Newhall (design codes)
Key Principles
- Providing certainty on design quality
Details
Design codes have been deployed at Newhall to deliver the vision and are seen as the ‘working drawings’ of the masterplan. These were developed to provide landowner certainty that design aspirations for the site would be delivered.
The codes have been devised to raise quality and hence value without unreasonably increasing costs. The codes at Newhall work on three levels
- movement structure and spatial hierarchy;
- land-use and massing
- architectural and public realm detail.
The Newhall code provides clear requirements for shaping and detailing the public realm with mandatory built-to lines, minimum building heights, parking solutions and construction specifications. The code does, however, allow considerable freedom for architectural expression within these masterplan geometries.
There are no controls on elevational appearance other than placement of entrances, the requirement for passive surveillance and, where appropriate, ‘active’ edges to public spaces. There is reliance on a consistent approach to the public realm, and a colour and materials palette for building, to bring cohesion.
Quality materials including hand-made bricks, granite and slate are required and are estimated to only add a quarter per cent to construction costs. A colour palette devised with artist Tom Porter for elevations, roofscape, floorscape and building openings is mandatory but has been enthusiastically endorsed by all.
Other Information
- Location: Harlow
- Project Team: Key partners: Newhall Projects Ltd Masterplanner: Roger Evans Associates Developers: Copthorn Homes, Barratt Homes, Moat HousingGroup, Newhall Projects Ltd, CALA Homes, Spaceover,Galliford Try Architect: Proctor & Matthews Architects, Robert HutsonArchitects, Roger Evans Associates, ECD Architects, RichardMurphy Architects, ORMS Architects, PCKO Architects, AlisonBrooks Architects
- Contact: www.newhallproject.co.uk
