Urban Design

Urban design is becoming an increasingly important area of the planning process. The adoption of new methods to aid visual communication of our ideas, using Photo processing software or Three dimensional CAD modelling and rendering software have been adopted to get our ideas across to the public and councillors and their professional advisors.

There are special rules applied to Urban Design and organizations such as CABE have published helpful guidance. There are various rules such as height to width ratios to help determine storey heights, assessment of the street grain to assist in locating the position for buildings and using access routes to provide permeability and using the building forms to enclose public or private spaces. Publications such as the DfT guide “Manual for Streets” are also mandatory reading.

Urban Design is a highly specialized area which taken with the drive to make best use of “Brownfield” land will result in giving the subject increased importance. NC Architects have been involved in competition winning sites in St Albans (Twice) and in Weymouth Town Centre, Poole (Market St). We have twice won the RIBA award for good design in housing, including schemes in London docklands, Swindon Centre, for conservation. We are currently involved in Urban Centre schemes in Linslade-Leighton Buzzard and Swindon.