9. Design Development
The best time to spend the money on design development is after you have the necessary funding for your project.
Design development is the process of expanding the schematic design to include full information on how the building will be constructed. At this point you will get details on casework (built-in furniture), ceiling plans, locations of all mechanical and electrical elements, and so on.
Some decisions made at this point are critically important to the successful functioning of your library. Among the ones that should concern you and your consultant most are lighting, data conduit, electrical wiring, telephone systems, service desks, etc.
The importance of these topics makes it vital that all four players in the library plan—architect, staff, board, and consultant—be involved.
