The technical brief is the most detailed and technical part of the brief. The contents can cover such diverse topics as floor finishes, temperature levels, uninterruptible power supply, reverberation times and power sockets. The breadth and detail of the technical briefmake it a rather specialist read of particular importance to those who are responsible for the buildings technical design: electrical engineers (who will want to know about the users need for power and data connection), construction engineers (who need to know about any special floor loads), mechanical engineers (who want to know whether there are any out-of-the-ordinary ventilation needs), and suppliers (who will want to know about the clients requirements concerning fit-out elements such as furniture). It is sometimes suggested that clients should stay away from such operational matters and focus on their strategic and functional demands, leaving the technical matters to the design team. Design teams, however, cannot be expected to have an in-depth knowledge of all the nuances of the clients practical needs. Moreover, it is important to stress that mundane details can have a critical impact on the usability of a building. For example, offices need easy-to-reach power sockets, hospitals need floors that are easy to clean, and kindergartens need finger-safe doors. This is all fairly obvious, but all too often projects fail to deliver on such common-sense matters. Having a technical brief can help to avoid this. It is important to note, however, that the technical brief should not become a design or engineering specification of the building. Its focus should be firmly on the user side of things, and not on the design solutions that are (often literally) behind it. For example, while it makes sense for a client to explain the need for power outlets in a room (e.g. in relation to the equipment that will be used in that room), the specification of the outlets themselves, and everything associated with them (the cables, switches, et cetera), should be left to the engineers who can be expected to have more expertise on these matters than the client. Input for the technical brief can come from end users and specialists like the clients facility management and ict departments. External expertise can be useful as well, especially for complex topics like sustainability, indoor climate or security. In addition, there are existing guidelines and standards to refer to. Because the technical brief covers a wide array of topics, it is important to structure the contents in a way that is familiar to the design team. A commonly used way of structuring is the following: -indoor climate-construction elements-mechanical services-electrical services-fittings, furniture and equipment-relevant norms and standards43