Design author supervision
During construction, drawings meet real conditions, materials and interfaces. We organise author supervision with the project author and relevant discipline designers to retain the logic of the design and address questions arising as work progresses.
Appointment with the project author
We clarify design responsibilities, the solutions to be reviewed and site-visit arrangements. An agreed information route between client, contractor and designers directs queries to the right professional.
Details and material queries
Site queries about design details, samples and proposed material substitutions are reviewed. Important clarifications are recorded through the agreed process, and effects on other disciplines are checked with their designers.
Following implementation on site
Visits review design implementation within the appointment. Differences between intended and built details are discussed promptly. Author supervision is distinguished from the contractor’s site management and independent quality supervision.
Continuity of the design intent
Author supervision is particularly relevant where architecture, structure and services meet. A window position, facade rhythm or visible equipment item can affect both appearance and technical performance. Such questions are reviewed with the authors of the relevant disciplines.
Designer involvement is useful before a stage becomes difficult to reverse, while a detail or sample can still be clarified. Visits and queries are coordinated with the construction programme. This brings decisions into the period when they affect the work rather than merely identifying differences after finishes and related elements are complete.
Material substitutions and change records
Material availability can change during construction, or an alternative product may be proposed. A substitution needs more than a colour or price comparison: dimensions, fixings, interfaces and effects on other disciplines also matter. Adequate product information is needed for review.
The query, designer’s clarification and related information are recorded through the agreed process. If the proposal changes the client’s budget or programme, those effects are discussed separately with the responsible parties. A design review under author supervision must connect with the project’s wider decision process, keeping technical assessment and commercial approval understandable to everyone involved.
Planning the author-supervision appointment
Scope depends on design complexity, the disciplines involved, construction duration and the visits or clarifications required. Before appointment, we establish the authors’ involvement and documentation readiness, distinguishing explanation of an existing design from additional design work.
Useful inputs include the current drawings, programme and known queries. We agree who submits questions and how the designer’s response reaches site personnel. Clear communication reduces the risk of different contractors working from different versions or undocumented verbal instructions. Everyone should understand the status of a clarification and which information is agreed for the next stage.