P32072 Urban Design Studio I Fredrick Hedberg Michaela Oberhuber Michael White
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Brief
Vision
Analysis
Brief and Report Structure
Site Vision, Objectives Design Actions
SWOT Analysis
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DO.1
DO.2
Intergration
Safety
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Movement Hierarchy
Quality of Life
Green & Blue Networks
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Summary
Connectivity
Technology
Conclusion of the Report
Design Objectives
Contents
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DO.3
DO.6
DO.4
DO.5
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Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan
Summary
The Brief
The Report
The brief seeks create a sustainable development in the West of Oxford which takes inspiration from the past yet looks ahead in terms of design and technology. The new scheme should have character and the environmental, social and aesthetical needs of the site should be addressed.
This report aims to deliver this groups’ design scheme for the Oxpens site. This will be done by firstly showing the vision for the area and then moving onto a S.W.O.T. analysis of Oxpens to gain further knowledge of the site. From this, seven design objectives were drawn up, which will deliver the vision. Within each of these objectives, design actions were created that will formulate the masterplan for the Oxpens development. The report will then be summarised in order to draw the design scheme to a close.
The West End Area should match Oxford’s international reputation and the new development should create a community that is vibrant, successful and sustainable. (West End Area Action Plan)
The Report Structure Brief Vision S.W.O.T. Design Objectives Intergration Safety
Movement Hierarchy
Quality of Life
Green & Blue Networks
Connectivity Technology Summary
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Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan
Summary
Vision: A welcoming place in the West of Oxford that provides a good quality of life. By producing a vision that is both generic, yet specific to Oxford, the comprehensive aim can be understood. Its simplicity allows for all age groups to grasp the potential of the scheme, whilst providing a memorable slogan that can be exercised within planning consultancies and by members of the public, the users of the new development.
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Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan
Summary
Strengths
Opportunities
Weaknesses
Threats
• The site is located adjacent to the railway station, which serves as an international and national connection to Oxford and it lies within walking distance of the city centre.
• Oxpens Road has the potential to be turned into a ‘high street’ and a place to stay (green).
• There is a risk of flooding.
• Flooding could opportunities.
• Running through the site is the Oxpens Road, which links many surrounding towns and villages to the area.
• The green space can be used to design a masterplan that encourages physical activity and wellbeing in the community.
• Good access to public transport from the site.
• There is the possibility to incorporate green corridors, which link the existing green space to the new development.
• The existing blue and green networks have great potential.
• The redevelopment of the ice rink (purple) and utilisation nightlife potential (pink).
• New development in the West end area of Oxford is welcomed by the local authority.
• The River Thames and the Castle Mill Stream allow for high value water front housing and can be made more accessible to the public.
• The college (pink) provides multiple sources of income.
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• Encouraging walking and cycling by improving the connections to the city centre and the railway station.
• The site shows a lack of permeability. • Many buildings have inactive edges resulting in a lack of natural surveillance, which decreases safety. • Nightlife increases crime rates and noise levels. • Currently, the site is a thoroughfare and not a place to stay (dark blue). • Cars are dominant on the site (light blue), which discourages walking and cycling. • Underutilised land is present within the main body of the site (yellow).
restrict
development
• There is a risk of political opposition due to the site’s multiple owners. • The railway line runs along the border of the site causing a threat to safety and noise pollution.
Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan
Summary
From the S.W.O.T. analysis of the Oxpens site, the different attributes under the four categories have enabled the group to create seven design objectives. In order to achieve these, design actions for each objective have been formulated and are discussed in more detail below. The words highlighted in red symbolise the design objectives whilst the grey ones are design actions.
