Design Guide: - Residential Centres

Introduction Hamilton City Council wishes to take a stronger and more visionary role in guiding the future development of Hamilton’s built environment to ensure that it can better reflect the aspirations of the City’s community. To this end, Council has articulated its strategy for urban design in CityScope. CityScope recognises that for new urban development to be sustainable, it needs to be integrated with the natural environment whilst ensuring that the resulting buildings and spaces contribute to making attractive places for people. In order to achieve this, it is important that future development in the City is based on sound urban design principles. Residential Centres should be designed so that they respect and enhance the neighbourhood and contribute to a pleasant urban environment. Very often these types of developments display unimaginative “sausage block” forms, high featureless walls, inward looking units, lines of garage doors, large expanses of asphalt and little if any planting or greenery. These elements adversely affect streetscape and wider amenity of the neighbourhoods in which they occur. The aim of this document is to provide guidance on the design of residential centres so as to ensure that they help uplift the visual quality of the city and also result in more desirable neighbourhoods. It is advisable to discuss proposals for new residential centres at an early stage with Planners and Urban designers at the City Council so that acceptable design solutions can be arrived at prior to detailed plans being drawn up. The following guidance will be used in conjunction with Rule 4.1.6 Assessment Criteria for Discretionary Activities in respect of consent applications for residential centres: This guidance does not attempt to deal with all aspects of residential centres. It focuses instead on the elements of residential centres that have the greatest bearing on the character of the neighbourhood in which they are located. These elements are as follows: 1.1 Site Layout and landscaping 1.2 Parking and Access 1.3 Active frontages 1.4 Communal open Space 1.5 Balconies 1.6 Privacy and outlook 1.7 Site coverage and separation distances 1.8 Ancillary structures

1.1 Site Layout and Landscaping

The size and shape of a development site is typically determined by the layout of the street and surrounding urban form of the neighbouring development. The position and orientation of a building on a site and the detail of spaces around and between them will determine the quality and liveability of the development. A frequently used solution is to maximise development potential by building at right angles to the street. This typically results in a linear form of development running down the plot section. This is often at odds with neighbouring properties and fails to address the street frontage. See Below: Fig 1: An example of poor site layout Fig 2. An example of overdevelopment

Characteristics of Poor layouts

• This type of development maximises the number of units on small sections at the expense of a better living environment and good design

• Parking and asphalt surfaces dominate the section and there is no active frontage onto the street

• There is little soft landscaping in the front setback. The use of a high fence or walls make for poor neighbourhood surveillance

• Excessive development of the section may present shadowing and privacy issues for adjacent properties.

Poorly located bin storage area tucked away and not used

Building down the plot causes overshadowing and overlooking to adjoining neighbours

High boundary fence and no active frontage

Long narrow parking strip, usually an impermeable surface with no planting

The building envelope is too

large for the size of site. r

Front set back is to small and out of character with neighbouring

houses r

Poorly sited communal open space which makes no use of sun

orientation r

This example is likely to result in a loss of sunlight and daylight

to adjoining sites r

No Communal bin store r

New

Fig 3. A good example of site layout and landscaping

Fig 4. A good example of site layout and landscaping

Design Guidelines:

• Layout better reflects the character of the neighbourhood in term of its public face, street appeal and living space.

• High levels of green coverage within front setback and parking to the rear of the street façade

• There should be no garages or carports within the front setback

• Street façade entrance faces onto the street and each unit has a private useable outdoor space with a northerly aspect if possible

• High levels of permeable surfacing; site should not be dominated by parking.

• Garages and bin stores are more integrated with the development and set back from the road.

Soft landscaped front set back Garage set back from street

Accessible and screened communal bin storage area

Front unit faces street

North facing gardens

Soft permeable green frontage onto street Front setback kept clear of parking North facing shared communal space Use of balconies for private space Parking to the rear and overlooked by residents

Service building

Design Guidelines Continued.

