Design Brief Information
To enable your garden to be constructed, and subsequently to be assessed and judged, you are required to produce a written brief. This will be used by the Garden Advisory Group (GAG) during the development of their responses to your exhibit and will also be used as the basis of the judging process.
The brief should describe and embody:
- The design intention including concepts
- The purpose and function of the garden*
- The assumptions made about the site and its situation
- The reasons for the inclusion of the garden’s important elements including information on plants and materials and their design use
Note: For Concept Gardens it is the theme or concept that must be communicated, as function may play a secondary role here. Moreover, Concept Gardens do not need to be functional.
The brief should not:
- Include an in depth description of the garden – assessors and judges will familiarise themselves with each garden based upon your main points
- Indicate the complete plant list – assessors and judges are mainly interested in planting themes and structural planting
- Describe construction and finishes in fine detail – assessors and judges aim to understand the thinking or concepts behind your garden
- Be lengthy, verbose or overly ‘poetic’ – keep your information to the point!
Assessors and judges welcome the provision of challenging briefs and consideration may be given to those who aim high in their intentions. However, failure to fulfil the brief can result in lost marks. It is useful to take an objective view of the information you provide and to update your brief before the assessing teams receive this information.