Series editor’s foreword

The RIBA Plan of Work 2013 was developed in response to the needs of an industry adjusting to emerging digital design processes, disruptive technologies and new procurement models, as well as other drivers. A core challenge is to communicate the thinking behind the new RIBA Plan in greater detail. This process is made more complex because the RIBA Plan of Work has existed for 50 years and is embodied within the psyche and working practices of everyone involved in the built environment sector. Its simplicity has allowed it to be interpreted and used in many ways, underpinning the need to explain the content of the Plan’s first significant edit. By relating the Plan to a number of commonly encountered topics, the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 Guides series forms a core element of the communication strategy and I am delighted to be acting as the series editor.

The first strategic shift in the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 was to acknowledge a change from the tasks of the design team to those of the project team: the client, design team and contractor. Stages 0 and 7 are part of this shift, acknowledging that buildings are used by clients, or their clients, and, more importantly, recognising the paradigm shift from designing for construction towards the use of high-quality design information to help facilitate better whole-life outcomes.

New procurement strategies focused around assembling the right project team are the beginnings of significant adjustments in the way that buildings will be briefed, designed, constructed, operated and used. Design teams are harnessing new digital design technologies (commonly bundled under the BIM wrapper), linking geometric information to new engineering analysis software to create a generation of buildings that would not previously have been possible. At the same time, coordination processes and environmental credentials are being improved. A core focus is the progressive fixity of high-quality information – for the first time, the right information at the right time, clearly defining who does what, when.

The RIBA Plan of Work 2013 aims to raise the knowledge bar on many subjects, including sustainability, Information Exchanges and health and safety. The RIBA Plan of Work 2013 Guides are crucial tools in disseminating and explaining how these themes are fully addressed and how the new Plan can be harnessed to achieve the new goals and objectives of our clients.

Dale Sinclair
November 2014