Design
Reach out with your plot size and design brief to get a free quote.
A six-month design process
Design runs from discovery to construction documentation — typically around six months. Construction execution then follows, usually 10–24 months, depending on the project.
Discovery
We listen, walk the site and agree the brief, constraints and what the project needs to become.
A shared brief, site reading and a clear next step.
Whether we are the right studio, and what we are designing.Concept design
Options, massing and the central idea are tested against the brief, climate and the plot.
Concept drawings, spatial strategy and the preferred direction.
The architectural idea and how the building sits on the land.Design development
Plans, interiors and the building fabric are developed as one coordinated design.
Developed drawings, material direction and a buildable layout.
Rooms, character, materials and what is fixed before consultants proceed.M.E.P. & structure
Structure, mechanical, electrical and plumbing are designed into the architecture, not added after it.
Coordinated structure and M.E.P. information ready for documentation.
Systems, spans and what can be built without undoing the design.Construction documentation
A drawing and specification set is prepared so the project can be priced, tendered and built.
Construction drawings, details and specifications.
What is issued for construction and what remains a site decision.Construction execution
The building is constructed, coordinated and reviewed so the design intent survives the site.
Progress on site, quality reviews and a completed building.
Site changes, quality approvals and when the work is complete.
Design quote, construction percentage
Construction
We charge 18–22% of the total construction cost.
What we need from you
- Site address, or a shortlist of sites you are considering.
- A budget band, even if the top of the band makes you nervous.
- Who will live or work there, including people who are not in the meeting.
- Photographs of the site, street and the worst existing room.
- Any society, heritage or municipal constraints you already know.
- A date you would like to be in — and whether that date is real.
Project Planning Guide
A short PDF on brief, budget bands and what to ask any architect. Email capture — we will not add you to a drip.
Questions
Send your plot size and design brief for a free design-fee quote. If we also construct, we charge 18–22% of the total construction cost.
Design fees are quoted once we have your plot size and brief. Construction, where High Design Studios delivers the build, is 18–22% of the total construction cost.
Design is typically about six months: discovery through construction documentation. Construction execution then runs 10–24 months, depending on scale and site.
Yes. The studio is in Islamabad and we take work across Pakistan where we can visit site properly — Lahore, Karachi, the north. We will tell you if a site is too far for the fee you have in mind.
We reply within one business day. If the brief fits, we offer a 20-minute discovery call. If it does not, we will say so and, where we can, point you to another practice.
Often, if we phase the work and the structure allows it. It is slower and a little more expensive. We will be honest if it is a bad idea.
We design to passive principles — orientation, shade, airtightness where it helps, and a fabric that needs less plant. Certification is a separate process we can bring a consultant into if you want the plaque.
If you need a set of drawings next month, a copy of a house you saw online, or an architect who will not visit site, we are not the right fit. We would rather say no than do that work badly.
“They treated the verandah as climate infrastructure, not a styling move. The house stays usable in May without sealing every room.”
“They kept the old brick wall in the plan instead of turning it into a feature. The courtyard is why we can live here in June.”
Ready when you are
Book a 20-min discovery call
Twenty minutes to see if we are the right studio. No deck, no hard sell.
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