The Barnes Perspective: Thoughts, Ideas & Lessons Learned from Joseph Barnes

recent posts

about

Joseph Barnes is the principal of Barnes Design & Development Management advisory services firm. As Community Development Integration specialist, they are dedicated to working with design and development professionals on the creation of built environments which generate incremental and sustained value – aesthetic, social and economic. They leverage the knowledge, lessons learned, and relationships developed by Joseph Barnes over thirty-years of experience with benchmark setting, high-profile, high-concept, mixed-used community and land development projects.
  • Crafting Effective Design Briefs: Best Practices

    Crafting Effective Design Briefs: Best Practices

    Understanding the Shift from Strategic Definition to Design Brief

    During the Strategic Definition stage, the work is largely inward-facing. You’re building internal alignment. The primary audience consists of the developer, the landowner, and investors, who are the decision-makers who need to understand the project’s potential, risks, and underlying rationale.

    It’s about defining the vision, identifying constraints, and deciding whether to proceed. By the time you reach the Design Brief, though, the focus shifts. Now, you’re speaking to an external team. Architects, engineers, landscape designers, planners, and other consultants who weren’t in the room earlier but are now responsible for bringing the vision to life.

    That shift in audience makes clarity essential. You can’t assume the design team is familiar with the backstory. Your design team needs the distilled version with just the right amount of context to understand where the project is headed and what they’re working with. That’s where the Project Overview and Site Context sections of the Design Brief come in. These sections don’t need to be lengthy, but they must be clear, well-structured, and purposeful.

    Project Overview: Setting the Tone

    The Project Overview sets the tone. It should open with a concise articulation of the project’s vision.  It is not marketing language but a grounded statement of intent. What are you trying to create, and why? The project’s vision may include the community type, the intended market segment, and the broader mission.

    Next, outline the project goals. These can include physical goals (such as walkability or open space preservation), key financial objectives (such as returns or phasing strategies), and operational ambitions (like long-term stewardship models). It’s helpful to include a paragraph that frames the big picture and how this project fits into a larger strategic context, how it connects to the surrounding region, or what makes it different.

    A well-structured Project Overview might include:

    • A clear statement of vision and intent
    • Core project goals: physical, financial, and operational
    • Intended user or market segment
    • Strategic context and positioning
    • Summary of key project drivers and rationale

    In some cases, such as Qiddiya, the Project Overview went beyond project-specific goals to include national strategic objectives. When I was serving as Acting Executive Director of Planning & Design for Qiddiya, it became immediately apparent during my early job interviews in Riyadh that this was not just another real estate project. Qiddiya is a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a national strategy designed to diversify the economy, reduce oil dependence, and reshape the Kingdom’s global image.

    The developer of Qiddiya, the Qiddiya Investment Company, is positioning Qiddiya as the cultural, sports, and entertainment capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a projected budget of $9.8 billion and a master plan covering 334 square kilometers. Its scope encompasses over 400 individual facilities, including theme parks, water parks, motorsports venues, concert arenas, retail districts, and housing developments. As one of the Kingdom’s flagship giga-projects, Qiddiya aims to:

    • Drive economic diversification by repatriating local entertainment spending
    • Generate approximately 17,000 jobs and reduce regional unemployment
    • Encourage cultural transformation and broader social reform
    • Enhance the quality of life for Saudi citizens
    • Shift international perceptions of the country through bold, visible transformation

    In essence, Qiddiya is more than an entertainment complex. It’s a strategic move to modernize society, redefine the Kingdom’s international identity, and establish a new economic engine centered on leisure, culture, and innovation.

    While at Qiddiya, I was responsible for organizing and managing an international design competition involving 20 globally renowned architectural firms for 12 of Qiddiya’s iconic assets, which included a Grand Mosque, multiple sports venues, an F1 track, and a stadium.

    These efforts required the development of comprehensive design briefs for each asset, the selection and procurement of various design firms, the engagement of relevant development team members and subject matter experts, and the continual interface with the design firms throughout the design competition.

    Given the importance of the project, the challenges with the site, and the short competition timeframe, we placed a strong emphasis on making sure all the participants in the competition were well-informed and equipped about both the overall vision and the unique characteristics of the site to provide an even playing field and set them up for success.

    Site Context: Grounding the Vision

    The Site Context follows. The Site Context information is where you lay out what the team is starting with. Begin with the site basics: location, size, general zoning, and current use. Then, move into more specific and practical information. Topography, access points, natural features, adjacent land uses, and existing infrastructure all belong here. Identify key constraints, such as flood zones, wetlands, steep slopes, or easements that may impact the project. Also include the known opportunities, such as road frontage, scenic views, utility connections, or proximity to amenities.

    The Tuwaiq Escarpment at Qiddiya

    If certain studies, such as geotechnical reports or environmental assessments, have been completed and are available, please note their findings briefly. The point here is not to dump data but to surface what’s important for early design decisions.

    Key elements to cover in the Site Context section include:

    • Basic site data: size, zoning, location, existing use
    • Natural and built features: topography, hydrology, infrastructure
    • Environmental and regulatory constraints
    • Opportunities and assets: views, access, visibility, adjacencies
    • Summary of findings from prior studies or reports
    • Known obligations or constraints (e.g., easements, setbacks, community expectations)
    Qiddiya Site Context Diagram

    Qiddiya’s natural setting made this part of the brief especially critical. Located on the Tuwaiq Escarpment just outside Riyadh, the site is defined by extremes of elevation, scale, and raw, dramatic beauty. Standing at the edge of a 200-meter-high escarpment, you can stand for miles, down into canyons and across rocky plateaus. The terrain is carved with deep wadis and jagged cliffs. It’s both beautiful and unforgiving, and it shaped everything from circulation and program placement to engineering, grading, and environmental mitigation.

    The distinctive challenges and opportunities of the site are why we prioritized helping design consultants understand the terrain from day one. Before pen hit paper, we grounded teams in the physical reality of the site using a suite of materials:

    • High-resolution topographic and geological maps
    • Drone footage and panoramic imagery
    • Environmental overlays and protected zone data
    • Climate and solar studies
    • Regional context and access mapping

    We paired this technical information with experiential narratives: how the light changed throughout the day, how the sound of the wind shifted between the upper and lower plateaus, and what it felt like to descend into the escarpment’s folds. We wanted teams to feel the land. Not just analyze it. Because when they did, their concepts became more authentic and more rooted.

    A partial list of the Site Context information provided to the design teams.

    Qiddiya wasn’t a place for off-the-shelf solutions. It demanded an approach that respected the landscape and listened to what it had to offer. That mindset is shaping everything from the placement of buildings to the alignments of access roads.

    Qiddiya Stadium Program Highlights

    In addition to describing the overall context for Qiddiya, we needed to provide an understanding of how a specific iconic asset is contributing, not only within Qiddiya’s master plan but also in support of the larger Vision 2030 initiative. The Qiddiya Stadium was one of those key assets.

    As a cornerstone project within the Qiddiya Sports portfolio, the stadium will anchor a broader network of venues promoting athletic participation, professional development, and lifestyle wellness. It wasn’t just about hosting events. It was about helping to transform sports into a cultural and economic force within the Kingdom—one that inspires health, confidence, and opportunity.

    The design brief positioned the stadium as a primary venue for football (soccer) and events. It needed to reflect Saudi Arabia’s aspirations to compete at a global level, with top-tier facilities and an architectural presence that could stand among the world’s best. But it also had to function day-to-day, supporting flexible use, integrating into the broader district, and delivering value beyond game days.

    Conceptual Design for Qiddiya Stadium by Populus

    Highlights of the stadium program included:

    • Seating for 20,000 spectators, including general admission, premium, VIP, and VVIP zones
    • FIFA-standard artificial turf pitch and international-quality support facilities
    • Adaptability for non-football events and multi-use activation
    • Modern, well-equipped player, media, and operations areas
    • Integration with adjacent venues and community-facing uses within the larger sports precinct

    The vision for the Qiddiya Stadium was ambitious but grounded. A venue designed not only to host but to inspire. Not just to perform but to endure.

    Why It All Matters

    A well-crafted Project Overview and Site Context provide your team with a clear starting point. They orient people. They reduce confusion. And they keep everyone, regardless of their discipline, focused on what matters most. When done right, the Project Overview and Site Context become the quiet foundation of everything that follows.

    So, before you move into conceptual or schematic design, take the time to get these two pieces right. Strip out the fluff, organize the facts, and use plain language. Because in complex projects, clarity is one of the most powerful tools you have.

  • The Essential Role of the Design Brief

    The Essential Role of the Design Brief

    You’ve wrapped up the Strategic Definition stage. You’ve answered the big questions—Why, How, Who, What, Where, and How Much. The vision is clear. The team is aligned. The early financial modeling looks solid.

    Now comes the next question:

    What exactly are we designing?

    That’s where the Design Brief comes in.

    If you’ve followed my past posts on The Barnes Perspective, you already know how often I come back to this. Strategic Definition is one of the most overlooked—and misunderstood—parts of the development process. A strong vision and a high-level plan aren’t enough. Neither is a financial model or a site strategy.

    You still need a document that bridges the gap between intention and implementation.

    That’s the role of the design brief.

    When done right, it becomes the single source of truth for your architects, planners, engineers, developers, and investors. It doesn’t just describe the project; it also highlights its significance. It directs it.

    Let me show you how.

    What Is a Design Brief?

    A Design Brief, sometimes called a project brief or architectural program, is the foundational document that guides the entire design process. It turns a project’s vision and intent into something actionable. For architects, planners, engineers, and stakeholders, it serves as a working reference that shapes decisions from early concepts to final delivery.

