The Liskeard project came to us at concept design stage with a brief that was lovely and a budget that was real. We took a long walk through the existing building, ran a take-off-based feasibility, and produced a written report.

The first design didn’t fit the budget. We didn’t recommend cutting the brief — we suggested re-scoping the structural approach, swapping the proposed open-plan strategy for a slightly less open one, and changing the finishes brief to a more contemporary look that happens to be cheaper to execute. The architect was happy. The client was happy. The build started three months later within budget.

Numbers in the right place at the right time can improve a design rather than constrain it.