• Intensity of occupation should not prejudice good layout design

• The correct layout of the site should determine the size of the building envelope and the level of occupancy for the residential centre

Hard surfaces and planting

Site layout, surface treatment and planting should conserve and enhance neighbourhood visual amenity values. Careful consideration of site layout should avoid large expanses of asphalt and sterile concrete surfaces. Site layouts dominated by hard surfaces can reduce visual amenity values and increase rainwater run off. The impact of hard surfaces can be reduced through careful use and variation of materials such as gravel, grass, pavers etc or a combination of surfaces. Semi permeable surfaces can look attractive and will assist with rainwater drainage. Every opportunity for planting and retention of existing trees that contribute to the visual amenity of the neighbourhood should be undertaken.

Design Guidelines:

• Non –permeable hard surfaces such as asphalt and concrete should be avoided (Fig.5a)

• The entrance drive and front yard should have landscaping and varied surface treatment to provide a softer visual appearance (Fig.5c)

• Small areas not required for vehicle manoeuvring should be planted

• Semi permeable surfaces such as gravel or cobblestone look more attractive, and will assist with rainwater drainage (Fig.5b)

• Conserve existing trees which contribute significantly to the visual amenity of the neighbourhood

• Strategically placed trees or shrubs can improve the amenity value of the development, improve privacy and help the site blend in with the character of the residential area.

b) More creative use of semi permeable surfaces that are softer and more attractive and good for rainwater drainage

a) Hard surfaces create a bland sterile environment and increase rainwater runoff

c) Soft landscaping in the front yard can make for a more attractive street frontage. While the lack of high walls will improve surveillance.

Fig.5. Soft planting and permeable surface treatment

1.2 Parking and Access Poorly designed car parking on a site can severely dominate the appearance of both the streescape and internal environment of a residential centre. This can lead to a spill over of cars onto the street and harm the amenity values of the neighbourhood. Car parking should be carefully integrated into the planning of the site layout and utilise soft landscaping to help achieve a high aesthetic quality within the development.

Design Guidelines:

• Residential Centres should provide one parking space per resident on site and one additional visitor parking space for every four bedrooms.

eg: An 8 bedroom Residential Centre shall provide a total of 10 parking spaces while a10 bedroom Residential Centre shall provide 12 parking spaces.

• Grouping car parking centrally within the site is more efficient in terms of circulation space and also improves the view of the development from the street.

• Car parking at the rear of the site utilises awkward spaces and is easily surveyed from the residential centre (Fig.6)

• Car parking areas can contribute to the attractiveness of the site by incorporating planting, soft landscaping and areas of lawn to soften their appearance.

• A good site layout should incorporate additional space marked out and kept free for visitor car parking.

• Amalgamating two or more sections can give more scope to improve layout and reduce the domination of car parking

• Archways can allow for a more continuous built form on

the frontage and improve the street relationship

Fig.6 Shows well integrated parking located to the rear of the site

Garages

The visual amenity and character of the street is greatly enhanced when garages do not dominate. Garages should be set back or recessed from the front façade of the building. Locating garaging and parking completely or partly below ground level is the most effective way of concealing parking. Semi basement parking can be an effective way of utilising changes in ground levels while maintaining an attractive street frontage.

Design Guidelines:

• Garages and parking areas should be set back from the front face of the building or entrance and designed so that they do not dominate the streetscape (Fig.7)

• Garages should be set back from the front boundary, footpath or carriageway edge.

• Garages should not dominate the streetscene as they create bland uninviting frontages with poor opportunities for surveillance and reduced pedestrian safety.

• Opportunities to utilise changes in levels, slopes and topography for underground parking should be used where possible.

Residential centres need not be all one block. Separation of build form allows for more options in layout

The site can be developed to have centralised car parking Single access way also enables maximum retention of kerbside for parking

Fig.7 Centralised car parking improves streetscene appearance

Existing dwellings fronting street

Main Street

1.3 Active frontages and street scene The safety and security of a residential area is an important consideration when people are choosing where they want to live. All buildings be properly integrated with the street scene by presenting an active building frontage to the neighbourhood.

Active Frontages

Design Guidelines:

• The front of the building should address the street and provide a landscaped frontage within the front set back which is visible from the street and not hidden behind a high fence or wall.

