IDEAS / Commercial
Before the lease: write a better Taipei interior brief
Start with activity
List the activities, people and relationships between rooms before comparing properties.
Ask for building information
Collect plans, service information, access arrangements and the building review process before confirming a scope.
Make dependencies visible
A useful brief states what the interior team needs from the landlord, operator and specialist consultants.
A property comparison that you can actually use
Build a simple schedule for each candidate property: usable area, structural grid, floor-to-floor constraints, available services, access for deliveries and the landlord review process. Mark information as confirmed, assumed or still required. A bright photograph cannot tell you whether the space will accommodate the meeting rooms, storage or plant your brief needs. Request a test fit using the same requirements for every option; otherwise you may be comparing different businesses rather than different buildings.
Work backwards from opening day
List the decisions that depend on other people: landlord comments, operator sign-off, specialist input and procurement. Give each decision an owner. A target date becomes useful only when the team can see which information is needed to reach it. Before signing, ask what happens if access or approvals arrive later than expected and which works can start independently. Keep design ambition visible, but distinguish an aspiration from a contractual commitment.