Think about the future. Compared with the speed of organizational and technological change, construction projects are slow processes. Many clients struggle continuously to reconcile the slow speed of planning and constructing buildings with the high speed of organizational change. This slowness creates challenges for the briefing process because the brief has to anticipate the future use of the building and, by definition, predictions about the future are uncertain. It can even be argued that change is the only real certainty: new technologies will emerge; work styles will change; organizations will grow or shrink; new users will replace existing users; and new users will come with new demands. How to deal with all this change and uncertainty? The most strategic way is to ask for a flexible buildinga building that can easily accommodate changing needs and circumstancesrelying on the power of adaptability rather than prediction. Common flexibility requirements concern the ability to change floor plans and move functions around in the building without major construction work. Flexibility requirements may also concern the provision of overflow space to accommodate future growth, and/or spaces that can easily be sublet to others in case of shrinkage (see also page 79). But asking for a flexible building will not absolve the client from thinking about the future. The design team will need input about the desired future size of the building, the functions that need to be accommodated and so on. To get a picture of future needs, it will be useful to conduct some scenario studies (see page 113) that explore plausible future developments and their impact on the need for space. Growth scenarios will be of particular importance in avoiding producing a building that is already too small or too large by the time it is completed.A very practical recommendation is to keep the brief as open as possible for as long as possible, refraining from formulating detailed requirements until it is really necessary. Recommendations-Make decision makers aware that they are building for the future, not for today. Push them to think beyond their current needs.-Do not allow the brief to become too specific on issues that are liable to change during the course of the project (e.g. organizational structure, fit-out requirements).-Use scenario studies and/or future workshops to get a better understanding of potential future developments and their impact on spatial requirements (see page 113).-Look at how different kinds of building flexibility can help to accommodate future changes (seepage 78).