• The use of living fences (hedges, shrubs, plants) can better define boundaries while providing a more attractive street frontage with improved surveillance.

• Parking should be avoided within the front yard area

• Low front walls still provide security but maintain views in and out of site.

• Two storey height residential centres and should have a greater set back from the road than single storey centres to reduce their impact on the street scene (Fig.8)

• Elevated ground floors enhance visual contact with the street while providing the feeling of security and privacy for the resident

• A habitable room like a kitchen or living room should overlook the street

• Bay windows can add to the articulation of the front face of the building and improve lines of sight up and down the street.

• Front doors should be visually interesting and provide a focal point to the development (Fig.9)

• A porch or canopy can improve the visual appearance and identity of the building while providing shelter

Fig.8 Elevated ground floors enhance visual contact and reduce need for a high wall adjacent the carriageway

Set back of building should reflect relative height

Fig.9 Improved Articulation of a front façade, entrance door and materials can make a focal point and more inviting entrance.

Streetscene appearance New development should identify and respect the existing character of the area. It should ‘fit in’ with the neighbourhood. Neighbourhood character can be enhanced by having regard to existing design elements in terms of height, bulk, orientation scale and spacing between buildings. It is also important to provide for visual variety in built form and avoid straight duplication or repetition in vernacular.

Design Guidelines:

• The street scene appearance of the residential centre should fit in with the prevailing built form of the neighbourhood

• Abrupt changes in building height and scale should be avoided.

This can be achieved by stepping back new residential centres in plan and section to harmonise with the height and set back of adjacent buildings (Fig. 10)

• Front yard depths and set back dimensions in residential neighbourhoods should be respected and kept free of parking

• Visual gaps between buildings should be maintained by using hips in the roof design and stepping down towards the boundary

• Buildings on high visibility or corner sites require special attention

and may justify key note designs that create a visual break or focal point

• Retain any significant existing vegetation and provide sufficient new planting

The above building is out of scale with the neighbouring properties and will cause overshadowing and impinge outlook to neighbouring properties

Streetscene appearance is improved by providing for hips in the roof plane and increasing the visual gap between properties. This also reduces overshadowing on the boundary.

The above building is out of scale with the neighbourhood and will cause overshadowing and harm outlook to neighbouring properties

Fig.10 The relationship between the scale of any buildings on the site and the existing residential development is important.

Examples of Smooth transitions in Streetscene

Residential Centres should be stepped in plan to reflect neighbouring front yard Depth and the spacious character of the neighbourhood. This may mean a reduction is site coverage is required to respect the prevailing grain of development (Fig.11)

Fig 12. Stepping in elevation

Desirable Guidelines:

• New developments should be stepped in height and section so that they harmonise with neighbouring properties. The maximum building height may not be appropriate on the boundary (Fig.12)

• Stepping building back as they become taller can enable greater daylight capture to neighbouring residents and avoid overshadowing.

Smooth transition of roof slope

Existing New development Existing

Existing New Residential Centre

Existing

Existing

New

Existing

Fig. 11 Stepped building line in plan

1.4 Communal open space / outdoor living area The successful layout and design of communal outdoor living areas will contribute to the enjoyment of the Residential Centre by its occupants and enhance the amenity value of the neighbourhood. Poorly designed living areas create unattractive inaccessible environments dominated by hard surfacing, car parking which deters use of the space.

Design Guidelines: Each residential centre should be provided with a communal outdoor living area, which shall be:

• Communal, accessible and useable.

• Communal open space should be easily accessible for residents, located on flat land and have some seating, shade and attractive landscaping (Fig.13)

• Should be designed to maximise north facing solar orientation As a general standard the minimum outdoor area and dimensions for a Residential Centre are as follows:

• 12sqm per person • A minimum distance of not less than 4 metres; and • Capable of containing a 6-metre diameter circle.