    In real estate and community development, a well-crafted brief is essential. It defines scope, goals, and constraints before design begins, when decisions are still cheap to change. Without it, teams can lose clarity, get misaligned, or waste time solving the wrong problems.

    The Design Brief matters even more in complex projects, such as mixed-use communities or vertical, multi-program buildings. These projects require a framework that integrates various uses, including residential, commercial, civic, and recreational, into a coherent whole. A good design brief creates that framework. It brings order to complexity by breaking the project into parts, assigning priorities, and flagging constraints that shape the design.

    The strongest briefs share three traits. They’re clear and free of jargon or fluff. They’re comprehensive, covering everything from the big picture to the specifics that matter. They’re contextual and tailored to the project’s location, audience, and stage of development.

    A design brief is not a pitch deck. It’s not a feasibility study or a glossy PDF built for marketing. It’s a tool for real decision-making. It should provide your team with what they need to move forward confidently and stay aligned, not just in concept but in detail.

    When done right, it provides a snapshot of the site and surrounding context. It outlines a breakdown of the program, maps performance criteria, and documents stakeholder input. All of this gives shape to the project while leaving room for creativity and technical judgment as design work progresses.

    That’s the role of the brief. It doesn’t aim to answer every question. It aims to ensure everyone is asking the right ones.

    Avoiding the Trap of Premature Precision

    At NEOM, we used the term “Initial Asset Brief” for what many would call a Design Brief. The format originated from Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, and was initially developed for industrial assets, such as refineries and pump stations. Given the heavy engineering focus of those projects, it made sense to include extensive technical data right from the start.

    But that approach didn’t translate well to what we were designing at Trojena, where we had a 330-meter-tall tower perched on one of the tallest peaks of the site or a ski village that contained. 2 hotels, numerous apartments, a village center, and ski slopes on top of and integrated throughout the building.

    Trojena’s Ski Village – Designed by Aedas
    Trojena’s Discovery Tower – Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects

    Early versions of the brief requested everything from electrical load estimates to single-line diagrams. This request came before a schematic design even existed. The intention was good: promote engineering readiness. But the result was confusion, higher costs, and misaligned priorities.

    If you’re being asked for wastewater outputs before the building’s use is even defined, you’re not planning. You’re guessing in excessive detail.

    The name said it all: Initial Asset Brief. We often had to remind teams what “initial” and “brief” are supposed to mean. Early-stage documents should point the way forward, not pretend to have answers that aren’t yet knowable.

    While working with NEOM’s Engineering and Technical Services team, I helped reshape both the content and timing of these briefs. We looked to global frameworks, such as the RIBA Plan of Work, and adapted them to fit the kinds of mixed-use, design-led projects we were delivering at Trojena.

    That shift led to better coordination, fewer false starts, and more productive collaboration between design, engineering, and delivery teams.

    If you’re putting together a detailed design brief, remember: your job isn’t to lock in materials, finishes, or MEP systems. Your job is to frame the key decisions. The decisions that shape the concept and set up your project for success.

    What Goes Into a Quality Design Brief?

    I’ll dive deeper into each of these sections in future articles, but here’s a quick look at what a complete, actionable design brief typically includes:

    1. Project Overview – This sets the tone. It captures the big picture: your vision, objectives, and what’s driving the project.

    2. Site Context – Maps, access, topography, and environmental considerations that will shape the physical design.

    3. Programmatic Requirements – A clear outline of uses and spaces, including both summaries and space schedules.

    4. Design and Planning Criteria – Expectations around layout, massing, adjacencies, and character.

    5. Technical and Sustainability Criteria – Early technical assumptions, MEP considerations, and sustainability goals.

    6. Operational and Implementation Framework – Phasing plans, delivery timelines, and the rollout of the project.

    7. Stakeholder Engagement Summary – Documentation of consultations with key parties and any community input.

    8. Appendices – Supporting data, imagery, precedent examples, or anything else that adds clarity.

    Start with what you already have, market research, feasibility analysis, planning documents, and organize it into a format that your team can work with. You don’t have to overengineer it. Be clear, honest, and specific where it matters.

    At Trojena, we developed a standard design brief outline and a set of standard narrative language that the team could adapt across various asset types. But even then, every brief had to be tailored to the project’s specific scale, phase, and context. That’s the point, it’s not a form to fill out. It’s a tool for thinking.

    Bringing It All Together

    The detailed brief is what connects strategy to sketch. It ensures that information backs ambition. It provides your team with a shared foundation and helps prevent drift, whether in design, delivery, or dialogue with stakeholders.

    If your goal is to do more than sketch out a big idea on a whiteboard, the detailed brief is your next step. In future post, I will be expanding on some of the key elements of an effective design brief.

    Stay tune for more.

  • Mastering Strategic Definition in Real Estate & Community Development

    Mastering Strategic Definition in Real Estate & Community Development

    It usually starts with a sketch.

    A hand-drawn map. A rough massing model. A few bullet points on a whiteboard. Someone says, “This could be something.”

    But between that first idea and a real, permitted, financed, and viable project lies a long stretch of decisions and dependencies that too often get overlooked. That’s where the Strategic Definition stage comes in. And it’s where I spend most of my time when I’m brought in early enough.

    If you’re leading or advising a real estate development project, especially one with ambitions beyond the ordinary, you need this phase to be more than just paperwork. It’s the foundation that allows you to manage complexity, align teams, and shape design decisions that actually serve the business.

    Over the last few months on The Barnes Perspective, I’ve been sharing what that looks like in practice. Here’s what I’ve learned—and why it matters for your next project.

    You’re Not Just Managing Design. You’re Managing Decision-Making.

    In The Critical Role of Design Management in Real Estate Development, I laid out why design management isn’t just about drawings and specs. It’s about managing the people and the process that shape the built environment. Design leaders need to be as fluent in economics and entitlements as they are in architecture. And they need to know how to hold the line when the pressure is on.

    Most projects stall—or get diluted—because no one is actively managing the friction between the business plan and the design team. If that’s not someone’s job, it becomes everyone’s problem.

    Start With the Right Questions, Not the Right Answers.

    Projects that last are rooted in clarity. Strategic Definition: Your Blueprint for Successful Real Estate Development breaks down the essential ingredients of this early phase. It’s where you frame the “why” of the project, not just the “what.”

    Are you solving for a market need, or chasing an idea? What’s the role of place, culture, or memory? What does success look like five years after opening?

    Clarity here doesn’t mean perfection. It means alignment around purpose and priorities.

    Your Origin Story Matters.

    A project’s first 90 days often tell you everything about what it will become. In What Happens When a Project Starts with Why, I reflected on two very different projects—Celebration, Florida and Bundoran Farm. One taught us how to build a complete town from a blank slate. The other showed us how to honor landscape and legacy. Neither started with a site plan. They started with a shared understanding of why the project mattered.

    Stakeholders Aren’t a Box to Check. They’re Your Best Risk Managers.

    In Stakeholder Identification and Engagement, I looked back on a waterfront project that succeeded because we listened more than we pitched. We learned to ask better questions, to revisit assumptions, and to involve the right people at the right time. Stakeholders aren’t just approvals or outreach plans. They’re a core part of your risk strategy.

    Design Process Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All.

    Tailoring Your Design Process for Project Success makes the case for a flexible, fit-for-purpose design workflow. You don’t need every consultant on Day One. You don’t need full architecture before you’ve done a yield study. But you do need structure, sequencing, and someone to keep the decision-makers honest. Good design process avoids rework. Great design process builds confidence with every iteration.

    You Need a Roadmap for Approvals, Not Just Design.

    In Why Your Project Needs an Approval Roadmap, I emphasized how many projects get blindsided by poorly understood approval paths. If your team can’t clearly diagram what gets submitted when, and who signs off—chances are you’re not ready to design. This doesn’t need to be complex. But it does need to be mapped out early and updated often.

    Don’t Let the Market Study Be an Afterthought.

    In Beyond Supply and Demand, I laid out how good market research does more than confirm there’s demand. It should reveal unmet needs, spark better programming ideas, and test assumptions about your audience. Too often, teams use data to justify what they’ve already decided. Better to use it to open up new possibilities.

    Let the Land Speak First.

    Let the Land Speak First highlights how site analysis shapes everything that follows. We’ve all seen projects where the land was treated like an afterthought, bulldozed into submission. But the best ones work with the site’s natural assets, constraints, and context. This isn’t just about topography and trees. It’s about understanding what the land wants to be—and what it shouldn’t.

    Build a Program That Actually Works.

    In How Much Is Enough?, I laid out how we build a first-pass development program. It’s not about locking in details. It’s about getting realistic about density, use mix, and what kind of place you’re trying to create. You need a test fit, not just a vision statement. And you need to pressure test your assumptions—financially, operationally, and experientially.

    Don’t Skip the Math.

    Why Early Back-of-the-Envelope Proformas Are So Critical is my case for doing the numbers early, even if they’re rough. This doesn’t mean getting lost in spreadsheets. It means making sure your ambitions pencil out—or adjusting before you waste months on plans that won’t work. These early proformas act like a gut check. And they often spark conversations that reveal what really matters to the team.

    These articles weren’t meant to be a linear guide. They’re more like a field journal from years of working in the trenches of design and development.

    The Strategic Definition phase isn’t a formality. It’s the most underutilized and undervalued part of the process. But when done right, it sets everything else up for success.

  • Balancing the Rational with the Emotional – Why Early “Back of the Envelope” Proformas are so critical.

    Balancing the Rational with the Emotional – Why Early “Back of the Envelope” Proformas are so critical.

    A Lesson in Early-Stage Proforma Discipline.

