Planning brief

Normally the circulation theme is always planned by the architect in conjunction to the shape of
the building, which to a large extent is dictated by the shape & size of the plot. However it is
always advisable to share the basic theme desired by the Developer, considering that they have a
prior understanding of the property & the surrounding areas, the people habits e.g.

 Whether a single entry or multiple entries should be planned,

depending on the location & main road access etc.
 Or clarity on whether multiple atriums should be avoided or planned
etc.
 Operational requirements e.g. all stores to have a rear service entry.
Clear expectations from the design in terms of circulation should be highlighted, e.g. the whole
mall to be positioned as a 100% wheel chair accessible etc. Other aspects of circulation e.g. no
aisle / customer corridor should lead to a dead end etc.

 Clarity on, which level the travollators/ escalators are required.

 Nos of Elevator/ lifts required for customer areas and service areas.
 Main access entry to Mall, parking etc.
An efficient plan is one, where the customer does not get lost & yet is able to see every store in
the mall, without really making an effort to do it. Therefore, the brief should provide information
about the desired circulation patter, in a manner that the customer is effortlessly guided through
the Mall, as if in auto mode. Right from entry until the journey is complete utmost care should be
taken to ensure that customers journey is enjoyable.

Infrastructure Requirements;
Sufficient clarity on all Technical & infrastructure requirements should be provided in the brief,
as it is important for the Architect to know the requirement prior to planning.

Details about Infrastructure may include, Parking Requirement, Entry & Exit points, Security
requirements, Service yard requirements, service corridors & passages, service staircases,
garbage rooms requirement etc. Services requirements such as Air conditioning, Lighting
Ambience, Electrical planning etc. may be elaborated.

This brief should provide details of the technical (MEP) expectations & requirements e.g. A Mall
which wants to be a LEED certified building would need to take into consideration all aspects of
the Architecture & Services into consideration while in the planning & Design stage itself. As
the Design & Technical requirements of a LEED certified Mall would be very complex, detailed
& different to a Mall, which may be planning the services in the conventional method.
Approached. Care should be taken to ensure that nothing is missed out, because it is difficult to
incorporate such requirements at a later stage of the project.