The scheme for the Oxpens site will seek to integrate the development into the surrounding communities and the character of the built form including the street network. The masterplan creates a place that is safe, comfortable and welcoming by providing convenient streets for different people (pedestrians, disabled, and cyclist), ensuring the appropriate use of active edges of buildings, and incorporating lighting throughout the site. In terms of movement hierarchy, priority will be shifted from cars towards walking and cycling by implementing shared spaces and public open spaces in different areas of the site. To enhance people’s quality of life, the masterplan will encourage physical activity, social interactions and a mix of building uses throughout the scheme by designing walkable streets, promoting recreational activities through suitable open spaces, a mixed use of buildings ranging from residential to educational, and to provide spaces for social interaction. Making green and blue networks accessible throughout the entire site by incorporating greenery in public and private spaces, include a variety of park types, create green corridors which lead to a nature reserve, and finally enable access to the Castle Mill Stream. The connectivity of the scheme will produce a navigable and walkable area through block structure and linking street networks to greenery. In terms of technology, flood protection and green technologies (including energy generating ones) will be incorporated where applicable on the masterplan.
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Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan Intergration Safety Movement Hierarchy Quality of Life
Summary
Green & Blue Networks Connectivity Technology
Design Objective 1: To integrate the development into the surrounding communities and the character of the built form.
Building Heights 1 Storey
Reasoning
2 Storeys
By considering each morphological layer in regards to the integration of the site into the surrounding communities and built form, several benefits may appear to arise. With local support from the community, research has stated that a more sustainable site could be delivered, as community residents may not be as opposed to using the provided facilities (Edwards, 2014). Such support may lead to increases in economic viability and activity throughout the site. Furthermore, an integration into the surrounding community may increase the chances of gaining planning consent from the appropriate Local Authority, supported by the NPPF (2012). The masterplan therefore has been designed to consider its context within Oxford’s historic centre through the following design actions;
3 Storeys
Method DA1: Provide a similar character to neighbouring areas, through the following approaches; Plot Structure Through the consideration of adjacent blocks to the site, a uniform plot width of 6m has been idenfitied along terraced housing. The plot width within the Oxpens Masterplan therefore, replicates the surrounding built environment to best produce a scheme that is considerate and responsive to its context
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The density composition locations within the masterplan.
Building heights throughout the scheme have been considered in the development of the masterplan. The heighest blocks are a maximum of 4 storeys in order to not exceed the tallest adjacent buildings. All proposed 4 storey blocks are located either adjacent to existing 4 storey blocks or are located to not affect any existing surrounding blocks. Following the space syntax below, the tallest blocks have been placed along the primary routes, with reductions in heights towards secondary and tertiary roads. The proposed ice rink has been proposed to act as a landmark and to be visible from the train station and Westgate.
Fig. 4
Building massing, represented through storeys, of the scheme and adjacent sites.
DA2: Integrate the site into the existing street network Primary Routes Fig. 2
Fig. 1
4 Storeys
Plot structure of the adjacent road (Mill St.) is considered in the proposed masterplan.
Density Following guidance from Oxford City Council (n.d.), ‘55 dwellings per hectare can achieve a good mix of dwelling sizes and types’, it seems appropriate that the scheme’s average density of 59 can achieve a sustainable site. An average density of 59 also correlates with surrounding densities of 65 dph in the district centre of Oxford (Oxford City Council, 2013), allowing for integration within the existing built form. The composition of density correlates to the space syntax analysis, in which the highest densities are located on the primary routes, with lower densities located along secondary and tertiary routes. A mix of densities throughout the site produces a mix of housing types, including family, single bed houses and apartments. A mix of houses in turn produces a mix of residents and thus, a sustainable, mixed community.
Secondary Routes Tertiary Routes Quaterary Routes Quinary Routes
Fig. 3
Space syntax analysis of the surrounding built environment and proposed scheme.
A space syntax has been conducted with the proposed masterplan to highlight the road hierarchy in relation to the surrounding built environment. As seen in Figure 3, the routes proposed are integrated into the existing street network so as to produce a sufficient, comprehensive and permeable street network. The road hierarchy within the scheme exhibits multiple secondary and tertiary routes adjacent to Oxpens Road, producing a mix of dwellings, densities and road uses throughout the scheme. The road heirarchy therefore, highlights the most economically viable locations for retail, whilst also bringing to light the most appropriate locations for different house sizes.
Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Design Actions
Masterplan Intergration Safety Movement Hierarchy Quality of Life
Design Objective 2: To create a place that is safe, comfortable and welcoming for all age groups and abilities.