    We’d sketched the land plan, rough-coded the uses, and mapped out road alignments on topography. The site had promise: over 500 acres with strong environmental features and a rich historic context, all just minutes from a state capital. It had the kind of bones that typically make a great place.

    The ownership group was looking for a partner and had approached us at Celebration Associates to get involved. We liked the vision. But even with a compelling narrative, the early math didn’t line up.

    We ran the back-of-the-envelope numbers: land cost, site infrastructure, and long absorption timeline. When we looked at the early yields and returns, they didn’t meet the risk thresholds we require for a land-based, master-planned project.

    That quick analysis is what saved us. It gave us the clarity to say no, or at least not yet.

    This initial financial analysis is precisely what early-stage proformas are for. Not to validate what you hope is true. But to check if the concept stands a chance. To see whether the risk aligns with the potential reward. And if not, what needs to change before you burn time and capital chasing something that’s not viable.

    Why Start with a Back-of-the-Envelope Proforma?

    At the Strategic Definition stage, you’re still working in big strokes. You might have a vision, a rough master plan, and some early enthusiasm. What you likely don’t have is certainty.

    Before diving into design, entitlements, or hiring consultants, you need to answer a simple question:

    Can this concept work financially under reasonable assumptions?

    The early-stage proforma is fast, incomplete, and sometimes ugly. But it gives you just enough signal to move forward with intent—or hit pause and rethink.

    For us, the litmus test begins with a few key metrics. In a stable market, our financial partners and internal criteria generally expect the following:

    • A gross margin on land sales of at least 30%.
    • A leveraged internal rate of return (IRR) of 25% — and in some cases, more. Recent conversations with investors suggest 25% to 27% targets.
    • A doubling of invested capital over the hold period.
    • A development timeframe of 5 to 7 years from initial capital deployment to exit.

    If a back-of-the-envelope analysis shows that a project can’t realistically meet these thresholds, it’s a signal. Either the structure needs to change, or the project may not be a fit.

    Breaking Down the Project’s Revenue Potential

    When we looked at the project’s land plan, we made a rough breakdown of expected land uses: neighborhood-scale single-family, rural estate parcels, a modest civic node, and a large portion of preserved open space. From there, we estimated unit counts, average pricing based on comps, and lot sales value using standard rules of thumb.

    Conceptual Land Use Plan indicating the location of various uses and potential yields.

    For example, a lot supporting a $600,000 home would typically be worth around $120,000 to $150,000, assuming a finished lot represents 20–25% of the total home value. That ratio works in many suburban and edge-of-market locations. Once we plugged in the estimated lot counts and land values, we had a total revenue range. It was directional but grounded enough to start pressure-testing.

    Base Case Revenue Assumptions – Annual Absorption by residential product types was based on studying comparable projects in the region.

    We also considered the market segmentation: traditional lots targeting mid-range buyers, estate lots for higher-end purchasers, and civic or amenity parcels treated as non-revenue generating but essential for overall absorption and community positioning.

    Estimating the Development Costs

    Next came the cost model, which included all the typical categories: horizontal infrastructure (clearing, grading, stormwater, utilities, roadways), off-site improvements (signalization, road upgrades, utility extensions), and vertical elements like community buildings and landscape enhancements. We folded in soft costs, including design, legal, engineering, impact fees, and a contingency line item that typically ran 15-20%.

    Our per-lot infrastructure estimates were benchmarked against similar communities we’d worked on. Even modest shifts in per-unit cost assumptions—say from $65,000 to $75,000—could significantly swing the proforma at this scale. That’s why we always assume conservatively and verify with past project data.

    We also paid close attention to early-phase infrastructure exposure. Some sites require heavy upfront spending on access, utilities, or grading just to get to the project’s initial phases, which is a red flag in a fragile financial model.

    Include Indirect Expenses

    It’s important not to overlook internal staffing and overhead expenses required to run the development. These include salaries or fees for project management, development leads, administrative support, accounting, and any shared services tied to running the business side of the project. While some indirect costs may already be partially allocated under soft costs, it’s good practice to model an annual allowance based on actual staffing needs or apply a general percentage of total development costs (typically 3% to 5%) to reflect this load.

    Indirect Expenses can vary greatly based on the complexity of the project and how it will be managed. While rules of thumb can be used, for this analysis be performed “bottom up” calculations based on similar projects we were involved and had solid historical staffing and cost data.

    Whether embedded within soft costs or tracked separately, these internal resources are real costs, especially over a multi-year development timeline. Accounting for them early adds credibility to the financial model and prevents future budget compression or under-resourced delivery teams.

    Account for Sales and Marketing Costs

    Include costs related to marketing and selling the property. At this stage, the most straightforward approach is to apply a percentage of the total gross sales revenue (based on the fully developed home and lot package).

    For sales transaction fees, use standard brokerage or closing fee percentages commonly found in the local market — typically between 5% and 6% of gross sales value for residential properties.

    Marketing costs can vary widely. Projects in or near strong metro markets may range from 3% to 5% of total sales. For more remote, resort, or second-home communities, marketing costs can be substantially higher due to the need for destination branding, extended campaign durations, PR, special events, and more targeted buyer engagement. Adjust this assumption based on location and project type, but ensure it’s in the model from the start.

    Considering Operational Carry

    Long development timelines bring their own drag—operational carry. Even when phased well, there’s often a multi-year period during which the developer is fronting HOA operating deficits, maintaining parks and trails, carrying taxes on undeveloped land, and funding marketing or admin support.

    In our experience, this adds between $1M and $2M in direct out-of-pocket costs over a 5-7 year span, depending on scale and handoff timing. Too many early models omit this, but it directly impacts equity yield and loan coverage.

    We always build it in.

    Setting the Financing Assumptions

    We assumed a standard 70/30 debt-to-equity structure, with construction financing covering horizontal infrastructure and internal equity funding for land, entitlements, and soft costs.

    At 6.5% interest-only, our carry costs were substantial. We modeled a draw schedule and layered a full interest reserve for the development term. But even with careful assumptions, the project struggled to hit the 1.2x debt service coverage ratio lenders often require by project stabilization.

    We also ran basic return metrics — IRR and equity multiple. Both fell well short of our 25% IRR and 2.0x equity targets.

    Pressure Testing the Model

    We ran three scenarios: base, downside, and upside.

    In the downside case, the project lost money. In the base case, it returned marginally positive outcomes, but not enough to warrant the risk. Only in the upside case did we start to flirt with a close to acceptable multiple and IRR.

    But the upside shouldn’t be the justification for proceeding. The base case must meet or exceed minimum thresholds. Otherwise, your margin of error disappears.

    This model didn’t clear the bar, which meant that the concept—or structure—had to change.

    What the Proforma Told Us

    It told us the plan had merit, but not in its current form. We had a site with potential, a strong location, and a partner ready to move.

    However, the financial structure didn’t support the risk until some key items shifted, such as cost reductions, funding partnerships, or density adjustments.

    That was valuable. It allowed us to pause, rethink, and avoid chasing a concept that didn’t align with our investment thresholds.

    And that’s the purpose of a good early proforma.

    What Makes a Back-of-the-Envelope Model Effective?

    It doesn’t need to be complex. It needs to be structured around the proposed land uses, anchored to real data, conservative on timing, and honest about risk.

    It should include everything material: development costs, contingency, operational carry, financing assumptions, and key return metrics — IRR, equity multiple, and debt service coverage.

    And above all, the team should use this information to make decisions, not just support them.

    Step-by-Step: How to Build a Back-of-the-Envelope Proforma

    For those looking to replicate the process, here’s a practical step-by-step guide to structuring an early-stage financial analysis for a land-based development project:

    1. Start with the Land Plan:  Lay out a rough site yield based on the land use analysis and development program. Estimate total units, square footage, or acreage for each use type—residential, commercial, civic, open space.  Your previously completed Site Due Diligence and High-Level Development Program come into play here.
    2. Estimate Sales Revenue:  Assign pricing based on comps and market research. Use rules of thumb to price finished lots (typically 20–25% of anticipated home value), retail/office space per square foot, and any other revenue sources. Always include a vacancy or absorption cushion.
    3. Build a Development Cost Model:  Estimate hard and soft costs: infrastructure, site work, amenities, legal, design, impact fees. Apply reasonable per-unit or per-acre assumptions and include contingencies—typically 15–20%.
    4. Include Indirect Cost:  Account for the Indirect costs needed to manage the project. Indirect costs include staffing for project management, entitlement coordination, design oversight, marketing administration, and general development operations. While some of these costs may be captured under soft costs, including a development overhead allowance, it is good practice.
    5. Account for Sales and Marketing Costs:  Include costs related to marketing and selling the property. At this stage, the most straightforward approach is to apply a percentage of the total gross sales revenue (based on the fully developed home and lot package).
    6. Include Operational Carry:  Account for interim costs during the development period: HOA subsidies, common area maintenance, taxes, and insurance. Estimate this on a per-unit or annual basis.
    7. Layer in Financing:  Assume a debt/equity structure (e.g., 70/30). Apply an interest rate (e.g., 6.5%), include a draw schedule, and estimate an interest reserve. Validate against typical DSCR thresholds.
    8. Calculate Key Metrics:  Calculate IRR, equity multiple, debt service coverage, and gross margin on land sales from your revenue and cost estimates. Compare these against your financial benchmarks.
    9. Run Scenarios:  Model a base case, downside, and upside. Adjust revenue, costs, and timing assumptions to understand sensitivity and risk exposure. A viable project should meet targets even in the base case.
    10. Decide What Needs to Change:  If the numbers don’t work, ask what variables can be adjusted. Density? Phasing? Cost sharing? Public investment? Let the proforma guide your next steps.

