Why most building problems are decided before planning is submitted

By the time a building problem becomes obvious, it’s usually too late to fix cheaply.

That might sound uncomfortable - but it’s one of the most important truths in architecture.

Most projects don’t fail because of bad construction, poor workmanship, or even rising costs.

They fail quietly, much earlier, through a series of decisions made before a planning application is ever submitted.

Decisions that feel provisional at the time.
Decisions that look reversible.
Decisions that aren’t.

Most building problems don’t start on site. They’re locked in much earlier - when key decisions are made before planning is submitted.

The myth of flexibility

There’s a common belief at the start of projects:

“We’ll keep things open for now and refine it later.”

On the surface, that sounds sensible. In reality, it’s where many problems begin.

Early-stage decisions about:

• building form

• massing

• orientation

• structural approach

• envelope strategy

• planning posture

lock in consequences that ripple through the rest of the project.

Once a scheme goes into planning, those decisions are no longer abstract. They become:

• fixed expectations

• consultant assumptions

• cost plans

• planning precedents

Changing them later isn’t impossible - but it’s expensive, slow, and stressful.

Timing beats intention

Most clients come to us with good intentions:

• they want a low-energy building

• they want comfort

• they want long-term value

• they want a smooth process

What catches people out isn’t what they want.
It’s when they make the decisions that would actually deliver it.

A low-energy building, for example, isn’t achieved by specifying better technology at the end.
It’s largely determined by early choices around:

• form and compactness

• glazing ratios

• thermal continuity

• buildability

• orientation and daylight

Get those right early, and performance follows naturally.
Get them wrong, and no amount of technology will fully compensate.

Planning locks more in than people realise

Planning is often seen as a gateway - something you pass through before the “real” work begins.

In reality, planning submissions tend to freeze the most important aspects of a building:

• its size

• its shape

• its relationship to neighbours

• its material logic

• its structural assumptions

Once those are agreed, everything downstream has to work around them.

This is why projects that rush to planning often feel calm at first - then increasingly tense later on. The hard thinking hasn’t been avoided. It’s just been postponed, when it’s more costly.

Cost certainty is created early - or not at all

There’s a persistent idea that detailed cost clarity only comes later.

In practice, the biggest cost drivers are set very early:

• complexity of form

• structural efficiency

• facade strategy

• extent of demolition vs reuse

• energy performance targets

If these aren’t tested properly before planning, cost plans later in the process become exercises in damage control rather than decision-making.

Late-stage value engineering is rarely about improving value.
It’s usually about undoing earlier assumptions under pressure.

Risk doesn’t disappear. It moves.

One of the most useful ways to think about early design is this:

You can’t remove risk from a project.
You can only decide when to face it.

Avoiding difficult conversations early doesn’t make them go away.
It pushes them into later stages - where they cost more, take longer, and create more friction between teams.

Good early-stage work isn’t about certainty.
It’s about informed commitment.

Why fabric-first thinking matters early

A fabric-first, low-energy approach isn’t an ideology.
It’s a way of reducing long-term risk.

By focusing early on:

• the building envelope

• thermal performance

• airtightness

• daylight and comfort

• long-life materials

you reduce dependence on:

• oversized systems

• complex fixes

• future retrofits

• operational regret

These choices are easiest - and cheapest - to make before planning.

After that, you’re often working within constraints you didn’t realise you’d created.

Calm projects are designed, not managed

Projects that feel calm later on usually share one thing in common:
they were thought through carefully at the start.

Not rushed.
Not overworked.
But properly questioned.

The goal isn’t to design everything up front.
It’s to identify which decisions are irreversible, and make those with care.

That’s where architects add the most value - not by drawing faster, but by helping clients decide better.

The real role of early-stage architecture

At RISE, we see early-stage design as a form of risk management.

Our role isn’t to overwhelm clients with options or certainty theatre.
It’s to:

• identify what actually matters

• test assumptions early

• explain trade-offs clearly

• and help clients commit with confidence

Because once a project is in planning, the game changes.

And the earlier the right decisions are made, the quieter - and more successful - the rest of the journey tends to be.

A final thought

If you’re at the beginning of a project, this isn’t about slowing things down.
It’s about choosing where to be careful.

Because most building problems aren’t caused by bad outcomes.

They’re caused by decisions made too early - or too lightly - before anyone realised how much they mattered.

Designing for the long term

At RISE, we believe that good architecture isn’t about reacting to problems later.
It’s about making the right decisions early - when they matter most.

Whether working with an existing building or a new build on a constrained site, our focus is on reducing risk, improving comfort, and delivering long-term performance through calm, fabric-first design. Buildings that work quietly. That age well. That feel considered, not overworked.

If you’re at the beginning of a project - and want clarity before commitments are locked in - we’re always happy to talk.

→ Email us at architects@risedesignstudio.co.uk
→ Or call the studio on 020 3947 5886

RISE Design Studio, Architects, Interior Designers + Sustainability Experts

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