a centre for place-making
Click the links to find out about MADE's four main areas of work: Art & Culture, Communities, Design Quality and Education and four other special services. In each category you can see our current Projects or look at Case Studies of previous MADE work.
"Please convey my thanks, on behalf of the Council, to the Panel members for their time and their very useful comments, and thank you too, Bianca, for setting it all up." Glenn Jones - East Staffordshire Borough Council
"Thank you for organising the presentation yesterday. I thought the venue was perfect together with the format of the design review and panel members." Richard Smyth - RPS
"We all found the procedure extremely interesting and were particularly taken with the comments made about creating a new 'street' rather than an enclosed space.....We also admired the firm grip the chairman had on the proceedings. His summing up was a Masterclass." Beryl Downing
Design Review provides independent, objective, expert feedback on the design of proposed developments.
We prefer to see schemes as early as possible in the design process
MADE works together with Design Council Cabe's national design review service and seven other services around England.
Design Review is one of the most important services MADE offers to raise the quality of design of buildings and places in the West Midlands. Design Review provides independent, objective, expert feedback on the design of proposed developments. The service works though a panel of experienced professionals (architects, urban designers, engineers, transport planners, sustainability experts, landscape architects). The panel meets regularly to consider schemes that will have a significant impact on their area. They study the designs, listen to a presentation from the developers and their architects, discuss the proposals and give feedback. This is followed by a letter which summarises the panel’s views.
For local authorities design review provides an opportunity to improve the quality of schemes coming forward in your area. This is preferably done at pre-application stage. The design review report provides and authoritative view on the quality of development proposals and an indication of what needs to be improved to meet the quality required for planning approval. Attending design review provides a valuable CPD opportunity for development control, regeneration and highways officers. Why not make design review a standard part of your pre-application discussion process on major applications?
For architects and other scheme designers design review is an opportunity to improve your plans drawing on some of the best design brains in the region and beyond. Design review provides an informed critique from a panel with a range of professional disciplines. We often find ourselves lending support to architects who are putting forward innovative and creative proposals. Design review will help to raise your client’s aspirations. Building the cost of design review into your fees will significantly improve the quality of service you provide.
For developers design review is an opportunity to improve the quality and profitability of schemes and to help their progress through the planning process. In many cases the design review panel will make suggestions which will cut costs. In fact we often propose that schemes are made simpler. Where we advise increased expenditure it is normally with a view to increasing the value of the development and improving returns. Within the context of a significant development project, the design review fees represent a small investment which can bring significant returns.
For all parties design review can be a valuable conversation. The panel quite often come up with innovative suggestions which help to find a way forward where design differences seem intractable. If you had to pay the panel members individually at their normal rates the expert advice you receive from the design review panel would cost many times more.
We prefer to see proposals as early as possible in the design and planning process, so that our feedback can be easily incorporated into revised designs. So it is best if schemes are reviewed at a pre-planning-application stage, but design review can also be used during the planning process. Where schemes are viewed at a pre-application stage the deliberations of the panel can be kept confidential.
MADE’s design review service (along with other services) is affiliated with the national design review service operated by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). That means we are part of a comprehensive national service which is signed-up to an agreed set of principles for quality design review. MADE also supports the development of high quality, independent local design review services in the Midlands.
From April 1st 2011 the fee for bringing a scheme to MADE design review will be £750 (+VAT).
This assumes that the panel meets at MADE's premises in Birmingham. Where full site visit is required by the panel members we will have to charge the costs of the venue, unless the developer or local authority is able to host the panel meeting.
Where a developer or local authority is able to bring more than one scheme to a design review panel meeting we may be able to offer a discount on the fee. This will also be available where schemes are returning to us for a second review.
If you have a scheme which you think could benefit from review by some of the best design brains in Britain and Europe, download our scheme notification form, fill it in and email it to us. If you are unsure about whether a scheme is suitable for design review or have any other queries, please contact: Bianca Fowler, Design Quality Manager: bianca@made.org.uk 0121 348 7980
When you are ready to subit your scheme we will require you to complete this submission form:
These guidelines will help you get the most from your presentation to MADE design review:
