car parking: what works where - urban case studies 4-6€¦ · · 2016-03-31asking that we “be...
TRANSCRIPT
Pubs sharing street parking with nearby homes is a common feature of historic developments.Here a well detailed example has unallocated spaces in a communal area which is controlledfor the benefit of residents only outside the pub's peak business hours.
Shared car park forms a triangle between main road, The Fox and a residential terrace.
Date 18th-19th century
Developers not known
Architects not known
Building form Terrace residential
Dwelling types 2-storey 2, 3 and 4 bed houses
Density 45 homes to the hectare
Parking 125%
The Fox, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
68
Description
The parking scheme adjoins a terrace of small cottages set back from theroad, and immediately adjoining TheFox public house. The scaling of onecottage to another suggests an organicdevelopment of the terrace over theyears, reinforced by variations in roofpitch and line between properties.Prominent chimneys and traditionalrainwater goods complete animpression of a small, historicallycorrect village green settlement — but without the green itself.
The car parking thus occupies the area of the ’missing’ green. Intended for use by residents holding permits, it also offers 2 hours’ free parking toothers. Set around a horse troughasking that we “Be Merciful To Man And Beast”, the parking is arranged intwo ranks of 45o angled bays, divided by a wider than usual carriageway; thiscan be accessed from two ends. The angled arrangement allows for asurprisingly generous number of spaceson this tight site.
The scheme is well detailed, with baysclearly marked by slightly raised stonestrips. The main surface is gravel over
blacktop, with low granite kerbs to thepavement in front of the cottages.
The main road at this point is finished in square grey paviors, which change to a reddish colour at the crossoversinto the parking area. The crossoversare very gradually sloped, and definethe area of the zone immediately beforethe central carriageway between bays.
Flush stone strips carried through the crossovers define front and back edges of the pavements. Pavementshave a pronounced gutter zone laid to fall in natural stone.
A
Treatments are low key to preserve flavour of historic town centre. Angle to pavement increases carriageway width for cars to manoeuvre.
69 English Partnerships
The Fox, Bury St Edmunds, SuffolkA On street: angled to pavement
Simple details define pavement from bays while shared surface lane accesses other properties.
Cross-reference
See also pages 103 and 131
Notes
70
Critical commentaryUrban
Residents' ability to park is dependenton demand by others
Reflective and skillful detailing to bays;clear physical and visual demarcationaids responsible parking
Parking clearly defined withoutrecourse to highways department paint
Pavement areas clearly defined without use of bollards or high kerbs
Efficient use of space for unallocated parking
On street: angled to pavement
Design quality brought housebuyers to a Thames Gateway site next to the Dartford Crossing.Some areas dependent on allocated spaces have faced parking issues, but treatments arediverse, including Kentish stable doors for garaging, and amenity over garages.
Some areas at Ingress Park with residentsÕ parking to the rear and limited visitor parking in front lead to issues.
Date 2001 (continues)
Developers Crest Nicholson
Architects Gardner Stewart Architects with urban designers Tibbalds TM2
Building form 2, 2 1/2, 3 and 3 1/2 storey terraces; 4 1/2 storey apartment block with basement
Dwelling types 1 and 2 bed flats; 3 and 4 bed townhouses
Density 40-150 homes to the hectare
Parking 160%
Ingress Park, Greenhithe, Kent
72
Description
The scheme is built around generousamounts of soft landscaping, presentingthe development as a sequence of separate spaces. So there are housesset around a crescent shaped green with a grass surface laid to the natural grade; and there are tree lined boulevards withgravelled edges adjoining granite kerbsand wide grass verges. Brick archedgatehouse buildings give access tostreets and pavements finished withprecast setts. A proportion of the 950homes of Ingress Park are located in a five-storey apartment block, thesubjective scale of which sitsuncomfortably with adjacent buildings.
The scheme was one of the first to applyreduced parking ratios to a major newhousing development: in areas wherespaces are mostly allocated on plot,notably in integral garages, there areobvious problems with capacity as thegarage is ignored and the car parked infront of properties with two wheels onthe pavement.
But other treatments are diverse andoften well executed. Simple layby parking is provided to the edges of the green; the apartment block sits over a rusticated
brick undercroft vented at high levelthrough grillage in medievally deepopenings. The close-style housing has hardstandings finished in blacktop(perhaps also usable as visitor bays), and slate roofed garages in pairs forresidents; the garages are accessed fromstreets paved in multi-coloured squares.The red multi-stock brick townhousesuse integral garages with arched
openings at street level; in front of these are parking bays, which will offer some unallocated capacity for visitors, marked on blacktophardstanding adjoining the squarepaviors. Raised dimpled areas arelocated near some buildings in anattempt to deter on street parkingimmediately next to windows andentrance doors.
A
B
C D
Bay windows compensate for loss of windows to street caused by garages. Garages are designed to look like Kentish stable doors.
73 English Partnerships
Ingress Park, Greenhithe, Kent A Off plot: rear court / on plot: mews court
Arch enhances court’s sense of defensible space. Steps up make access from mews on street side.
Cross-reference
See pages 61, 83, 85, 95, 103, 105 and 131
Good surveillance from houses onto cars. Run of bays broken with trees also makes crossing road easier for pedestrians.
B On street: in line with pavement
On street parking away from the frontage of any one home encourages visitors to use these bays.