Reasoning Upon review of the site through the aforementioned SWOT, the apparent weaknesses must be addressed in order to deliver the most sustainable and welcoming site. As such, the scheme has been developed with safety as a key design objective so as to provide a mix of people. In order to provide such a mix, there is a need to produce an environment that is safe for all, including children, the disabled and the elderly. Safety must also be considered at all times, during the day and night. The masterplan therefore has been designed to consider safety throughout the whole site through the following design actions;
Summary
Green & Blue Networks Connectivity Technology
DA4: Incorporate lighting where applicable By considering the safety of the site at all times during the day and night, appropriate steps have been taken to deliver lighting where applicable. As seen by figure 10, street lighting is to be employed throughout the site so as to reinforce the safety on the streets. Further lighting will be employed at landmarks, namely the ice rink (figure 8) and the northern winter garden, to identify the landmarks for all users on the site at all times of the day and night.
Method DA3: Enforce active edges throughout the design By designing for active edges throughout the whole site, including shop windows and dwelling frontages (Figure 5), a natural increase in surveillance will occur. Natural surveillance acts as a key component that will allow children to play on the shared spaces and streets safely. As seen by Figures 6 and 7, blocks have been designed so as to allow for multiple active edges, with minimal inactive edges present that are inevitable.
Fig. 8 Fig. 7
The front of the ice rink is iconic, yet considers the surrounding developments.
The ice rink front at dusk, will be lighted to indicate its iconic nature at all times of day.
DA5: Design safe streets for pedestrians, the disabled, and cyclist
Fig. 10 Street lighting will be employed throughout the site’s streets.
Oxpens masterplan has considered and designed for all users within the site, including disabled users. A soundscape map, Figure 11, has been produced to highlight the soundscape within the masterplan. The darkest roads, namely Oxpens Road, the ice rink and the winter garden, will exhibit the most design approaches (Figure 9) to cater for the disabled users. Quieter roads will also exhibit such approaches, yet in smaller quantities. By considering all users, a safer and more comfortable site can be delivered.
Fig. 5
Active edges, represented Fig. 6 in blue above.
The proposed ice rink development floorplan, includes a regulation size ice hockey rink and mixed use.
Fig. 9
Design approaches will be employed throughout the site for disabled users.
Fig. 11 The loudest areas in the site are indicated in blue in the above soundscape map.
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Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan Intergration Safety Movement Hierarchy Quality of Life
Summary
Green & Blue Networks Connectivity Technology
Design Objective 3: To shift the priority from cars to walking and cycling. Reasoning Reducing the priority for cars enables us to start designing places which are more agreeable to people and cyclist in different areas of the masterplan. Creating more areas that are pedestrian focused can create environments which are safer, encourage walking and become social nodes that stimulate interaction between people.
Method DA6: Implement shared space throughout the site to encourage walking and cycling. Creating an environment which is safe for pedestrians and cyclists is important to the Oxpens scheme. The goal is for people to want to walk and cycle because the site can accommodate to that necessity. By putting them on the same level of priority as the car and sharing the same surfaces of mobility, this will create safe streets due to everyone being aware of one another. As seen on Figures 13 and 14, the streets on the Oxpens scheme are large enough to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. They are designed with similar materials in order to not determine ownership of the different parts of the street (Figure 12). This enables all three users to move as they wish and motorists have to stay alert when traversing them.
DA7: Create pedestrianised streets and open spaces for public use. The aim of this design action is to design places that make people want to stay for leisurely purposes. This will also require streets that people can navigate comfortably without any danger from vehicles. This will be achieved by implementing public open spaces that allow for recreational activities. These will be accessed through streets which are safe for pedestrians by increasing their priority rank in the built environment (Figure 15). The scheme’s streets will be enticing for the public by making them safer through shared spaces (Figure 16) and allows permeability throughout the site. Public open spaces are created for people to congregate and do various activities.
