Create a practical AI prompt library for an architect working on [PROJECT TYPE] in [PROJECT LOCATION]. Project stage: [PROJECT STAGE]. Client goals and priorities: [CLIENT BRIEF]. Known site, program, budget, schedule, and consultant constraints: [PROJECT CONSTRAINTS]. Governing code, zoning, accessibility, and approval context: [REGULATORY CONTEXT]. Produce 8 copy-paste prompts, each 90 to 140 words, for these tasks: discovery questions for the client; program and adjacency analysis; site and climate opportunities/risks; concept comparison; consultant coordination agenda; drawing or specification quality-control checklist; client design-review narrative; and pre-submission permit-risk checklist. Every prompt must include clearly marked input fields an architect can replace, an exact requested output, and a check against the most common failure for that task. For example, a program prompt should distinguish net and gross area and identify unresolved adjacencies; a coordination prompt should assign discipline, deliverable, dependency, and due date; a permit prompt should distinguish confirmed requirements from items needing verification with the authority having jurisdiction. Do not present AI output as code analysis, life-safety sign-off, structural design, cost certainty, field verification, or professional advice. Require the user to check primary project documents, local amendments, consultant drawings, and site conditions. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing. Before answering, check that each prompt matches the named project stage and does not invent dimensions, code provisions, site facts, or client decisions.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [PROJECT TYPE] | Name the building or renovation type and its approximate scale. | 24,000-square-foot adaptive reuse of a former bank into a public library |
| [PROJECT LOCATION] | Give the city, state or country, and site context if relevant. | Columbus, Ohio; downtown corner lot with a 1920s masonry façade |
| [PROJECT STAGE] | State the current phase, such as feasibility, schematic design, DD, CD, or CA. | Schematic design |
| [CLIENT BRIEF] | Summarize the client’s users, priorities, operational needs, and design goals. | City library system needs flexible community rooms, teen area, quiet reading, 35 public computers, and a visible after-hours entry. |
| [PROJECT CONSTRAINTS] | List known program, budget, schedule, site, consultant, and procurement constraints. | Construction budget $9.5M; keep façade; limited basement access; MEP engineer selected; opening target September 2028. |
| [REGULATORY CONTEXT] | State known zoning, code, accessibility, historic, and permitting requirements or unknowns. | Local historic review likely; zoning confirmation pending; Ohio building code and accessibility review required |
How to use
- Fill the project inputs with confirmed information and mark unresolved facts as unresolved.
- Copy only the prompt for the task and add the relevant plans, meeting notes, or consultant material.
- Check outputs against the current drawing set, project directory, and authority requirements before using them.
- Follow up with: “Convert this into a design-review agenda that separates decisions needed from information to confirm.”
Variations
Program analysis
Use this during programming or feasibility work.
Analyze the space program for [PROJECT TYPE]. Users and activities: [USER NEEDS]. Required rooms and target areas: [SPACE LIST]. Site or building constraints: [CONSTRAINTS]. Produce an adjacency matrix, list critical adjacencies and separations, identify missing support spaces, and calculate net assignable area separately from circulation, service, and grossing assumptions. State every area assumption. Do not invent capacities, code requirements, or room sizes. Ask up to 3 questions only if required information is missing. Check that each activity has an appropriate space and operational path.
Consultant agenda
Use this before a multidisciplinary coordination meeting.
Prepare a 45-minute coordination agenda for [PROJECT] at [STAGE]. Current design decisions: [DECISIONS]. Open issues by discipline: [ISSUES]. Deliverables and dates: [SCHEDULE]. Produce a table with issue, responsible discipline, decision needed, dependency, required artifact, and deadline. Put life-safety, vertical circulation, structure–MEP conflicts, and envelope penetrations first when relevant. Do not assign approval authority without evidence. Ask up to 3 questions only if required. Check that every listed issue has an owner and next action.
Client presentation
Use this to explain design choices without overselling them.
Draft a client presentation narrative for [PROJECT] at [DESIGN STAGE]. Selected scheme: [DESIGN DESCRIPTION]. Client priorities: [PRIORITIES]. Decisions requested today: [DECISIONS]. Write 6 slide titles with 60 to 90 words of speaker notes each. Explain how the scheme responds to stated priorities, describe tradeoffs plainly, and label unresolved budget, code, and consultant items. Do not claim performance or compliance that has not been verified. Ask up to 3 questions only if needed. Check that every requested decision is explicit.
Tips
- Use AI to expose missing decisions and coordination dependencies, not to certify code compliance or constructability.
- Separate client preferences from binding requirements in your input; treating both as equal creates misleading option studies.
- For area studies, name the area standard and keep net, usable, rentable, and gross figures separate.
- Keep a decision log beside AI-generated meeting material so a later draft does not revive an option the team rejected.
FAQ
Can AI check a drawing set for code compliance?
It can produce a review checklist, but it cannot replace project-specific code analysis, consultant coordination, or review by the authority having jurisdiction.
What files should I provide?
Start with the current brief, program, meeting notes, and a concise drawing or model export. Confirm that file versions and scale are current.
Will this work for construction administration?
Yes, for drafting issue logs, meeting agendas, and RFI summaries, but field conditions and contractual responsibilities must be verified by the project team.