interior designer + electrical package | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender · Execution | To confirm |
| External / perimeter | Confirm the power and containment provisions already carried in the civil and electrical design before external and façade positions are fixed. | Electrical package + civil / landscape | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
Data
What rides the network, who owns each segment, and what the drop schedule has to serve.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All areas | Agree which systems ride the network — users, Wi-Fi, cameras, telephony and building systems — before the drop schedule or the containment is sized. | IT / ELV consultant, with the integrator | Concept · Design / schematic | To confirm |
| All areas | Agree the growth horizon the cabling must still carry, so outlets are provisioned for the building's life rather than for day one. | IT consultant + owner's IT team | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
| All areas | Agree the segregation intent — guest access, cameras and building devices — and who administers each segment, before the outlet schedule is signed. | Owner's IT team + security consultant | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
| Meeting / boardrooms | Confirm which network segment each meeting room lives on and who manages it, so the room is not commissioned onto an undecided network. | Owner's IT team | BOQ / tender · Execution | To confirm |
Containment
Pathways, conduit and riser allocations — the decision that is cheap at carcass stage and a rip-out afterwards.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All areas | Agree pathways, containment and riser allocations with the architect and MEP at carcass stage; under-providing them turns future moves and changes into rip-outs. | Architect + MEP, with the integrator | Concept · Design / schematic | To confirm |
| Back-of-house | Fix riser positions, containment routes and the rack-room position before the other services are set — every other system inherits their limits. | Architect + MEP | Concept · Design / schematic | To confirm |
| Meeting / boardrooms | Settle containment, power and network provision for the display wall and the table before interiors close, not after. | Interior designer + integrator | Design / schematic · Execution | To confirm |
| All areas | Sequence containment ahead of finishes in the programme, so low-voltage systems do not arrive as surface conduit on a finished wall. | PMC / main contractor | BOQ / tender · Execution | To confirm |
Back boxes
First-fix boxes behind wall devices, agreed with the finishes package before plaster.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All areas | Agree back-box first fix as a sequencing milestone before finishes, alongside containment — it is the same decision and the same deadline. | PMC / main contractor, with the integrator | BOQ / tender · Execution | To confirm |
| Guest / patient rooms · Meeting / boardrooms | Confirm the back-box type and mounting standard each wall device needs with the finishes package, and record the answer against the room type.No published TechnoGuru guidance yet for back-box types by device family — carry this as an open item rather than an assumption. | Interior designer + electrical package | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | Open |
Ceiling devices
Everything the reflected ceiling plan has to carry, and who signs the RCP.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All areas | Agree the reflected ceiling plan as the shared document for lighting layout, fixture types and driver / dimming intent before ceilings are set out. | Architect / interior designer, with the integrator | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
| Auditorium / hall · Meeting / boardrooms | Confirm whether acoustic treatment is being designed in parallel with the AV, so ceiling clouds and device positions are resolved on one drawing. | Acoustic consultant + architect | Concept · Design / schematic | To confirm |
| Public / lobby · Back-of-house | Confirm lighting conditions at the points where identification matters, before ceiling-mounted surveillance positions are discussed with the consultant.Positions and coverage stay in controlled project documents — this row settles the intent, not the layout. | Security consultant + architect | Design / schematic | To confirm |
Wall devices
Keypads, panels, readers and displays where the interior design and the systems design meet.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All areas | Agree keypad, panel and speaker locations with the interior design at the same time as the light-fitting layout — one drawing, one decision. | Interior designer, with the integrator | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
| All areas | Confirm the control preference for each space — keypad, app or both — before device positions are marked, because it changes what the wall has to carry. | Owner / operator, with the integrator | Design / schematic | To confirm |
| External / perimeter · Back-of-house | Agree the door schedule — each controlled opening and the behaviour it must have — with the architect and hardware supplier before readers are positioned. | Security consultant + door-hardware supplier | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