• Not less than 60% of the outdoor living area shall be provided at ground level

A useable enclosed communal open space Units within residential centre

have outlook onto communal space

Drive way, manoeuvring and access kept separate from communal space creating a more pleasant environment

Landscaped front set back

Service area

Parking court

Fig.13 Communal, accessible and useable open space

Fig 15. Communal open space should be useable, accessible at ground level and overlooked by residents. Good landscaping and seating can improve its function

Fig 14. The example above has communal open space that is not very useable and just provided as an after thought

Design Guidelines continued:

• The outdoor living area should be free of driveways, manoeuvring areas, parking spaces, accessory buildings and service area.

• The outdoor living area should be a soft permeable surface, grassed or landscaped.

As a general standard service areas should be provided with a minimum area and dimension as follows:

• A minimum area of 20sqm and • Minimum dimension of 3 metres

Unusable and inaccessible open space

1.5 Balconies

Design Guidelines:

• In some instances balconies can be used to compensate for backyards or sections that be awkward in shape, access or receive little sunlight

• Balconies need sunlight access and should be north facing

• Balconies and upper floor decks wider than 2 metres can be included in the above calculation of Outdoor Living Area, but not less than 60% shall be provided at ground level

• Balconies should have a minimum useable width of 2 metres for table and chairs

• Privacy between neighbouring balconies can be achieved by using screens or partitions

• Balconies should not be built on or overhang the boundary.

Well designed balconies can add to the architectural interest of the building

Balconies at close quarters in residential centres or where there is a change in levels may require the use of screening to maintain

Balconies on the front façade can improve visual interest and increase interaction with the street

Fig 16. The use of balconies can improve passive surveillance of the street and provide valuable private space if well screened

1.6 Privacy and outlook New developments should be designed with the privacy and outlook of both the new residents and existing residents in mind. Overlooking and overshadowing of adjacent buildings should be minimised particularly having regard to the location of neighbouring windows and outdoor living area. Notwithstanding the general standards pertaining to site coverage, building height and height in relation to boundary rules there will be instances where discretion is applied and site coverage, building height and height control planes are lower in a zone in order to respect the character of the area or to reduce the impact on the neighbouring properties.

Fig 17. Separation distances for balconies

Unscreened balcony separation would require greater separation

Separation distances for balconies or windows at upper floor level can be reduced with careful location and screening of balconies

Existing vegetation can offer sufficient screening and separation may be reduced

Visual Privacy Can be achieved by:

- A layout that avoids overlooking through design and orientation of windows

- Intervening screening - Separation

Many overlooking problems can be achieved at the design stage. Techniques such as directing outlook from habitable rooms towards the street or communal open space rather towards adjoining dwellings or private open space. Standards of privacy need to be balanced against the need for more intensive housing and high-density living. A judgement must be made about the intimacy and frequency of the activity being overlooked, the likely frequency and ease of overlooking, obliqueness of line of view and the permanence of intervening screening. A greater emphasis should be placed on the privacy and outlook of primary living areas and private open space than for shared kitchens, hallways and bathrooms.

Design Guidelines:

• Residential centres shall be designed with the privacy and outlook of both the new residents and the existing neighbouring residents in mind.

• Simple adjustments to the design of the building and position of windows can make a considerable difference to the effect and amenity values of adjoining properties (Fig.18)

• Buildings should take account of the position and orientation of windows in neighbouring development and their existing private outdoor space.

• Steps or staggers between buildings on the plan should be used to increase the gap between buildings to protect neighbouring outlook.

• Window positions should not allow a direct view into neighbouring windows and shall be adjusted so that the privacy of adjoining properties is maintained

• The building should be designed to step down towards the boundary if the building would otherwise dominate or cause overshadowing of the neighbours windows.

• Separation distances can be reduced if there is appropriate intervening screening, obscure glazing or window sill height of 1.7 metres at finished upper floor level.

• Obscure glazing or raised sill heights should be used for secondary windows only such as bathrooms, hallways, and stairwells.

