A good-looking render and a buildable project are not the same thing. A working drawing package contains dimensioned plans, the plumbing and electrical layout, detail drawings, a material schedule and quantities. Without those documents, the quotations you receive are not comparable with one another.
Our team has a civil engineer and interior architects working together. That means the design is buildable structurally and technically, not only attractive. We know at drawing stage that what has been drawn can be built on site.
The most overlooked benefit of a design package is that it forces decisions into the right order. When the lighting scheme, socket positions and wet room layout are resolved on paper, irreversible decisions are not taken in haste on site.
Architectural Design: What the Service Covers
The following items are included as standard in our Architectural Design service. Every item is listed separately in the quotation prepared after the site visit; nothing is left vague about what is and is not included.
- Measured survey of the existing space
- Brief and spatial layout
- Dimensioned working plan
- Ceiling, lighting and electrical layout
- Plumbing layout
- Sections and elevations
- Kitchen, bathroom and furniture detail drawings
- Material and finish boards
- 3D visualisation
- Material schedule, quantities and site support
Architectural Design: How We Work
- Measured survey: The existing space is measured; the structure, service routes, level differences and window positions are recorded on the drawing. Any design produced without an accurate survey rests on assumption.
- Brief: The pattern of use, the storage requirement, how many people will use the space and in what way, and the priorities are established. This stage sets the direction of the design.
- Concept design: Alternative layouts are presented and one is chosen. Changes to the arrangement can be made freely at this stage.
- 3D visualisation: The chosen scheme is visualised with its materials and lighting. The images are assessed alongside physical samples.
- Working drawings: Detail drawings, plumbing and electrical layouts, the material schedule and quantities are prepared. This package is the document that lets you obtain comparable quotations.
- Site support: The design team stays involved for questions arising during construction and produces solutions for conditions found on site.
Architectural Design: Conditions Specific to Antalya
In Antalya the local climate and pattern of use shape design decisions markedly.
Orientation and shading
West and south elevations take heavy solar gain in the afternoon. Window size, shading elements and glass specification have to follow that orientation. A large unshaded west elevation kept for the view means a continuous cooling load all summer.
The relationship with outdoor space
In Antalya a significant part of life happens on the terrace and in the garden. How the interior relates to outdoor space — the transition points, the shaded areas, the distance between kitchen and terrace — is among the decisive design decisions, and it is usually not thought through enough.
Part-time occupancy
If the property is used for part of the year, the design should reflect that: areas that can be closed off easily, humidity control, a safe shutdown routine and low-maintenance surfaces. If that requirement is not discussed at brief stage, it cannot be solved later.
Architectural Design: Common Mistakes
These are the decisions we meet most often on site and the hardest ones to put right afterwards. We go through all of them during the site visit.
- Thinking about services after the design. An electrical circuit run before the lighting scheme is set makes a pendant or switch position requested later impossible. In the same way, relocating a wet room drawn without calculating the drainage fall cannot be built on site.
- Taking an incomplete survey. If walls out of square, level differences and existing service routes have not been measured, the design rests on assumption. When those assumptions surface on site, either the design changes or finished work is taken apart.
- Deferring a decision to the construction stage. A layout decision not taken at concept stage affects the plumbing, the electrics and every detail drawing once working drawings have begun. The later the decision, the greater its effect.
- Treating a render as reality. The lighting in a visualisation is ideal; in the real room, orientation and time of day change the result. Critical surfaces must be assessed from real samples in the room's own light.
- Leaving storage until last. If the storage requirement is not calculated while the layout is being set, cupboards added after completion disrupt the design. Storage is part of the brief, not a decorative extra.
Architectural Design: Material and Detail Notes
There is no single right answer in material decisions; every option has a strong and a weak side. Below we summarise those differences in terms of real use rather than marketing language.
Surface and texture
Matt surfaces diffuse light and hide imperfections; gloss surfaces enlarge a room but show every mark. In Antalya's strong daylight, high gloss can create reflection. The choice should be assessed from samples in the room's real light conditions.
Lighting scheme
A single central fitting makes a room look flat and shadowless. A layered scheme of general, task and accent lighting serves both function and atmosphere. Colour temperature and dimming allow the same room to serve different uses through the day.
Scope of detail drawings
Every bespoke element — kitchen, bathroom furniture, wardrobes, media units, concealed lighting recesses — needs its own detail drawing. An element left undrawn is left to the fitter's interpretation on site, and the result drifts away from the design.
Architectural Design: Engineering Note
The most common error in design work is that the plumbing and electrics are thought about after the design. An electrical circuit run before the lighting scheme is set makes a pendant or switch position requested later impossible; a wet room relocation drawn without calculating the drainage fall cannot be built. In our working drawings the plumbing and electrical layout is part of the design, not an item left to the end. The second point is the structure: every drawing proposing a change of layout must be made knowing which walls can be removed. That is the practical value of an engineer and an interior architect working at the same table — an unbuildable proposal is eliminated before it reaches the client. The third is quantities: a properly prepared schedule of quantities is the one document that makes the quotations you receive from different contractors genuinely comparable.
Architectural Design: Pre-Handover Checklist
Every item below is checked before handover and the results are shared with you. If one item is outstanding, we do not hand over.
- Survey dimensions verified on site
- Requests requiring work on the structure assessed
- Plumbing and electrical layout consistent with the design
- Lighting scheme and switch positions settled
- Wet room drainage falls checked for buildability
- Detail drawings cover every bespoke element
- Material schedule and quantities adequate for obtaining quotations
- Project file delivered complete