Once the strategic decisions about the delivery of a new facility have been made, the design process can focus on the detail of the proposed solution. Many factors come into play at this stage and design decisions specific to the site and facility are made.

Key issues about the scale and height of the building, the materials to be used and energy and water efficiency have to be made at this stage. The design team needs to reflect on policy prompts and on the limits and opportunities presented by the site as well as the functional requirements of the facility. Much of the hard technical work is done at this stage in the process. Drawings and written details of the development begin to emerge that set the scene for the content of the planning application.

This chapter focuses on several core design themes.  It looks at the planning application and some of the associated documents and explores sustainable design considerations.