The concept design is ‘big picture’ thinking without getting bogged down in technical detail. This stage of the process confirms the project requirements and allows the design team to brainstorm how the solution will address the needs of the project. During the concept design process, the more ideas and the less constrained one is by perceived technical limitations, the better – it is innovation without limits. Concept design generally takes place after feasibility studies and options appraisals have been carried out and a project brief has been prepared. The concept design represents the design team’s initial response to the project brief.
Some designers will differentiate between ‘concept design’ and ‘scheme design’. In this case, the ‘concept’ is the initial design idea, whereas the ‘scheme’ develops the concept, taking on board more functional and practical considerations. Most project plans have now combined these 2 steps into the single stage ‘concept design’, or ‘concept’.
ℹ️ This activity is part of Stage 2: concept design
📤 Solution Concept approved by the project team and aligned to the Project Brief.
👩🏫 The project team and the design team are the key players in this stage, along with any specialist consultants, whose contributions are required to achieve a Concept that is both robust and aligned with the Project Brief. Under some procurement routes, the construction team may also be engaged in this stage.
✅ The crucial consideration at this stage is to determine which tasks and project themes will contribute to the development of the solution concept. The extent and nature of the tasks to be undertaken, and who should undertake them, will vary from project to project.
Stage 2 is about developing an idea rather than detailed analysis, but some calculations may be required to progress specific aspects depending on project requirements. If the solution concept is not certain, or does not have sufficient buy-in from stakeholders, carrying out detailed supporting tasks now can result in futile design work.
Proposals that align with the site information and the project brief, including the spatial requirements, are prepared. Regular design reviews are used to seek comments from project stakeholders and the design is adapted in response. Any project brief deviations are agreed, or the project brief is adjusted to align with the solution concept.
The solution concept proposals must also accommodate inputs from the design team and from specialist consultants, including strategic engineering requirements (building services, civil and structural engineering) and internal local authority teams. The proposals must also be coordinated with the project themes, and everything captured in a stage report.
The cost plan should demonstrate that the proposals and outline specification are aligned to the project budget. A core challenge is to determine what detailed tasks need to be undertaken at this stage. However, if the solution concept is not certain, or does not have sufficient buy-in from stakeholders, carrying out detailed supporting tasks now can result in futile design work. There is no right or wrong approach. A pragmatic review of what tasks should be undertaken to make the solution concept as robust as possible before Stage 3 commences is required.
The proposals should demonstrate that the spatial requirements are being achieved, along with any adjacent requirements. The team may seek pre-application planning advice on the suitability of the initial proposal from a planning adviser or the relevant planning department.
The solution concept must also be reviewed against the benefits, and the route to regulations compliance needs to be clarified and agreed. A Stage 2 design programme must be prepared, in line with the project programme and responsibility matrix, to guide the design process and to ensure that the information requirements are included in the stage report signed off by the client.
✅ It may be appropriate at this stage to engage with system connection providers to inform the concept design.
Concept specification
The concept design is presented in a concept specification. This provides a single document that allows the project team and their decision-makers to review the concept and begin to compile procurement documentation in line with the procurement strategy developed in Stage 1. The specification should contain a description of the brief, the response concept and the high level costs to develop the investment strategy begun in Stage 1.
Themes to consider within the concept design
Digital information
Data, services or methods that are in the digital domain and require data transfer, storage or processing can be considered components in the digital information category. Examples would be a local asset GIS dataset or data collection of project / asset performance.
Organisations, actors and decisions
Materials or activities that enable decision makers to inform, enable or understand local energy system projects (such as a programme management function, a councillor workshop or technical documents).
Users, consumers and citizens
Activities that inform, enable or consult local people and system users (such as a public consultation, helpline or informational website).
Commercial and business
Commercial elements that enable, contract or share value with the project (such as special purpose vehicles, value sharing, business models).
Infrastructure and assets
Assets that are available or need to be available for the project (such as power networks, substations, vehicles, buildings).
Technology and vectors
Enabling technologies and energy pathways that are required to deliver the project (such as heat pumps, vehicle charge points, smart controls, hydrogen technology).
Policy and regulation
Enacting or enforcing policies or regulation to achieve benefits (e.g. Congestion charging, energy efficiency enforcement for landlords)
Interoperability
Systems or activities that enable components to be interchangeable and work with each other (such as a common charging standard, single point of contact for energy switching or choice of open protocol for technology).
Operation and control
Any activities that provide support or control for ongoing operation of the project (such as monitoring, a service helpline, BMS system).
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