About Briefing. Q&A with Erik Wie?rs, chief Flemish Government Architect

How important is a brief to an architect? In this Q&A, Erik Wie?rs puts things in perspective. Erik is the chief Flemish Government architect and founder of the architecture firm Collectief Noord. As chief government architect, Erik’s role is to promote the architectural quality of the built environment in the widest sense. Together with his team, he guides public clients in the design and realisation of buildings, public spaces, landscaping and infrastructure. Here is what he has to say about briefing.?

JvM: How do you see the role of the brief in the design process?

EW: As a designer, I consider everything as context, also the project’s brief. It is context to which I try to give meaning. From this perspective, a designer should first and foremost focus on the ambitions that are formulated in the brief—before considering the practical or functional data.

JvM: Bernard Tschumi once said that the relationship between program and form can be one of either reciprocity, indifference, or conflict. What is your view on this?

EW: Buildings should not just be a translation of a particular program, but robust creations that can survive and outlive the program. From this perspective, we should adopt an attitude that tends towards 'indifference'. A good building should have character and meaning—one may call it cultural sustainability—that relates to its location rather than its current program.

?JvM: Since 2020, you are acting as the Flemish Government Architect, which gives you a lot of involvement on the client side of construction projects. Has this changed your perspective on briefing?

EW: If you had asked me what architectural quality was before I got this position, I would have defined it from purely the designer's point of view and how a designer gives value and meaning to the question posed in the brief. I am now much more aware, however, that the client’s ambitions, as described in the brief, have a large impact on a project’s quality as well. Therefore, guidance of the client—by means of design research—is critical. You need a clear question to be able to formulate a clear answer.

?JvM: What makes a good brief according to you?

EW: A good project definition focuses on ambitions rather than a particular program. Ideally, it doesn’t make any assumptions about design solutions. It is a difficult balance, but statements like “we want a striking building” should be avoided in the brief. Decisions about the nature of the building should be left to designers.

?JvM: Any recommendations for construction clients?

EW: Get professional guidance for developing a project’s brief. As I said earlier: formulating a good question is just as much a design task as formulating a good answer.