Fig. 15 Figure 14 (left): A 3D render of a shared space from the masterplan. It allows for pedestrians and cars to move through the site in a safe environment by being aware of each other. Figure 15 (above): This precedent shows a pedestrianised street that allows for the safe movement of people through the built environment (Landscape Architect’s Pages, 2016). Figure 16 (bellow): The use of similar paving materials throughout the street creates a shared space that invites people to safely move around the area (Whatdotheyknow.com, 2016).
Fig. 13 Figure 13 (above): Street plan of a street in the masterplan. It represents the shared space usage between pedestrians and vehicles.
Fig. 14
Figure 12 (left): Precedent of shared space using similar materials for both the road and the sidewalk. Through this design, the street in its entirety becomes usable for anyone (Landscape Architect’s Pages, 2016).
Fig. 12
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Fig. 16
Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan Intergration Safety Movement Hierarchy Quality of Life
Green & Blue Networks Connectivity Technology
Design Objective 3: To encourage physical activity, social interactions and a mix of building uses throughout the scheme.
Reasoning The vision for the scheme is that it will provide a good quality of life for everyone. The SWOT revealed that the site, especially its busiest street, Oxpens Road, is more a thoroughfare than a place to stay. The scheme is designed to create a healthy, happy community and hence, it is important to produce a masterplan, which encourages physical activity and social interactions. To achieve this, the streetscape will be designed to be friendly and safe by reducing car dominance and increasing the quality of streets as public space. Especially, Oxpens Road has great potential to become a place to stay. This has been recognised in the scheme; Oxpens Road will be the high street of the Oxpens development. There will be commercial uses on the ground floor to motivate people to stay in the area and the street will be shared space to make everyone feel welcome and safe. In addition, there will be parks and recreational facilities, which have been integrated to create a strong and healthy community and encourage social interactions.
Method DA8: To design streets that are places to stay and encouarge walking and cycling. To provide a good quality of life, the scheme will be designed to be safe and attractive for pedestrians, the disabled and cyclists by implementing shared space or shared space inspired schemes (Figure 17). In residential streets this DA will allow residents to use the street as an extension of their front garden; children can use the streetscape to play and neighbours can easily interact with each other (Figure 13). The busier streets like Oxpens Road will become places to stay by challenging the traditional traffic hierarchy and taking away the focus from the car in the design. This in combination with retail use ground floors will create a welcoming and lively Oxpens Road that is attractive to walk and cycle, safe and barrier free for the disabled as shown in Figure 18.
Fig. 18
Summary
DA9: Suitable open space design for recreational activities and social interaction There are two major recreational facilities in the scheme, the redeveloped ice rink and the new winter garden on the site of the Worcester Street car park. The ice rink is a well-known facility that attracts people from all around Oxford. The redeveloped ice rink has a better aesthetic and will continue to be a landmark (refer to Figures 7 and 8). It includes retail, offices space and cafés which can spill out onto to pavement to encourage people to stay; as Figure 21 displays. Furthermore, it will be constructed considering Oxford City Council’s desire to add a swimming pool to the facility in the future. The new winter garden will act as a venue for cultural events or markets and it will be a landmark building grabbing people’s interest (Figure 19). The winter garden will also include residential and retail premesis. The recreational facilities, the integration of a nature reserve and a few smaller public parks throughout the site will contribute positively to the quality of life by increasing physical and social activity and providing amenities people of all ages and abilities can enjoy.
Fig. 17 Figure 17 (above): Example of a shared space high street. Figure 18: Illustration of Oxpens Road as a shared street. The street has one even surface with two different materials indicating pavements and roads.
Fig. 19 Figure 19: Section of the winter garden
Fig. 21
Figure 21: Cross section of the ice rink
Fig. 22 Figure 22: Public park in the scheme that could be used for a farmer’s market. DA10: The site will incorporate a mix of building uses (residential, retail, educational, offices, recreational facilities, parking) The scheme will incorporate a mixture of building uses including residential, offices, commercial and educational to increase the quality of life. A number of different amenities, such as parks, shops, cafes, and other recreational facilities like the ice rink; the winter garden or the college’s gym and beauty salon increase comfort and convenience and provide the possibilities for excitement and action. Car parking will be provided by the station (figure 24). Residential Offices Commercial
Fig. 23 Figure 23: Building uses Oxpens Streets
Fig. 20 Figure 20: Image of winter garden in Sheffield.