    Done right, this early-stage model becomes a strategic tool, not a financial hurdle. It frames decisions, flags red zones, and highlights where refinement is needed before real capital is deployed.

    Final Thought

    A back-of-the-envelope proforma is like a quick soil test. You’re not designing the foundations—you’re just checking whether you’re standing on bedrock or quicksand.

    In this case, the numbers told us what we didn’t want to hear. As exciting as the project was—and as aligned as it seemed with our values—it just didn’t work out. That’s where clear-headed analysis matters. We hit pause, looked hard at the facts, and ultimately made the call to walk away.

    Not every good idea makes a good investment. That’s why you run the numbers early.

  • How Much Is Enough? Crafting a High-Level Development Program that Actually Works

    How Much Is Enough? Crafting a High-Level Development Program that Actually Works

    Framing the Question: How Much?

    By this point, you’ve done most of the heavy lifting as part of the Strategic Definition stage of a project.

    Now comes the question every developer and designer eventually has to answer: How Much?

    That’s the role of the High-Level Development Program. It’s where ambition meets math, and it becomes one of the most critical tools in the Strategic Definition phase. It’s not a detailed building brief or a fully baked master plan. Think of it as a living framework—a shared outline that helps stakeholders test ideas, explore tradeoffs, and calibrate expectations. It gives structure to the conversation without locking in premature decisions.

    You’re essentially building a working hypothesis, one that connects your goals, site realities, and market insights with space, scale, and function. You’re not guessing, but you’re also not over-committing.

    Right-Sizing the Detail

    Not every project needs the same level of precision. If you’re mapping a low-density residential neighborhood, rules of thumb like dwelling units per acre (DUA) might be enough initially. But if you’re building something more complex, like a motorsports stadium and hotel inside a giga-project, you’re going to need more specificity. At Qiddiya, where I served as Executive Director of Planning & Design, we had to navigate exactly that.

    The site for Motorsports Stadium and Hotel was located at the heart of Qiddiya’s Resort Core, adjacent to the F1 track, a water park, and a primary retail, entertainment, and dining zone. We weren’t just thinking about keys and square meters. We had to integrate hospitality, racing operations, media, trauma response, MICE programming, and ticketing systems—all while reinforcing Qiddiya’s brand as a regional entertainment and cultural capital.

    Qiddiya’s Motorsports Stadium, including the F1 Track was adjacent to and integrated with Qiddiya’s Water Park and Retail, Dining & Entertainment hub.

    To make that work, our development program needed to break down the space into primary and supporting components, connect physical planning with operational realities, and provide a framework flexible enough to adapt as design progressed.

    Core Elements of a High-Level Development Program

    1.    Vision Integration: Reground your team in what the project is trying to do. Are you creating a regional sports hub? An immersive nature retreat? A branded entertainment district? That vision should shape your decisions around size, mix, and use.

    2.    Primary Programmatic Elements: Define the major uses and spatial allocations. At Qiddiya, these included:

    • Motorsports Hotel: 250 keys, 6,000 sqm of meeting space, 1,200 sqm of F&B, integrated robotic garage.
    • Motorsports Stadium: FIA-grade trauma facilities, pit garages, public concourses, and, media zones.
    • Indoor/Outdoor Karting: Shared welcome areas, changing rooms, and spectator zones.

    3.    Supporting Functional Zones: Include both front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) infrastructure:

    4.    Spatial Requirements: Estimate preliminary areas by use or level. Even ballpark figures help ground your thinking in reality. These inform massing, utilities, parking needs, and infrastructure planning.

    5.    Adjacency and Relationship Planning:  Functional relationships matter. Map key adjacencies, circulation, access requirements, and buffer zones:

    Operational Scenarios

    Qiddiya Motorsports Stadium High-Level Development Program and Size/Adjacency Diagram

    Think beyond fixed uses. Plan for how the development adapts over time or by event type. At Qiddiya, we considered the following different events and activities, all impacting the relationship between key programmatic elements: circulation, access, and security.

    • Race weekends (F1, MotoGP, etc.)
    • Off-season driving experiences
    • Corporate retreats and MICE events
    • Brand activations and launch events
    • Concerts, car shows, charity runs

    This thinking informs spatial flexibility, security planning, guest movement, staffing, and revenue generation.

    Benchmarking Comparable Projects

    Use benchmarks to ground expectations and inform design direction. At Qiddiya, we referenced:

    • Yas Marina Circuit and Porsche Experience Center for motorsports
    • Dorint Nürburgring and Cachet Boutique Hotel for hospitality
    • T-Mobile Arena and O2 Arena for multifunctional venue operations
    Motorsports Stadium and Hotel – Operational Benchmarks

    These references helped us align and manage expectations around sizing, operational needs, and guest experience.  It helped to galvanize the operational and guest experience drivers and direction.

    Yield and Fit Studies: Stress Testing the Program

    Stress testing the High-Level Development Program is the critical reality check. A great-looking program on paper can quickly fall apart if it doesn’t fit the site or zoning envelope. Early-stage yield and fit studies help you determine whether your ambition aligns with physical and regulatory constraints.

    Even a basic 2D or 3D massing diagram can make a huge difference at this stage. You can catch issues like:

    • Overbuilding relative to allowable height, setbacks, or open space ratios
    • Conflicting access points or inefficient circulation
    • Insufficient space for essential support functions like deliveries, BOH corridors, or vertical circulation

    More than once, I’ve seen projects try to squeeze an overambitious program into an undersized site, leading to compromises in design, operations, or guest experience. A quick test fit can prevent costly revisions down the line and can also unlock new possibilities—perhaps the program can be shifted, stacked, or phased differently.

    Don’t just ask if the numbers add up. Ask if the experience still holds together once it’s been laid out in space.

    Flexibility and Phasing

    The High-Level Development Program isn’t the final word. It’s the starting point. Use language that allows for evolution:

    • “Up to 250 keys” instead of “250 keys”
    • “Between 15,000 and 18,000 sqm” instead of locking down an exact number
    • Identify elements that can be phased or added later

    Flexibility is strategic. It allows the development to respond to approvals, funding, and real-world demand without derailing the entire vision.

    Conceptual Design Concept for Qiddiya’s Motorsports Stadium & Hotel

    Why This Matters

    A well-crafted High-Level Development Program helps align stakeholders around a shared framework, informs feasibility modeling and financial projections, guides your design brief and procurement strategy, and shapes how you talk to regulators, partners, and community members If done right, it becomes the project’s strategic backbone—not a straitjacket but a roadmap that brings clarity, confidence, and momentum to the development process.

    So next time you’re asked how much, you’ll have an answer that’s grounded, flexible, and ready to move the project forward.

  • Let the Land Speak First: The Role of Site Due Diligence in Smarter Development

    Let the Land Speak First: The Role of Site Due Diligence in Smarter Development

    She sat across the table, legal pad in hand, confident in the potential of her family’s land.

    Three hundred and fifty acres of rolling hills and forest just outside a growing town—she believed it was all developable. Maybe not immediately, but soon. The plan was to subdivide and sell, maybe even build a family legacy project. The numbers looked good. On paper, it was enough land to change her family’s financial trajectory for generations.

    But within an hour, that hope had shifted.

    Once she started to learn about the impacts brutal, but essential facts, such w slope analysis, wetlands delineation, utility easements, and road access, the reality came into focus. Of the 350 acres, maybe 110 had meaningful development potential. The rest? Too steep, too wet, too restricted, or simply unreachable without major investment.

    It wasn’t a dead end—but it was a reset.

    I’ve had numerous encounters like the hypothetical one described above which unveiled and reinforced a truth that too many people skip past in their initial excitement: not all land is buildable, and not all constraints are obvious.

    In real estate and community development, your design efforts are only as good as the ground they stand on. And that’s why due diligence in the Strategic Definition stage isn’t just useful—it’s essential.

    Bundoran Farm: Preservation Development Grounded in Due Diligence

    When our team—led by QROE Preservation Development and Celebration Associates—first set foot on Bundoran Farm, a 2,300-acre property just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, we didn’t begin with a concept plan or a glossy vision statement.

    We began by walking the land.

    Every ridge. Every fencerow. Every stretch of woods, pasture, and creek.
    We walked it with purpose—and with humility.

    Members of the Bundoran. Farm design and development team in the midst of their. site analysis and discovery.

    At the helm of that exploration was David Hamilton of QROE, joined by a multidisciplinary team that would eventually include Audubon International, McKee Carson, Roudabush Gale, and Biohabitats. And crucially, we had the benefit of Eddie Mawyer, Bundoran’s longtime farm manager—born and raised on the property—who knew the land more intimately than any GIS layer ever could. He was our compass, often pointing out potential red flags and opportunities that wouldn’t appear on any map but mattered deeply on the ground.

    Eddie Mawyer – Bundoran Farm’s long time farm manager. and site analysis MVP.

    That ethos—boots on the ground before pencil on paper—set the tone for everything that followed.

    A Landscape Worth Protecting, and a Pattern Worth Reimagining

    At the time, we were confronting more than just a blank piece of land. We were responding to a broader crisis in how we as a society were developing our agrarian landscapes—unsustainably, inefficiently, and destructively.

    Across the country, rural land was being carved into cookie-cutter subdivisions.
    Productive farmland was vanishing.
    Viewsheds were scarred.
    Wildlife corridors were severed.
    Watersheds degraded.
    And worse still, the process pitted farmers and landowners against environmentalists and planners, each side forced into an adversarial stance by a system that lacked nuance or imagination.

    Even traditional conservation tools had unintended consequences. Easements often reduced land value, segregated uses rigidly, or locked landowners out of financially viable paths forward. These approaches saved scenery, but not always place.