Fig 18. Privacy and outlook considerations

Offset windows can prevent direct overlooking

Step building off boundary

1.7 Site coverage and Separation Distances Residential amenity values can be harmed by excessive site coverage and poorly thought out separation distances. In some instances the minimum set back from the boundary of 1.5 metres may not be sufficient to prevent shading to neighbouring windows. Excessive site coverage may lead to overdevelopment and infringe upon the neighbours privacy and outlook enjoyed from their gardens or open space area. Site coverage rules are a guide only and may need to be reduced in instances where the pattern and grain of development would be out of character with the residential area.

Design Guidelines:

• The set back may need to be increased by stepping or staggering the building envelope in order to improve outlook (Fig. 19 below).

• Site coverage should be compatible with the existing urban grain of the residential area. This means separation distances between buildings and set backs should follow the prevailing pattern of the neighbourhood (Fig below).

• In some instances where buildings are attached no set back may be required.

• If the developer owns both adjoining sections and or even if written consent is obtained, adequate separation distances should still be applied it there are windows affected.

• Separation distances may be reduced where Council officers are happy that the appropriate mitigation measures are shown. This may be through the use of opaque or obscure glazing or raised window sill height from finished floor level.

Fig.19 Site coverage and setbacks are out of character with the prevailing built form of the area. This creates overdevelopment of the section, overshadowing and loss of neighbouring privacy.

Fig.20 Site coverage and setbacks from boundaries that respect the prevailing built form of the neighbourhood. Building envelope stepped to increase set back from neighbouring windows.

Existing

Existing

New

Overshadowing and overlooking of private open space

Private space

Private space

Building Height in Relation to Boundaries As a general rule the site setbacks to all boundaries will generally increase with building height so that height control planes are met. This aids the integration of new development and helps reduce the impact of building bulk on the neighbours.

• Discretion should be used to determine the height of the building based on the prevailing height, bulk and scale for the existing built form. The 28 and 45-degree angles for height control planes will not always be appropriate to the site.

• For example in a residential neighbourhood where the prevailing built form is single storey buildings with open front setbacks and low fences it will not be appropriate to apply the general standards.

• On sloping sites, the change in natural ground levels will also influence the height of the building. In some instance the character of the area or drainage regime might dictate that the contours of the land are retained in the development. This in turn will influence the height of the building in relation to the boundaries.

• In other instances if the application site is set at a much lower than the natural ground level than the adjoining property, there may be circumstances where the height in relation to the boundary can increase as the impact upon neighbours and the streetscene may be less.

Existing dwelling

Overshadowing and overlooking

Fig. 21 This example shows that the existing neighbouring dwelling outlined in grey would be unacceptably overshadowed and overlooked by a residential centre if built according to general standards.

Site boundary

Fig.22 a change in levels on the boundary may allow for a relaxation of the height control planes.

3m

Existing

Proposed

Existing dwelling

1.8 Ancillary Structures

Letterboxes Street furniture is an important part of any new development and letter boxes are likely to be several in number for residential centres. To avoid unnecessary street clutter and proliferation, communal letterboxes should be sensitively designed and incorporated into the front boundary wall treatment. Sensitive designs of letterboxes can reduce unnecessary visual clutter, which may detract from the visual amenity of the street.

1.5 Communal open Space

Refuse and recycling

Residential centres because of there high levels of occupancy have the potential to create refuse problems. This creates and untidy appearance in the neighbourhood and is also unhealthy.

Design Guidelines:

• Residential Centres should have an accessible and well screened communal refuse point near the front boundary of the site.

• This communal refuse point should be of sensitive design and materials and not detract form the development or communal open space provided.

• If private contractors are to be used to dispose of refuse access ways should be wide enough to allow refuse trucks to manoeuvre within the site.

• The refuse area shall be screened from adjoining properties by a minimum of a 1.8-metre high solid screen fence/wall or equivalent planting.

Design Guidelines:

• Residential centres should have well integrated communal letter boxes

• Letterboxes can be incorporated into the design of the front wall

• Letterboxes should not dominate the front setback

Poor Example 1m 1m 1m

Good Examples

Well-screened and accessible communal bin stores

Fence or wall screening with planting to soften appearance

Soft planting screens bin store from road

Street