Fig. 24 Figure 24: Sleeved (with apartments and roof gardens) car park providing 700 parking spaces.
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Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan Intergration Safety Movement Hierarchy Quality of Life
Summary
Green & Blue Networks Connectivity Technology
Design Objective 5: Make green and blue networks accessible throughout the
Figure 29 (bottom): Precedent for the inspiration of the steps enabling access to the Castle Mill Stream (Landezine.com, 2016).
entire site.
Reasoning Several benefits arise when more accessibility to the green and blue networks are made available. With proximity to nature this enables leisure opportunities for people in the area which leads on to providing recreational activities such as walking, cycling and fishing. There are also numerous health benefits that come with the integration of blue and green networks in a masterplan. They help reduce people’s stress levels, develop children’s psychomotor skills and cognitive functioning (National Parks Board, 2015). These also create cooler climates in cities as trees create shading and the presence water can offer the opportunity to refresh one self. And finally, green and blue networks can add additional aesthetic to an area making it more enticing.
Method DA11: Create green corridors from the nature reserve.
Figure 25 (left): Example of a green corridor along a busy road in Brazil.
This design action will enable people moving through the Oxpen’s site to know through the use of street trees where the nature reserve is situated. The green corridors will also be aesthetically pleasing to the area and create a green network throughout the masterplan (Figure 25). Through incorporating regular street trees in the masterplan, green corridors will be created which can then link different areas of vegetation together (Figure 26).
Figure 26 (below): The green corridors on the masterplan provide a green network throughout the site to the nature reserve.
Figure 28 (below): Map showing where the nature reserve is located on the masterplan.
DA12: Create a nature reserve. A nature reserve allows an escape from the busy built form of the masterplan. It will enable access to Grandpont and to the green belt. In addition, it will provide an area of conservation for wildlife. By taking into consideration the risk of flooding the site may succumb to, the nature reserve was used as a SUDS for dealing with this problem resulting in its location in the south of the masterplan (Figure 28). Fig. 28
Figure 27 (right): Cross sectional area of how Castle Mill Stream will be accessed by people from the street. Shops can be located on the ground floor to provide business opportunities in the area.
Fig. 27 DA13: Allow for accessibility to the Castle Mill Stream
Fig. 25
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Fig. 26
The blue networks of the Oxpens site is an important feature that can be used to design open spaces that enable contact with water. By creating possible interaction with Castle Mill Stream, this creates a leisurely environment which can provide an area of relaxation during warm days. Incorporating steps to the Stream can create an aesthetically pleasing waterfront (Figure 27 and 29). Retail (such as restaurants and coffee shops) can be set up along it in order to create a commercial environment.
Fig. 29
Figure 32 (left top): Masterplan block showing how each type of plot incorporates greenery.
DA14: Create different types of parks. A variety of green open spaces makes the Oxpens site an intriguing one and creates an interesting diversity. Dedicating different areas of the masterplan to public parks will allow people to use these for leisure opportunities and recreational activities. A couple of pocket parks will be dispersed throughout the area. These would be located in tight open spaces that accommodate for different activities as seen in precedents such as in New York’s Greenacre Park (Figure 31). Open public parks will also be used to create a diversity in the size of accessible greenery (Figure 30). In addition, a nature reserve will be located south of the site which will provide suitable vegetation and wildlife habitat for Oxpens (Figure 28).
Figure 35 (left bottom): Representation of potential roof garden for flats.
Fig. 32
Fig. 34 DA15: Allow for greenery in private spaces.
Fig. 31 Figure 30 (left): Plan of a park design welcoming people from the railway station providing a space for different activities. Figure 31 (top): Precedent of a pocket parks in New York showing how nature can be present in small spaces. Figure 33 (bottom): Section showing how the college incorporates greenery in the private space.