    We believed a better path existed—one that could:

    • Allow a farmer to sell at fair market value
    • Protect productive agricultural land
    • Preserve the rural character and working landscape
    • Encourage ongoing stewardship
    • Permit compatible residential use
    • Attract buyers seeking authentic countryside living
    • Minimize long-term fiscal burden to the county

    That model became what we now call Preservation Development.

    Preservation Development at Bundoran Farm was not a workaround—it was a comprehensive approach to design and development that accounted for:

    • Residential land value and generational wealth transfer
    • The continued stewardship of farmland and forest
    • Environmental resilience and ecological protection
    • Integration—not segregation—of land uses
    • Design grounded in traditional rural settlement patterns
    • Community and fiscal sustainability

    We established a framework of six guiding principles:

    Bundoran Farm’s Site Analysis and Master Planning Guiding Principles

    And then we got to work—carefully mapping everything that mattered.

    Mapping What Others Might Miss

    We studied:

    • Existing farm operations
    • Natural features—streams, wetlands, woodlands, wildlife habitat
    • Topography, soils, and drainage patterns
    • Old farm roads, trails, even cattle paths
    • View corridors from public roads and neighboring properties
    • Productive pasture and orchard soils
    • Cultural assets and historic homesteads
    Composite Resource Map showing the locations of Existing Roads, Productive Agricultural Land, Forest and Wildlife Habitat, Streams and Creeks, and Public View Sheds – Locations. to preserve, protect and enhance

    This was true site analysis—both qualitative and quantitative, informed by local knowledge, ecological science, and traditional land use wisdom.

    Design That Emerged from the Landscape

    Rather than dividing the land equally or placing homes in “optimal market positions,” we fit them into the seams—the edge spaces between forest and field, on gentle slopes, in locations that would not disrupt farming, views, or wildlife patterns.

    Individual Homesites situated in locations that did not adversely impact the property, typically between the seams of the pastures and the managed forest.

    Each homesite was intentionally modest—development envelopes of approximately 0.75 acres were set within much larger lots, many of them ranging from 21 to over 100 acres.
    In the end, we located 108 homesites—a 30% reduction from the 155 allowed under Albemarle County’s zoning.

    We also ensured that more than 90% of the land remained permanently protected.

    A Place, Not Just a Project

    Buyers weren’t just purchasing homes—they were becoming part of a working, evolving landscape with a clear identity and long-term vision.
    Local stakeholders didn’t fight the plan—they supported it.
    Albemarle County didn’t have to be convinced—they approved it unanimously.

    Front page of The Daily Progress the morning after

    Bundoran Farm stands as proof that rigorous site due diligence, coupled with visionary yet grounded development thinking, can produce places that are as financially viable as they are ecologically and culturally respectful.

    The land had a story to tell.
    We just took the time to listen.

    Boar’s Head and Birdwood: Strategic Due Diligence at the Institutional Edge

    While Bundoran focused on preservation in a pastoral setting, our work with the University of Virginia Foundation near Boar’s Head Resort and Birdwood Golf Course dealt with complexity at the edge of an urban institution.

    Celebration Associates was retained to analyze potential development options for six contiguous but distinct parcels totaling 787 acres. These lands were part of a broader strategy to align with UVA’s institutional mission while honoring the site’s recreational, historic, and environmental context.

    Boar’s Head Study Area – 787 acres including hospitality, retail, and recreational assets and surrounded by existing residential neighborhoods and conservation areas.

    The goals were clear:

    • Explore and articulate a vision for the property
    • Lay the foundation for “why” development should occur
    • Determine where development might be appropriate
    • Recommend compatible land uses
    • Define actionable next steps

    To ground the vision, a Clarity Session led by Vancouver-based Envisioning + Storytelling helped surface strategic aspirations from Foundation leadership. These emergent findings created a strong foundation for place-based decision-making.

    From there, we turned to Land Resource Mapping and Analysis, drawing from previous studies commissioned by the UVA Foundation and Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville’s GIS data. Our analysis began broadly and zoomed into site-specific assessments.

    Context and Constraints

    We reviewed:

    • Zoning (ranging from Highway Commercial to R-1 Residential)
    • Existing land uses: hospitality, sports, institutional, and limited retail
    • Historic designations (Birdwood Estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places)
    • Topography (from gentle slopes to steep, separated terrain)
    • Hydrology (multiple streams, creeks, and small ponds)
    • Vegetation (perimeter buffers and modest interior coverage)
    • Site access, circulation networks and traffic capacity and impacts
    • Utilities (water, sewer, electrical, teledata) both existing and proposed to understand locations and capacity
    Composite Resource Mapping Diagram identifying locations of critical slopes, water bodies and flow, vegetation and conservation easements. The remaining acreage had development potential.

    After applying constraints such as conservation easements, critical slopes, flood areas, and already developed land, we identified just 213 net developable acres—scattered in distinct development “islands.”

    Strategy by Parcel

    Each parcel was then studied individually:

    • Evaluating adjacent uses
    • Recommending probable land uses (residential, wellness, institutional, or hospitality-related)
    • Estimating development yields
    • Offering design guidance (e.g., viewshed protection, trail connectivity, strategic access points)

    This process produced not a master plan, but a framework for action. It gave the UVA Foundation clarity about what was possible, what was wise, and how to proceed in a way that minimized risk and aligned with mission.

    Diagram identifying potential development parcels – a collection of “islands’ each with their own distinctive character and development potential.

    In the end, Boar’s Head, like Bundoran, reminded us that meaningful development starts not with ambition, but with awareness.

    It begins with listening—to the land, the context, the community, and the story waiting to unfold.

    So… What’s Your Land Telling You?

    If you’re working on a new project—whether it’s five acres or five hundred—pause and ask: have you really let the land speak yet?

    Have you walked it with intent? Talked to the neighbors? Cross-checked the zoning with the soil tests? Thought through the market dynamics?

    Have you asked, not just “what do we want to build?” but “what should be built here, now, in this context?”

    Due diligence isn’t paperwork. It’s insight. It’s the foundation of every wise design decision that follows.

    If you get it right, the rest of the process becomes smoother, more aligned, and more impactful.

    Let’s make sure your next great idea is rooted in a deep understanding of the land it hopes to shape.

    Let the Land (and the Context) Lead

    If you’re working on a new project—whether it’s five acres or five hundred—pause and ask: have you really let the land speak yet?  Site due diligence is what grounds vision in reality. It does more than de-risk—it reveals possibilities you can’t see on a site plan alone.

    It answers questions like:

    • Can this parcel be accessed safely and affordably?
    • Is this soil buildable or prone to expansion?
    • Will the community fight this proposal—or embrace it?
    • How does our idea align with market demand, infrastructure capacity, and environmental stewardship?
    • Are there or will there be appropriate levels of service by utilities

    Every project I’ve worked on that succeeded—truly succeeded—started with this kind of discipline.

    And it wasn’t a chore. It was a creative process. A way to discover the project hidden within the site’s limits and potentials.

  • Beyond Supply and Demand: Elevating Community Development Through Forward-Looking Market Research

    Beyond Supply and Demand: Elevating Community Development Through Forward-Looking Market Research

    During my first year at The Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia, the class I struggled with most wasn’t Finance or Quantitative Analysis. To my surprise, it was Marketing.

    I understood the Four Ps—Product, Price, Place, Promotion—and could breeze through contribution margin formulas. But the cases puzzled me. Why were we trying to sell things—odor-resistant socks, contact lenses for chickens—to people who didn’t really need or want them?

    The shift happened during the first semester of my second year, in a class built around the Markstrat simulation. That’s when everything started to make sense.

    Markstrat is a strategy game where you manage a fictional company in a simulated competitive market. Each team makes decisions about product development, pricing, marketing spend, and—most importantly—market research. It quickly became clear that success didn’t come from pushing more of the same product. It came from understanding what customers wanted but weren’t getting, and then developing offerings to meet that unmet need—finding the gaps in the market.

    While many teams simply extrapolated what had worked before, our team focused on identifying underserved segments. We adjusted product specs and introduced offerings tailored to those needs. The result? We weren’t the biggest, but we had the fastest-growing market share and the highest increase in stock value.

    That experience taught me that strategy isn’t about copying what worked last year. It’s about anticipating what will matter next. That same mindset has guided my approach to community development ever since.

    Start With the Economics—What Investors and Lenders Expect

    Before you can talk about vision, lifestyle alignment, or brand identity, you need to speak to your stakeholders in the language they trust: hard data.

    Example of a Competitive Community Assessment

    When preparing a community for internal greenlighting or external capital, the market research needs to be more than a formality—it must serve as a robust, defensible foundation for decision-making.

    Here’s what banks, equity investors, and institutional partners expect in a well-structured market study:

    1. Executive Summary
      Clear headline findings and a Go/No-Go recommendation to convey the core thesis at a glance.
    2. Project Overview
      Site description, acreage, land use mix, and phasing strategy to set the stage and contextualize the opportunity.
    3. Demographic and Economic Trends
      Data on population growth, household formation, income distribution, job trends, and regional infrastructure to ground the demand forecast.
    4. Competitive and Supply Landscape
      A breakdown of current and upcoming projects—who’s delivering what, at what pace, and at which price points.
    5. Demand Analysis by Use Type
      Forecasts for residential (by product and price band), retail, office, and hospitality—by household type, income qualification, tenure preferences, and psychographic alignment.
    6. Revenue and Pricing Assumptions
      Justifications for sale prices, lease rates, and rental benchmarks used to test your pro forma.
    7. Absorption and Phasing Strategy
      Recommended unit releases by phase, expected absorption timelines, and velocity assumptions.
    8. Opportunity and Gap Analysis
      Identification of unmet or underserved demand—by lifestyle, household type, or product format.
    9. Risk and Sensitivity Assessment
      Downside scenarios for pricing, absorption, and timing to help de-risk capital deployment.
    10. Appendices
      Data tables, comps, GIS mapping, psychographic profiles, and methodology to support the findings.