Cross-reference
See also pages 31, 51 and 125
74
Critical commentary
Garages off carriageway access to court may cause congestion
Access to court through archwaycreates defensible space
The court is small enough to encouragea sense of ownership. Court is welllooked over by adjoining properties
High quality materials appropriate to context
Small scale of court encourages senseof ownership. Court is well looked overby adjoining properties
High quality materials appropriate to context
Off plot: rear court
Requirement to access homes from street rather than mews courtmakes street active
On plot: mews court
Excellent provision of well designed on street unallocated parking tosupplement on plot solutions
Island separation between layby offersopportunity to provide planting spacefor semi-mature trees
Simple materials and sensibledimensions provide effective on street parking; adds animation to the streetscape
Good surveillance of cars fromadjoining properties
On street: in line with pavement
Urban
Bay windows used to compensate for loss of street-level windows to garage. Access to the amenity deck is a first floor bridge.
75 English Partnerships
Ingress Park, Greenhithe, Kent C On plot: chauffeur unit
French windows connect amenity space to house. Amenity space overlooks landscaping, not housing.
Cross-reference
See also pages 85, 105 and 109
Undercroft bays are accessed across an internal court. Undercroft lifts ground floor level up so it can have a more private outside terrace.
D Off plot: undercroft
Houses are accessed from the front.
76
Critical commentary
Restricted in its usage due to potential overlooking issues
Ground floor surveillance to street is limited
Use of roof as amenity space a positive contribution to plot allowing higher density by exploiting topography
Garage doors close to highway ensurecars not parked in front of doors
Big windows and bays create interest while terrace adds to their high level surveillance
On plot: chauffeur unit
Limited appeal of view fromapartments into parking court
Access from parking to apartments is limited
Good balance of natural surveillanceand defensible space at ground levelachieved through plinth design
Plinth design allows parking solution to be lit and ventilated naturally
Placing parking in the undercroftimproves attractiveness of landscaped environment
Off plot: undercroft
Urban
10mph traffic speeds, the first use of a homezone in new-build and a design strategy ofavoiding garages and on-plot parking. This scheme hides the car's impact better than most,but its best parking treatment is a simple on street design with plenty of surveillance.
Riverside view of block with open podium car park to left.
Date 2005
Developers George Wimpey North
Architects Ian Darby Partnership and consultants Hemingway Design
Building form terraced and semidetached 2 and 3 storey townhouses6 and 7 storey apartment blocks
Dwelling types 158 dwellings: 2, 3 and 4 bed houses.1, 2 and 3 bed flats
Density 46 homes to the hectare
Parking 125%
The Staiths, South Bank, Gateshead
78
Description
The Staiths will ultimately comprise 800 units, of which the schemeexamined is the first of five phases. A former brownfield site on the banks of the Tyne and previously the site of theGateshead Garden Festival, the Staiths is constructed in an eclectic mix of brick,fairfaced block, render, and cedarcladding. Roofs are both variouslypitched as well as flat, and finished in either interlocking tiles or profiledaluminium. There is extraordinaryattention paid to both hard and softlandscaping with generally cleardemarcation between vehicles andpedestrians. Subjectively, the spacebetween buildings feels generous, andthere is an emphasis on communal and ‘homezone’ areas encouragingparticipative activities such as barbeques,table tennis, and children’s play.
Traffic is calmed to 10mph averagesthroughout by the use of sett strips to all access roads. There are a number of approaches to car parking on the site,some good. However, one apartmentblock has an exposed podium. The aimis to allow views through to river but byleaving the sides to the parking open, thespace echoes risks associated with
similar ground floor structures. Basicmetal fencing on the public riverside pathcloses off access from one side, but theside within the development is securedonly with a low fence. Another apartmentblock has a much happier treatment withparking courts around three sides, withcars parked at right angles to the blockand pavement on street or in a smallcourt at the access point, all very well
surveilled; areas typically accommodate6 or 8 vehicles and cater for visitorparking when required. Terracedtownhouses have both conventional bayparking finished in setts, but separatedfrom the house by the pavement androadway. Another distinctive parkingsolution is houses where French doorslead to the house patio, then immediatelyaccess an area of vehicle hardstanding.
AB
Good surveillance onto vehicles. Spaces bound by river have natural security.
79 English Partnerships
The Staiths, South Bank, GatesheadA On street: right angled to pavement
Good division of bays with material and planting. Bicycle store butts up to bays in front court.
Cross-reference
See also pages 39, 47 and 117
Spaces are enclosed within the development, but only by low fence. Podium is better secured against riverside public footpath but with cheap detailing.
B Off plot: podium
View under podium to river. Riverside view showing extent of podium deck.
Cross-reference
See also pages 35 and 57
80
Critical commentary
BICYCLE STORAGEBICYCLE STORAGE BICYCLE STORAGEBICYCLE STORAGE
bicycle store
bicycle store
entrance / exit
Urban
Some residents will have indirect walkfrom parking space to home
Exploits fall in site towards river to create defensible space
Very good surveillance of car parkingfrom ground floor and first
Spaces are well detailed and broken up with landscaping
Car parking is not fully secured toavoid risks associated with similarground floor structures
Creates blank street level which is partlyoffset by views through to River Tyne
Cost effective and practical
Spatially and environmentallypreferable to some underground car parks
On street: right angled to pavement
Off plot: podium
Compact dimensions of small frontcourt may make it hard to manoeuvre
Neat geometry and space efficient
Limited amenity of podium deck