Fig. 30
Fig. 33
Fig. 35
The direct access to vegetation by residents is key to this design action as it will result in positive health benefits at home. This will be ensured by making sure each residential building is equipped with the means to provide some form of greenery in the private space. Back garden spaces will be the predominant way of incorporating greenery in the private life as can be seen in Figure 32. There are some challenges when trying to add vegetation to some residential type buildings (such as flats), the scheme overcomes this by creating a communal garden for the residents to use together (Figure 33). In some cases, flats might even use roof gardens to achieve this design action (Figure 35). The masterplan does reveal many areas within blocks that integrate nature in people’s private life (Figure 34).
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Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan Intergration Safety Movement Hierarchy Quality of Life
Summary
Green & Blue Networks Connectivity Technology
Design Objective 6: To produce an easily navigable and walkable masterplan Reasoning One of the priorities of the masterplan is to encourage walking and cycling and reduce the use of cars as a mode of transport. To achieve this, the focus will lie on creating an easily understandable street network and a streetscape that is attractive enough to invite people to walk. Through the SWOT analysis it became clear that the current street network is confusing and lacks permeability. The site currently also has many inactive edges facing public space compromising safety and attractiveness. All these factors decrease the walkability in the site. These issues are addressed and improved in the masterplan.
Figure 37 (left below): A section of the shared space on Oxpens Road.
Method DA16: To create a navigable block structure and street network This design action will produce a block structure, which allows for permeable and easily connectable streets (Figure40). Walkability will also be delivered by ensuring that active building fronts face onto the streets and public spaces to increase comfort and safety and boost the attractiveness of the streets. Making sure that pedestrians are safe is an essential factor for walkable developments. For that reason, shared space schemes will be implemented throughout the site (Figure 37). In shared space streets all traditional traffic controlling measures such as curbs or traffic lights are removed, which requires drivers to reduce speed because they have to concentrate more on the other traffic participants (Hamilton-Baillie, 2008). This makes streets much more attractive spaces to walk in. Fully pedestrianized paths will also be included in the masterplan, these are located along the Castle Mill stream and the in the ‘college block’. (Figure 36)
integration of green corridors and pocket parks, adding many trees and plants to the streetscape. This should stimulate curiosity and motivate to explore the area. To support this notion further, some townscape principles, such as curved streets to create deflection, which are typical for Oxford, have been applied (Figure 38). Promoting walkability can benefit the scheme economically. Navigable and attractive streets could increase the footfall, which would benefit local businesses.
Street Network
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Fig. 39 Figure 39 (above): Map showing the link between greenery and street network. (green corridors, pockte parks lead towards nature reserve.). Figure 40 (left): Graphic displaying the block structure which lead to the street layout.
Pedestrianised Paths Green Corridors and parks
Fig. 38
DA17: Link street network to greenery To invite people to walk through the site and specifically to the nature reserve, a landscape-led masterplan was choosen (Figure 39). The streets are designed to bring in people from the station and lead them to the nature reserve with the
DA18: Link the street network to greenery
Fig. 37 Fig. 36 Figure 36 (above left): Graphic showing the pedestrianised path and pocket park by the college.
Figure 38 (above): Map displaying the street network of the scheme. Orange represents the streets including shared space. Pink shows the pedestrianised paths along the Castle Mill stream and around the college. The green circles indicate the connection between the streetscape and the nature reserve by creating green corridiors by using trees and pocket parks (bigger circles), which will encourage people to explore further.
Fig. 40
Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Design Actions
Masterplan Intergration Safety Movement Hierarchy Quality of Life
Design Objective 7: To incorporate flood protection and green technology where applicable in the masterplan.
Reasoning The brief requests a scheme that is sustainable and addresses the site’s environmental needs. The site is subject to flooding as two waterways, the Thames and the Castle Mill Stream, flow along its borders. Hence, it is important to include flood mitigation technologies where necessary to ensure the longevity of the masterplan. It is a global goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the clients specifically requested a sustainable development. Therefore, green technologies are incorporated in the design, including green roofs, SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems), solar panels and wind turbines. The integration of such technology can reduce CO2 emissions in the area, improve air quality, cut energy bills or mitigate stormwater run-off (Energy Saving Trust, 2016).