    Finding the Gaps: Designing for the People the Market Overlooks

    One of the biggest mistakes I see in development today is assuming that everyone fits a standard profile: a household of 3.15 people, seeking a 2,140-square-foot home with 2.8 bedrooms and a two-car garage. That—and “steering by the wake”—assumes what sold yesterday will work tomorrow.

    This results in communities that feel like watered-down versions of the past. People end up settling for what they dislike the least, instead of choosing what they love most.

    “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
    —Henry Ford

    That’s not real life. And it’s certainly not the full market.

    When we look more closely, we find an abundance of underserved households: single professionals, multigenerational families, aging boomers seeking walkability without maintenance, child-free couples, remote workers, and creatives craving live/work flexibility. These groups aren’t fringe. They’re just not being served well by most new developments

    That’s where deeper, forward-facing research comes in—not just to validate a plan, but to shape it.

    From Data to Insight: Diana and the Art of Positioning

    At Celebration, I’On, Nexton, and Summers Corner, we worked closely with Diana Permar and her team—one of those rare group of market research professionals who not only know how to gather market intelligence, but how to translate it into strategy.

    The Greeting House at Nexton – Courtesy of SMHa

    Diana doesn’t just identify trends—she helps define how a project can authentically and profitably respond to them. Together, we used lifestyle segmentation data, demographic modeling, and qualitative insight to shape communities that moved beyond conventional suburbia.

    We saw growing demand for walkability, flexible housing formats, and wellness-oriented environments—and designed street grids, commercial mixes, and branding strategies accordingly.

    Diana’s work reminded us that great positioning isn’t about following trends—it’s about anticipating desire.

    Avoiding Commodification Through Psychographic Insight

    This brings us to psychographics.

    Demographics tell us who people are—age, income, education. Psychographics tell us why they make the choices they do—what they value, how they define success, and what “home” feels like

    That’s why we’ve used the VALS2 framework, which categorizes people by motivations (ideals, achievement, self-expression) and access to resources, to align design decisions with future residents’ psychology.

    VALS2 Psychographics Framework

    A few examples:

    • Innovators seek sophistication and uniqueness. They’re drawn to bold architecture, cultural edge, and exclusive experiences.
    • Achievers want structure, prestige, and predictability—favoring gated entries, premium branding, and consistent services.
    • Experiencers crave variety, connection, and creative energy. They’re attracted to mixed-use neighborhoods, live/work spaces, and public art.
    • Makers value utility, craftsmanship, and independence. They respond to practical layouts, DIY amenities, and hands-on environments.

    As Simon Sinek says “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”  Aligning your “Why’ with potential future resident’s “Why’s” just make good business sense.

    Integrating these insights early—during the Strategic Definition Phase—helps ensure we design places that resonate deeply, not just sell quickly.

    Celebration, I’On, Bundoran Farm: Purposeful Differentiation

    Projects like Celebration, I’On, and Bundoran Farm didn’t succeed just because they were attractive or well-capitalized. They worked because they were differentiated—rooted in real research and designed to serve unmet needs.

    At Celebration, we used tools like VALS2 not only to shape housing but also governance, communication, and programming. The result was a human-scaled, cohesive community.

    At I’On, we abandoned the suburban template in favor of walkable streets, civic spaces, and Lowcountry-inspired architecture—crafted not for the median buyer, but for those seeking a more connected lifestyle.

    At Bundoran Farm, research identified a high-value segment seeking land, privacy, and authenticity—without the isolation of typical large-lot development. So we delivered estate homes within a working farm, with the landscape preserved as a shared amenity.

    Each of these communities aligned economics with identity. They weren’t just viable—they were emotionally resonant.

    Final Thought: Listen Forward

    Too many developments today are shaped by what worked yesterday. They build for the average, ignore the overlooked, and blend into sameness.

    But when you combine rigorous economic data with meaningful human insight—when you use market research not just to confirm assumptions but to guide bold decisions—you create more than homes.

    You create belonging.

    That kind of community doesn’t just fill up.
    It flourishes.
    It retains value.
    It earns loyalty.
    It becomes a place people talk about.

    So let’s stop steering by the wake.
    Let’s start listening forward.

    Because the future of real estate isn’t about replicating what sold—
    It’s about discovering what’s missing and building what matters.

  • From Design Coach to Compliance Cop: A Cautionary Tale of Design Review from I’On

    From Design Coach to Compliance Cop: A Cautionary Tale of Design Review from I’On

    More than 25 years ago, I had the privilege of helping shape a community that many now regard as one of the most architecturally successful New Urbanist neighborhoods in the country: I’On, in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

    The Principal of Lowcountry Vernacular Design , a supplement to the I’On Code, was created to educate and inspire homeowner, architects and builders.

    Back then, we had a bold idea. Not just to build homes—but to build a place. A place that rekindled the spirit and sensibility of the Lowcountry’s architectural traditions. That looked and felt like it had always been there. That honored craftsmanship, beauty, and the kind of walkable, timeless village structure rarely seen in modern development.

    To make that happen, we created the I’On Design Committee (IDC)—a design review process I personally drafted, not just as a control mechanism, but as a design support system. The IDC was not meant to be a bureaucratic roadblock. It was designed to be a coach, a partner, a guide—encouraging creativity within a shared architectural vocabulary.

    We weren’t playing defense. We were playing offense.

    Design as a Value Creator

    From the start, the IDC existed to uphold a clear mission:

    “To rekindle an appreciation for an architectural and building philosophy rarely practiced today by reestablishing the vernacular building tradition of the Lowcountry and facilitate the development of an endearing and enduring place.”

    And it worked. With this philosophy and structure in place, I’On quickly gained national recognition. It was featured in books, studied in design schools, and became a model for how thoughtful, intentional design governance could elevate the character and value of an entire community.

    At the heart of this success was a proactive, service-oriented design review system. We didn’t just approve or reject plans—we coached homeowners and their architects toward better outcomes. I’ve written extensively about this approach on my article on Design Coaching, Transform Your Approach: STOP Design Review – START “Design Coaching” where I share lessons from my experience helping to guide more than a dozen design review boards across the U.S. and abroad.

    When done well, design review is not an obstacle—it’s a value multiplier.

    View Along the Jefferson Canal in I’On – Courtesy of Dover Kohl & Partners Town Planning

    Then the Shift Happened

    But then something changed.

    Over time, the I’On Design Committee was handed off from the original development team—The I’On Company—to the Property Owners Association (POA). And with that handoff came a shift in tone, approach, and purpose.

    The IDC went from being a design partner to a compliance cop. From encouraging thoughtful design to enforcing checkbox-style conformity. From playing offense to prevent defense.

    This cultural change gutted the original intent of the IDC. It replaced collaboration with control. Support with suspicion. Innovation with inertia.

    The Fallout of a Dysfunctional System

    The consequences have been significant:

    • Design professionals avoid I’On. The IDC has gained a reputation for being inconsistent, inflexible, and antagonistic.  It’s too much of a headache for the talented and experienced architects that helped to shape I’On in the early days.
    • Homeowners bypass the process. Increasingly, residents make modifications without approvals, simply to avoid dealing with the bureaucracy.
    • Quality has slipped. Innovative and thoughtful designs that once elevated the neighborhood are now watered down or outright discouraged.
    • Reputation is declining. Real estate agents and architects quietly warn clients about the headaches of building in I’On.

    This isn’t just anecdotal. A 2022 survey showed that 75% of residents rated their IDC experience as “Poor” or “Somewhat Poor.” Complaints included lack of transparency, excessive delays, rude communications, and unclear or inconsistent feedback.

    The very process meant to safeguard I’On’s architectural integrity is now one of its greatest liabilities.

    My Return and Resignation

    After spending three years helping to shape another high-profile, benchmark-setting project—Trojena in Saudi Arabia, where the design guidelines I developed were ultimately presented to and approved by the Crown Prince himself—I returned to I’On hoping to give back.

    I ran for the POA Board at the urging of neighbors who shared my concerns about the IDC’s dysfunction. They hoped I could help restore the committee’s original vision and bring a higher level of professionalism and transparency to its operations.

    But despite being elected, my efforts were stonewalled.

    • I was denied access to IDC meetings, even in a non-voting observational capacity.
    • A motion I introduced to allow Board oversight of IDC meetings was voted down with no meaningful explanation.
    • My offers to contribute decades of relevant experience—for free—were ignored.

    This isn’t just about my personal frustration. It’s about a larger issue of governance, transparency, and accountability. A Board-appointed committee, staffed by paid consultants and resident volunteers, is currently operating without any real oversight, blocking access, and rejecting attempts at reform.

    When those tasked with upholding design quality refuse to be held accountable, the system is broken.

    Credentials That Matter

    For context, I am a globally recognized subject matter expert in the establishment and management of design review processes. I’ve created and/or managed DRBs for over a dozen communities including:

    • Celebration, Florida
    • I’On, South Carolina
    • East Beach, Virginia
    • Bundoran Farm, Virginia
    • Nexton, South Carolina
    • Trojena, Saudi Arabia

    I’ve been invited to speak at numerous conferences about on best practices for DRB implementation in master-planned communities.

    And yet, in my own backyard, I can’t even get into the room.