Floor boxes
Floor outlets in event, banquet and meeting spaces — a structure-stage decision, not a fit-out one.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditorium / hall · Public / lobby | Provision banquet and event floor outlets, stage power and rigging at structure stage; provisioning them after finishes leaves every event on surface cabling. | Architect + structural / electrical packages | Concept · Design / schematic | To confirm |
| Meeting / boardrooms | Confirm the table layout and how the room is really used before floor-outlet positions are agreed, so the outlet serves the table rather than the grid. | Interior designer + owner | Design / schematic | To confirm |
Rack / equipment space
Where the equipment lives, and the space, access and cooling the room has to be given.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back-of-house | Fix rack, IDF and MDF locations and the backbone topology with the architect before the room layouts are frozen. | Architect + IT consultant | Concept · Design / schematic | To confirm |
| Auditorium / hall | Confirm power, rack location, cooling and pathway availability for the hall systems as one decision, not four late ones. | Architect + MEP, with the integrator | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
| Back-of-house | Agree access and ventilation for the equipment room with facilities, so the space stays serviceable after handover. | Architect + FM / owner | Design / schematic · Handover | To confirm |
Control room
The operating position — who watches, from where, and what they need in front of them.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back-of-house | Confirm whether a central monitoring position is in scope, and what it has to watch, before the security and building systems are specified around it. | Owner / operator + security consultant | Concept · Design / schematic | To confirm |
| Back-of-house | Agree who operates the building systems day to day and from where — the answer decides whether a room is needed at all. | Owner / FM team | Concept · Design / schematic | To confirm |
| Auditorium / hall | Agree who operates the hall and the level of automation they want, so the operating position is designed for the people who will use it. | Owner / operator, with the integrator | Design / schematic | To confirm |
Interfaces
The hand-off points between disciplines, which is where multi-system projects usually fail.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All areas | Confirm whether voice evacuation / PA and building-management interfacing are in scope with the fire consultant, and record the answer before panels are procured.Detection design, zoning and any statutory determination stay with the appointed fire consultant and the authority. | Fire consultant / AHJ where appointed | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
| All areas | Agree the integration scope across fire, CCTV, access, lighting and metering as one list, with an owner per interface. | ELV consultant + owner | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
| External / perimeter · Back-of-house | Confirm the access-control integration scope — CCTV, fire release, lifts, visitor and contractor management — before door behaviour is agreed. | Security consultant + lift and door suppliers | Design / schematic · BOQ / tender | To confirm |
| All areas | Name the disciplines in scope and any already awarded to other vendors, so every interface has a party on both sides of it. | PMC / owner | BOQ / tender | To confirm |
Open coordination items
The decisions that are not yet settled, held with an owner rather than left implicit.
| Room / area | Item to coordinate | Responsible | Stage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All areas | Record the project programme — milestone dates and phasing — against each coordination item above, so a slip in one discipline is visible in the others. | PMC / project manager | BOQ / tender · Execution | Open |
| All areas | Name the decision-makers — owner, architect, PMC — and how approvals flow, so an open item has somewhere to go. | Owner | Concept · Design / schematic | Open |
| All areas | Agree the handover expectation — acceptance criteria, documentation, training and support intent — while it can still shape the design. | Owner + FM team | Design / schematic · Handover | Open |
| Retrofit / existing areas | Record which areas must stay live during works and which are already closed, because it changes what can be coordinated at all. | Owner / FM team + main contractor | Execution · Retrofit / existing | Open |
What each system needs before a written estimate
The builder above asks which systems are expected. These are the pre-quotation inputs TechnoGuru already publishes for each of those disciplines — the same lines that appear on the discipline pages, not a second copy of them.
AV
No published pre-quotation input list for this discipline yet — the discipline page above is the current reference.
Automation & lighting
Smart automation · Lighting & scenes
- Reflected ceiling plan and the lighting layout with fixture types and driver / dimming detail.
- Circuit and panel zoning, and whether DALI, KNX or wireless is preferred.
