Our Approach

The RNA Framework: Decide, Design, Deliver

Every RNA project moves through three phases in sequence. Decide. Design. Deliver. The phase is the constant. The decision-maker changes by sector, but the discipline does not. This is how I work, and it is what clients are buying when they engage Ruth Newman Architect.

Diagram of the RNA Framework showing the three phases of every Ruth Newman Architect project in sequence: Decide, Design, and Deliver.

Phase 1 : Decide

Decide is the front-end judgement phase. It happens before any design is committed to.

In Decide, I do the upfront research that establishes what the site, the council, and the brief will actually allow. I pressure-test the brief to see if it is viable against the budget, the constraints, and what’s possible. I give clients a clear picture of the risks, the opportunities, and the decisions they need to make before any design work begins.

Every Decide engagement is shaped to the project in front of us. The work that’s needed for a heritage cottage is not the work that’s needed for a multi-site retail rollout. The output is a tested brief, a clear approvals pathway, a known budget reality, and a decision you can stand behind. From there, Design can begin against a foundation that holds.

Coastal, bushfire and flood-affected sites showing the environmental risks Ruth Newman Architect investigates during the Decide phase of every project.
3D floor plan, building services coordination and exterior render showing the design development and documentation work Ruth Newman Architect produces for DA and CC submissions.

Phase 2 : Design

Design is the architectural design phase. It runs against the brief that Decide has already tested.

Because the front-end thinking has been done, Design moves faster and more accurately. The brief is real. The budget is known. The approvals path is clear. We work through concept design, design development, design coordination, sustainability and performance, and stakeholder engagement. The phase closes when the Design Development package is complete. At that point, the design intent is resolved.

What makes Design work at RNA is the foundation laid in Decide. The clarity established at the front carries through every drawing. Nothing in Design is being reinvented or second-guessed. We are executing on decisions that have already been made well.

Phase 3 : Deliver

Deliver is the documentation, approvals, and construction phase. It begins once the Design Development package is complete and runs through to defects.

This is where the resolved design intent becomes a built outcome.

  • We prepare the Development Application (DA) package, which includes the council required documentation based on the approved developed design and any further design development needed for lodgement.
  • We lodge and manage the DA through to approval.
  • Once approved, we produce the Construction Documentation package for tender and construction
  • Lodge the Construction Certificate (CC) application
  • Run the tender process
  • Administer the contract through to practical completion and the end of the defects period.

For projects on a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) pathway, the same sequence applies with the timing compressed. The construction documentation level work happens alongside or as part of the CDC lodgement, because CDC requires the same documentation requirements as a post DA Construction Certificate application.

Architect's workspace, timber-framed construction and completed contemporary home showing the tender, contract administration and delivery work Ruth Newman Architect leads from approval to handover.

Ready to start your project?

Every RNA engagement begins in Decide. Get in touch to talk through where you are and what’s needed.

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