    A Call for Reflection—and Help

    This post is not just a chronicle of frustration. It’s a cautionary tale for community developers, HOAs, and place-makers everywhere.

    Design is not just about aesthetics—it’s a primary driver of lasting value.

    When governance structures lose sight of this, or worse, when they become adversarial or opaque, the results are damaging and difficult to reverse. The slow erosion of quality doesn’t make headlines—but it shows up in declining engagement, rising turnover, diminished resale value, and lost soul.

    So where do we go from here?

    Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve done what I could from within. And when the system refuses to even let you observe, it’s hard to contribute meaningfully.

    But I’d love to hear from others—developers, residents, design professionals, planners. How can communities protect design as a core value after the developers are gone? How do we avoid turning proactive guardians of quality into passive enforcers of mediocrity?

    Let’s start a conversation.

    Because I’On deserves better.

    And so do the hundreds of communities trying to follow its lead.

    Joseph Barnes is a design management and development strategist with over 30 years of experience shaping benchmark-setting communities across the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of “The Barnes Perspective” blog and a frequent speaker on design governance in real estate development.

  • Why Your Project Needs an Approval Roadmap Just as Much as a Design Strategy

    Why Your Project Needs an Approval Roadmap Just as Much as a Design Strategy

    You’re in the room. Slides are on the screen. Coffee’s brewing. Ideas are flowing. The concept is good. The team is strong. Everyone’s excited.

    Then you ask one question: “So who signs off at each stage?”

    Silence.

    Some folks look down. Others look at each other. A few shrug. You just found the gap. And it’s a big one.

    It’s not the design.

    It’s not the budget.

    It’s the process.

    Every great project begins with vision. But vision alone doesn’t get buildings permitted. Streets approved. Funds released. Or site work started.

    Vision needs a map. A map that covers not just what we’re building, but how we’ll get it approved. A “vision’ with an execution “plan” is just a dream.  Likewise an execution plan without a “vision” is a waste of time.

    I’ve spent three decades managing the design and development of high-profile projects—from Celebration and I’On in the U.S. to Qiddiya and Trojena in Saudi Arabia. And if there’s one truth I’ve learned, it’s this:

    The design process must include a design review and approval strategy from day one.

    And that strategy needs to cover both internal and external paths—because delays don’t usually happen when the team’s working. They happen when no one’s sure who needs to review what, when, or how.

    Let’s fix that.

    Designing the Design Process

    During the Strategic Definition stage of a project, teams often focus on establishing the creative brief, aligning business goals, and setting design quality standards. All essential. But often overlooked?

    The roadmap for how decisions get made and approvals happen.

    Whether it’s your own internal organization or a town planning board halfway across the country, every decision point needs a clear path. Without it, you risk confusion, rework, cost overruns, and endless meetings where nobody quite knows who has the final say.

    So where do you begin?

    Start with two questions:

    • Who are the stakeholders?
    • What’s their role in the review process?

    (See a recent article on Stakeholder Identification and Engagement)

    Internal Review: Who, When, and Why

    Inside any organization, there are different levels of review. You’ve got executives, project managers, cost consultants, branding teams, and sometimes joint venture partners—all of whom may have something to say. But not everyone needs to be involved at every step.

    Match the profile of the project to the level of internal oversight it requires.

    At Qiddiya, where I served as Acting Executive Director for Planning & Design, our projects ranged from cultural flagships like opera houses and mosques to supporting infrastructure. Some were “nation-building”; others were context-driven. We couldn’t afford a one-size-fits-all process.

    So we designed our own design review and approval process. Before we even got to schematic design.

    Instead of using a traditional RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) or RAPID (Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide) matrix, we created something tailored:

    ARIMDUC:

    • Approves – Signs off before the next step
    • Recommends – Suggests for approval or modification
    • Invited – Optional attendee with no decision role
    • Manages – Leads the step or task
    • Develops – Produces the materials to be reviewed
    • Updated – Kept informed at key milestones
    • Consulted – Provides expertise or review comments
    Example of Qiddiya’s Internal Asset Design Review and Approval Matrix

    Not pretty. But it worked.

    Every team member knew their lane. Every asset had a review path. And it scaled depending on the project profile.

    We developed an internal matrix that paired asset classes—Iconic, Signature, Class A through D—with the ARIMDUC roles. For example, an Iconic asset like a national sports stadium might require final approval by the Board of Directors, recommendation by the Executive Committee, and input from the Design Advisory Panel. Meanwhile, a Class C office building might require only departmental sign-off and functional input from cost consultants.

    Early Conceptual Designs of some of Qiddiya’s Iconic Assets

    This matrix helped establish clarity across dozens of project types. It also supported speed, especially when approvals were needed quickly but without sacrificing quality or governance.

    One of the most important features? We made the ARIMDUC matrix a shared resource—not just a behind-the-scenes tracking tool. It lived on our internal collaboration platform, embedded into dashboards used by all teams. No matter your role—planner, architect, or executive—you could see who was doing what, when decisions were needed, and what form of input was required.

    In short, we didn’t just manage the design. We managed the design process infrastructure.

    If you’re leading a complex organization or managing multiple projects in parallel, creating this kind of system can make or break your ability to deliver. It’s less about bureaucracy and more about giving your team a roadmap and a rhythm.

    External Review: Why Local Always Wins

    You might be building a world-class destination. You might have starchitects on board and globally admired master planners. But none of that will move your plans through the local approvals process unless you understand one fundamental truth:

    Design may be global, but approval is always local.

    This is where good projects stall. And where great ones sometimes die.

    I’ve worked on projects in over a dozen municipalities. Each one is different. Different processes. Different politics. Different definitions of success.

    Take Mount Pleasant, SC versus Berkeley County, SC. Both in the same region. Entirely different approval processes.

    Mount Pleasant vs. Berkeley County: A Tale of Two Approvals

    Let’s look at two real-world examples. Both are in South Carolina. Both were large-scale, mixed-use, master-planned communities. One faced enormous community initial pushback prior to becoming recognized as one of the premier examples of New Urbanism development. The other quietly became a regional success story.

    What made the difference?

    Let’s compare the approval journey for:

    • I’On in Mount Pleasant
    • Nexton in Berkeley County
    Nexton and I’On – Close to each other geographically, extremely far from each other regarding development approvals

    Context and First Impressions

    I’On was an infill traditional neighborhood on about 243 acres. It was ambitious—compact, walkable, mixed-use, and patterned after historic Charleston. And it landed right in the middle of a fast-growing town already wrestling with change. That meant intense public scrutiny from day one.

    Nexton, by contrast, was a 5,000-acre greenfield development launched by a timber company turned developer. It had the backing of regional planners and was positioned in an area targeted for growth. Public opposition? Minimal. The focus was infrastructure.

    The Review Paths Compared

    Mount Pleasant

    • Requires pre-submittal staff meetings
    • Mandates an Impact Assessment for projects triggering thresholds (e.g., 75+ peak hour trips)
    • Uses a Planning Commission for recommendation
    • Final decision lies with Town Council
    • Public hearings are highly attended
    • Design Review Board involvement for commercial architecture
    • Subdivision and infrastructure approvals handled in separate steps by the Town’s staff
    • Known for strong citizen involvement, vocal neighborhood associations, and sometimes unpredictable politics

    Berkeley County

    • Fewer layers at the start
    • Allows for a Planned Development Mixed Use (PDMU) zoning
    • Negotiates Development Agreements that lock in rights and obligations for 10–20 years
    • Focuses more on traffic and school impacts than architectural detailing
    • Less public hearing conflict for greenfield areas
    • Uses a moratorium and mitigation checklist for newer projects to address infrastructure proactively
    • Projects are often phased under a long-term agreement, giving more certainty to developers

    What This Means in Practice

    Mount Pleasant requires you to win not just on planning merit—but on community and political grounds. I’On had to revise its plan multiple times. It removed apartments, scaled down commercial areas, and reduced unit counts—all in response to neighbor concerns and Council votes.

    Berkeley County emphasizes up-front infrastructure planning. If you can show that you’re solving traffic, funding schools, and providing long-term value, you’re on solid ground. Nexton’s developers coordinated the timing of a major highway interchange with the county, DOT, and even the Ports Authority. That infrastructure investment was the ticket to long-term approval and phasing.

    In short:

    • In Mount Pleasant, public sentiment was the wildcard.
    • In Berkeley County, infrastructure was the bar.

    How to Plan for Local Review from Day One

    You can’t fast-forward through the public process. But you can do a lot to make sure it doesn’t derail your timeline—or your vision.

    Here’s where strategy turns into real-world execution.

    During the Strategic Definition phase, most teams are heads-down crafting the design brief, aligning business goals, and sketching out early concepts. That’s good. But there’s a second track that needs just as much attention: your external approval strategy.

    This means planning the process of getting to yes just as carefully as you plan the project itself.

    Start by mapping your approval terrain. That means understanding not just the basic steps—like rezoning or site plan approval—but who is involved, what concerns they’re likely to raise, and how those issues tend to play out in your jurisdiction.

    If it’s a place like Mount Pleasant? Plan on multiple rounds of public input and anticipate highly organized citizen groups. You’ll need a communications plan just as much as a design strategy.

    If it’s more like Berkeley County? You better have your traffic mitigation plan airtight—and your development agreement in place before the first shovel hits dirt.

    Next: Engage early.

    A surprising number of developers skip this step or treat it as a formality. It’s not.

    Pre-application meetings with planning staff aren’t just about checking boxes. They’re your opportunity to build relationships and learn how the local process really works.