- The scenes and daily rhythm each space should support.
- Whether shade, AV and climate need to join the same scene logic.
- New-build or retrofit, and the keypad / app control preference.
IT / Wi-Fi
IT & networking · Enterprise Wi-Fi
- Floor plans — and for campus work, the site plan with building positions.
- The systems riding the network — users, Wi-Fi, cameras, telephony, building systems — with rough counts.
- Rack-room and IDF locations, or the constraints on where they can go.
- The internet links available at the site and any multi-site or SD-WAN intent.
- Growth horizon — the device load the network must still carry in year three.
- Floor plans, with wall construction and materials noted where known.
- The device population — concurrent users, device types and the applications that matter (voice, video, point-of-sale).
- Existing switch infrastructure and its PoE headroom.
- The security intent — guest access, 802.1X, and how cameras and IoT devices are segregated.
- Coverage expectations for outdoor areas, lifts, stairwells and back-of-house.
CCTV / access
CCTV & surveillance · Access control
- Floor plans marking entries, exits and the areas that must be covered (shared privately, not published).
- Retention requirement in days and any regulatory or insurer condition.
- Lighting conditions and whether identification or only detection is required at key points.
- Network and power availability — existing switches, PoE budget, UPS / standby.
- Whether the system must integrate with access control, ANPR or a central monitoring position.
- A door schedule listing each controlled opening and its required behaviour (in / out, free egress, interlock).
- Who administers access, and how credentials are issued and revoked.
- Integration scope — CCTV, fire release, lifts, visitor / contractor management.
- Any compliance, audit or muster-reporting requirement.
- Existing door hardware and whether it stays or is replaced.
Fire / life-safety
- Floor plans with built-up area, floor count and overall building height.
- Occupancy type (hospital, mall, hotel, office, industrial) and any local fire-authority requirement already issued.
- Whether voice evacuation / PA and BMS interfacing are in scope.
- Phasing — single handover or staged floors and blocks.
- Any existing panels or detection that must be retained or migrated.
UPS / power backup
- The load list — what must ride through an outage, its measured or estimated demand, and any motor or compressor inrush on the circuit.
- Whether a diesel generator exists, and how long it really takes to start and stabilise.
- The autonomy expectation — minutes to reach generator power, or a longer window for clean shutdown.
- Room conditions where the UPS and batteries will live — space, ventilation, ambient temperature.
- Any existing UPS or battery bank being replaced or migrated, with its age and service history.
BMS
- Mechanical and electrical schedules — the plant to monitor or control and its protocols (BACnet, Modbus, etc.).
- The operational outcome wanted: comfort, energy visibility, alarm management, or all three.
- Who operates the BMS day to day, and from where.
- Integration scope — fire, CCTV, access, lighting, metering, DG / solar.
- Whether this is new-build or a retrofit onto existing controls.
Several at once (turnkey)
Turnkey integration · AMC & lifecycle support
- The architectural drawings and whatever MEP or consultant design already exists.
- The disciplines in scope — and any already awarded to other vendors.
- The project programme — key milestone dates and phasing.
- Who the decision-makers are — owner, architect, PMC — and how approvals flow.
- The handover expectation — acceptance criteria, documentation, training and AMC intent.
Assumptions this sheet is issued under
- It is a coordination aid, not a design, a BOQ, a statutory submission or an approval.
- Final design, statutory review and approvals remain with the appointed consultants and the relevant authorities.
- No quantity, dimension, device count, cable size, rack elevation, network detail or security position appears here by design.
- Fire detection design, zoning and any statutory determination stay with the appointed fire consultant and the authority.
- Rows marked Open have no settled answer yet — they are carried with an owner rather than assumed.
- Share only drawings and information you are authorised to share, through proper channels.
Take the sheet as it is — it is yours to work from, and nothing here is gated. When the open items are worth a second reading, check the pack first with the Drawing & BOQ Readiness Checker, or send the drawings and the marked-up sheet for a coordination review through the studio.