Architecture design process in Pakistan, from brief to handover

Swipe the line for all eight stages.

1. Stage 01 of 08Not in this route

   Discovery call

   You send your city or society, your plot size and what you want to build. Our Business Development and Client Relations team replies within one working day, sends you the design brief form and meets you at our Lahore or Islamabad office, or on Google Meet or Zoom if you are abroad. The first consultation is free of charge.

   You receive

   A written fee proposal within two working days of the meeting. It lists the drawings included, whether obtaining the approval is in our scope, the architect site visits, the stages and what you receive at each, the payment stages and what is not included.

   You decide

   Whether to appoint Avenir, and for which scope.

   Time

   Reply within one working day; proposal within two working days of the meeting.

2. Stage 02 of 08Not in this route

   Brief and feasibility

   Your plot is tested against the rules of its authority or society: clear spaces (setbacks), covered area, height and basement. Rooms, floors, family needs and a budget bracket are written into the brief. Where a soil report is needed, it is arranged through a geotechnical firm on our panel.

   You receive

   A written brief and the permitted envelope for your plot: what the rules let you build, and where.

   You decide

   The brief itself. A basement or none. On a corner plot, which side becomes the frontage.

3. Stage 03 of 08Not in this route

   Concept design

   Layout options are tested against the envelope, then developed into elevations and 3D views. You review them with the design team, in person or by video, and the design is revised.

   You receive

   Concept plans, elevations and 3D views, with each decision recorded in writing.

   You decide

   One layout, the façade direction and the main materials. The storeys and the total covered area are fixed here, because they fix the submission.

4. Stage 04 of 08Not in this route

   Authority submission

   The submission set is prepared in the format your authority or society asks for, lodged and taken through any objections until the authority decides, where obtaining the approval is in your scope; your fee proposal says which. In DHA Lahore the building plans go in with the structural, fire protection and MEP drawings and 3D views, and all five are scrutinised together.

   167 authority approvals23 societies and authorities

   You receive

   The submission set, replies to any objections, and the approval when it is granted.

   You decide

   Approval to submit. You sign the ownership documents and undertakings, in person or through an attorney.

   Time

   Preparation is programmed in your fee proposal; the review period then belongs to the authority.

5. Stage 05 of 08Not in this route

   Working drawings

   The issued-for-construction (IFC) set is drawn, with a schedule of finishes. Core drawings covers the architectural working drawings. Coordinated adds structural, electrical and plumbing drawings, and Full scope adds HVAC, fire-fighting and interior drawings, all coordinated with the architecture in BIM, a shared 3D model of the building. Engineering is by our in-house engineers and appointed engineers registered with the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC).

   You receive

   The IFC set. A typical house runs to more than 100 drawing sheets across the approval and construction sets.

   You decide

   The specification level, and the choices that set the service routes, such as the type of air-conditioning and backup power. Floor finishes and colours can still be chosen during construction.

6. Stage 06 of 08Not in this route

   Pricing and agreement

   Every item of work in the drawings is measured and priced in a bill of quantities (BOQ). The scope, the exclusions, the payment stages and the programme are written down.

   Construction is priced here, from the working drawings and an itemised BOQ.

   You receive

   The itemised BOQ and one lump sum with the boundary wall, gate columns, parapets, water tanks and septic tank inside it. Then the construction agreement and its escalation clause, with each payment tied to completed work.

   You decide

   Whether to build with Avenir. If the sum does not work for you, the appointment can end here, and the drawings can be built by any competent contractor.

7. Stage 07 of 08Not in this route

   Construction

   Grey structure, then finishing, built to the BOQ and the schedule of finishes in Lahore, Islamabad or Rawalpindi, with procurement and site supervision by Avenir. Work is checked before steel, waterproofing and concealed services are covered. A change is priced and approved in writing before it is built.

   You receive

   A written progress record every week, and a running register of approved changes.

   You decide

   Stage payments against completed work, and finish selections inside the agreed windows.

   Time

   Set by plot size and covered area. A programme is issued with the quotation.

8. Stage 08 of 08Not in this route

   Handover

   Services are tested, a joint inspection produces a snag list, and every item is closed and re-inspected before the keys change hands.

   You receive

   The keys, the closed snag list and the completion documents. A one-year defects liability period starts at handover.

   You decide

   The final inspection, made in person or by someone you nominate.