    And if the stakes are high, talk to councilmembers early too, especially if they have the final say on approvals. Understand what matters to them. Is it school crowding? Neighborhood compatibility? Fiscal return?  It would be disastrous to have all the community meetings, get planning commission’s approval only to find out a council person or two has unknown or unaddressed buttons that will cause them to disapprove your project.

    Don’t pitch your project yet. Just listen. Take notes. Then go back and shape your strategy with those realities in mind.

    Third: Tailor your technical studies.

    Don’t wait for planning staff to ask for a traffic study or a stormwater plan. Come prepared with real data. And not just to meet the minimum requirements—use it to tell your story.

    If your plan generates 800 vehicle trips at peak hour, explain how you’ll mitigate that. Not with vague promises—show the turn lanes, the signal timing, the funding sources. Show that you’ve already met with DOT and gotten alignment.

    Do the same with schools, fire service, water and sewer. If you can show that you’ve thought through the impacts and have a plan to handle them, you’ll build trust with reviewers and decision-makers.

    Fourth: Control your narrative.

    This is where many teams fall short.

    You need a clear, compelling way to explain your project—not just to planners, but to residents who may never have heard terms like “PUD” or “TND.” Show what’s in it for them. Parks. Trails. Local shops. Tax revenue. Road improvements.

    And don’t rely on public hearings to do this. Host your own community meetings. Launch a simple website. Offer one-page summaries and FAQs. These things matter—because public perception can be shaped long before your hearing is scheduled.

    Finally: Anticipate iteration.

    The perfect project doesn’t exist. And the first version of your plan probably isn’t the one that gets approved. That’s not a failure—it’s the nature of local development.

    What matters is how you adapt.

    Build in time to respond to staff comments. Have a Plan B ready if a particular road connection or building type triggers opposition. Know your red lines—and your flex zones.

    Approach the process with humility, but don’t lose your strategic edge. You’re not just seeking approval. You’re building trust.

    What To Do Next

    If you’re leading a real estate development project—whether it’s a walkable neighborhood in the Southeast or a destination mega-project in the Middle East—internal clarity and external readiness are your twin engines.

    So here’s where to start:

    1. Document your internal design approval path. If it’s fuzzy, make it visible. Define who approves, who recommends, and who simply needs to be kept in the loop. (Consider ARIMDUC if RACI or RAPID isn’t cutting it.)
    2. Identify every external stakeholder you’ll need to work with. Agencies, utilities, public boards, neighborhood groups, political bodies. Know their review process and what they care about.
    3. Build your process map. Don’t wait until schematic design to figure out how you’ll get zoning, infrastructure, and site plan approvals. Lay out the sequence now.
    4. Engage early. Communicate clearly. Adjust when needed.

    Design may start with vision. But development moves with process.

    And the best teams? They design both.

  • Tailoring Your Design Process for Project Success

    You’re in a project kickoff meeting.

    Initial site plan options are pinned to the wall. Early schematic renderings glow on the screen. The room is filled with bright minds and good intentions. But when you ask a simple question—“What’s the process?”—the room goes quiet.

    This happens more often than you’d think.

    Too many real estate and community development projects launch with strong ideas but a vague path forward. Roles are unclear. Sequences are fuzzy. Design decisions become reactive instead of strategic.

    The root issue?

    The design process wasn’t designed.

    One Size Never Fits All

    Every project is different.

    Some are long and layered—like a resort in an ecologically sensitive area. Others move fast—like a pop-up retail concept on an urban lot. Just like you wouldn’t pack the same bag for a walk to the corner store and a month-long trek through Patagonia, you shouldn’t approach every project with the same design strategy.

    This is why the Strategic Definition phase matters so much. It’s where you align vision, purpose, and goals—and then tailor your design process accordingly.

    You need to define:

    • What kind of project this is
    • What level of design control and detail is needed
    • Who needs to be at the table—and when

    That means adjusting the rhythm, tools, and team for each unique assignment. Because design management isn’t about oversight. It’s about orchestration.

    The Four Quadrants of Impact and Investment

    Back when I worked with Disney Development Company, serving as the Town Architect for Celebration, Florida, we used a simple framework that still guides my thinking today. We categorized projects along two axes: Dollar and Impact.

    This revealed four project types—each demanding a different approach:

    🟩 High Dollar / High Impact
    Town centers, major public spaces, iconic buildings. These projects shape identity, catalyze value, and draw attention. They require careful visioning, iterative design, stakeholder engagement, and a multidisciplinary team of experts. This is where design leadership matters most.

    🟦 High Dollar / Low Impact
    Infrastructure, utilities, and back-of-house facilities. These are expensive but behind the scenes. The focus is on function, coordination, and durability. Expressive or symbolic design solutions are optional—not a priority.

    🟧 Low Dollar / High Impact
    Pilot programs, pop-up parks, public art. These are momentum builders—small investments with outsized influence. The process here should be nimble, collaborative, and adaptable.

    🟥 Low Dollar / Low Impact
    Signage refreshes, planter swaps, minor cosmetic updates. Sometimes necessary, but rarely transformational. These should be quick, tactical, and resource-light. Not everything needs a task force.

    Investment – Impact Quadrant

    The danger? Applying the wrong strategy to the wrong quadrant.

    Use a tactical approach on a signature civic space and you’ll fall short. Apply a full-scale architectural process to a planter refresh, and you’ll burn time and goodwill.

    NEOM’s Structured Approach: Design Stages with Purpose

    At NEOM, the asset design and construction process—as described in NEOM’s Plan of Work—was highly structured. It’s a model worth studying. NEOM mapped its design stages to internationally recognized frameworks like RIBA and AIA:

    NEOM StageDescriptionRIBA EquivalentAIA Equivalent
    Pre-Concept DesignVision, feasibility, stakeholder engagement, site analysis, initial design explorationStage 0 – Strategic DefinitionProgramming / Pre-Design
    Concept DesignInitial spatial concepts, massing, and aestheticsStage 2 – Concept DesignSchematic Design
    Design DevelopmentRefined architecture and systems coordinationStage 3 – Spatial CoordinationDesign Development
    Technical DesignConstruction-ready drawings and specificationsStage 4 – Technical DesignConstruction Documents
    ConstructionExecution oversight and quality assuranceStage 5 – ConstructionConstruction Administration
    Handover & Close-OutFinal inspections and building turnoverStage 6 – HandoverProject Close-Out
    Post-OccupancyMonitoring, feedback, performance optimizationStage 7 – In UsePost-Occupancy Evaluation

    This structure ensured every team member knew where they were in the process—and what was expected at each step.

    Lessons from Trojena: Right Talent to Task

    Even though NEOM’s design process was well structured, it wasn’t always calibrated for the variety of assets we were designing and building at Trojena, one of NEOM’s most prominent development initiatives.

    A Sampling of Trojena’s Iconic and Signature Assets

    Trojena is a year-round mountain destination in northwest Saudi Arabia, developed at elevations ranging from 1,500 to 2,600 meters. It offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure, wellness, and luxury experiences—ranging from skiing and hiking to cultural events and high-end hospitality. Designed to be a global benchmark for sustainable and experiential tourism, Trojena fuses bold architecture, innovative infrastructure, and immersive natural landscapes to redefine alpine living in a desert climate.

    As Trojena’s Director of Development Management – Asset Design, I helped shape the design strategy with a focus on long-term value and architectural integrity. With dozens of assets—each varying in complexity, significance, and timeline—we needed a flexible system to guide both who did the work and how it was delivered.

    Promotional Poster from 2023 Cityscape Global

    We developed two tools: Asset Classifications and Design Levels.

    Asset Classifications

    • Iconic – Unique, globally recognized, with a bold design narrative. Represents NEOM.
    • Signature – Distinctive, but less globally recognizable.
    • Class A – High strategic importance, socio-economic value, or complex design program.
    • Class B – High investment value and medium-to-high design complexity.
    • Class C – Medium-to-low investment or design complexity.
    • Class D – Lower investment value or programmatic complexity.

    Design Levels

    We then created Design Levels (1–7), with Level 1 requiring the highest design control and Level 7 the least. Each asset was assigned a level—tailoring the process, team roles, and delivery accordingly.

    Key Roles Across Design Levels

    • Lead Design Consultant (LDC) – A creative lead with proven skills and alignment to NEOM’s design ethos. Required for Iconic, Signature, Class A, and B assets.
    • Multi-Disciplinary Consultant (MDC) – Technical coordination across architecture, MEP, and engineering. Ensures compliance and constructability.
    • Design & Build Contractor (D&B) – Capable of designing and building specific asset types, often leading in D&B delivery models.
    • Design Architect (DA) – A design professional aligned with the project vision, often working as a subconsultant to the MDC or D&B.

    Roles shifted depending on delivery methodology:

    • Design-Bid-Build – Greater LDC involvement early on
    • Design & Build – MDC or D&B leads later stages
    • Hybrid / Early Contractor Involvement – Responsibilities were split strategically
    Trojena Design Stage Matrix

    This matrixed model ensured the right talent was applied to the right task, intensifying design effort where it mattered most and streamlining where appropriate.

    Final Thought: Customize With Intention

    Not every building needs a starchitect.
    Not every bench needs a branding workshop.
    And not every design process should look the same.

    What your project needs is a calibrated approach—one that reflects its purpose, impact, and risk. That’s what strategic design management brings to the table.

    If you’re launching a new development—or frustrated with your current process—I’d be glad to help. Whether you’re leading a small team or steering a mega-project, we can right-size your design strategy and build a process that actually fits your project.

    You’ve already defined the what.
    Let’s design the how—together.

    Curious if your current design process fits your project goals?
    Let’s talk.

    Reach out to me directly, and we’ll set up a time to walk through your vision and assess how your design process can support it—better. Smarter. More intentionally.