Method DA18: Incorporate modern technologies for flood protection
Figure 41 (bottom left): Map displaying the flooding on the site.
This design action will increase the resilience of the scheme by protecting the housing from flooding and as a result the residence will feel more comfortable living in the development. The flooding data for the area was studied to establish its extent and to design around it as best as possible (Figure 41). However, it will not be possible to completely avoid the flooding and therefore, ‘flip-up’ barriers and ‘self-closing’ barriers will be installed in the areas at risk (Figures 42 and 43). (Flood control international, 2016).
Figure 42 (below): Example of ‘Flip-up’ barriers which are fully recessed when not in use allowing for unrestricted access.
Summary
Green & Blue Networks Connectivity Technology
DA19: Integrate applicable green technologies. Including roof gardens and other green technology such as permeable green pavements are not only aesthetically pleasing but also offer many benefits that will support the sustainability of the development (Figure 44). Roof gardens, for example, can help purify the air from pollutants and will improve building insulation. Green roofs as well as permeable pavements will also act as SUDS throughout the masterplan to decrease flood risk (Figure 45) (Green Roofs, 2016). Roof gardens and green pavements also contribute positively to the quality of life of residents by making the development green (more planting and greenery) and relaxing.
Figure 44 (left): This shows where green roofs and green pavements will be installed in the masterplan. It also includes examples of green roofs and the green pavement materials/structure. Figure 45 (bottom left): Explaines how pavements allows infiltration of air and water. DA20: Incorporate generation
technologies
for
the
energy
The incorporation of green, energy generating technology will contribute positively to the reduction of CO2 emissions and could reduce energy bills, which could attract residents. Small scale, domestic technologies such as domestic wind turbines and solar panels have been chosen for this development, as these would have very little visual impact but are still effective (Figures 46 and 47).
Figure 43 (bottom): Example of ‘Self-closing’ Barriers which are also built into the ground and like the ‘flip-up’ barrier can be installed in residential areas.
Fig. 46 Figure 46 (above): Example of solar panels on mounted on the roofs of houses. Fig. 44
Fig. 42
Fig. 47 Figure 47 (above): This images shows small-scale domestic roof mounted wind farms. Fig. 41
Fig. 43
Fig. 45
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Brief
Vision
S.W.O.T.
Design Objectives
Masterplan
Summary
Summary and Conclusion To best determine whether the proposed vision, design objectives and actions have addressed the brief, a critical review must be undertaken. The site was analysed in order to assess its various strengths and weaknesses as well as possible opportunities that might arise. Strengths and opportunities were capitalised, whilst threats and weaknesses that could potentially affect the site were taken into careful consideration upon designing the Oxpens masterplan. An appropriate vision was thus created for the area; A welcoming place in the West of Oxford that provides a good quality of life. In order for the vision to be accomplished, seven design objectives were formed which will enable its realisation. Within these set targets, 20 design actions were implemented which provide details that are to be employed throughout the Oxpens Masterplan. A feasibility strategy would be required to ensure the scheme is financial viable / plausible. Further details would be required in regards to specific design actions, such as disabled access throughout the site. Throughout the semester, we have gained valuable urban design principles with replicability to the working environment, including cultural considerations. As such, we had to accept that our Amsterdam’s Funen Park inspired block may not be acceptable within the UK context, specifically clarification of public and private spaces. Upon review, we believe we have best delivered a believable framework for the West of Oxford which could be implemented today, and that responds to the site’s context, incorporates existing uses and is socially and environmentally sustainable.
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Masterplan
Summary
BBC News. (2013, May 29). The secret button at pedestrian crossings. Retrieved December 5, 2016, from BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-22706881 Berkeleyside.com. (2016). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: http://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/permeable_explanation.jpg [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016]. Columbia, MD Patch. (2016). Grass Driveways with Permeable Pavers. [online] Available at: http:// patch.com/maryland/columbia/grass-driveways-with-permeable-pavers [Accessed 19 Dec. 2016]. Department for Communities and Local Government. (2012). National Planning Policy Framework. London: Communities and Local Government.
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