Design guide · Roscommon County Council
Rural Design Guidelines
The council's guidance on siting and designing a house in the countryside.
Roscommon County Council · 70 pages
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- 45 New Build Rural Design Guidelines 6.5 The narrow plan approach A narrow plan dwelling can be sited either perpendicular or parallel to a slope which avoids excessive cut and fill and reduces costs in terms of site works. The narrow plan dwelling can also benefit from solar gain which can reduce heating/energy bills by as much as 30%. This form also allows for dual aspect rooms in that light comes from two different directions throughout the day. The narrow plan concept forms part of the vernacular approach to house design. It has many advantages and avoids many of the common problems associated with a deep plan form. Indicative narrow plan width Contemporary narrow plan approach L/D/K/F 4.5m - 8m
- 46 New Build Rural Design Guidelines 6.6 Avoiding the deep plan solution The deep plan form has become the most common approach in designing new dwellings. It arises as a result of trying to maximise the number of rooms under one large roof. Normally this is expressed as four main rooms at ground level with the first floor arranged in varying formats that are primarily two room deep. When the basic form of the dwelling follows this pattern, it often leads to the addition of design features in an effort to break up the bulk of the dwelling which leads to cluttered elevations with inappropriate add-on features. Generic deep plan approach (ground floor) Indicative deep plan width 8m and greater L The deep form also makes it difficult to assimilate a dwelling into a landscape and can lead to the creation of large excavations and platforms in order to accommodate the dwelling. D The deep plan form does not allow for efficient solar gain as 50% of the dwelling does not benefit from solar paths. This has a significant cost implication to the occupant as energy and lighting bills are increased because all the rooms in the dwelling cannot benefit from the sun’s rays and natural light is limited throughout the day.
- 47 New Build Rural Design Guidelines 6.7 Massing Massing describes how we assemble the living space of the house and how these spaces relate to each other within the overall composition. Design solutions which appear very deep, wide and high give the overall appearance of a large scale and bulky appearance which will have difficulty in assimilating into their surroundings. Deep plan houses which are typically two rooms deep and in excess of 8 metres in depth have become a common design solution due to their cost efficiencies during the construction phase. This design solution is however not a feature of Roscommon’s rural housing tradition which was generally one room deep, and allowed for better scale, proportions and heights which related more to the human scale. 6.8 The problem with the “Big House” Massing is about how you assemble the formal elements of the house and how these proportions relate to each other and to the overall composition. The issues relating to the big house type are generally ones of bulk, scale and height as they are all factors which determine the overall massing. The big house has deep plans, wide gables and excessive heights, resulting in a large scaled and bulky house which cannot be assimilated into the rural countryside and appears ‘landed’ onto the site. The solution lies in utilising more slimmer and narrow plan forms, which can be assembled into better compositions with proportions and scale that reflect their rural context. 6.9 Addressing the problem These indicative sketches show how best to address the problem. The floor area is the same in each of the sketches and it shows how it is possible to achieve the same floor area having a less bulky house. Current design trends are characterised by their deep floor plans which results in excessively wide gables and an over-sized appearance. The success of any design solution is to use the narrow plan typology which can be assembled into varying elements and gives greater flexibility in terms of layout and future expansion. Many design issues can be resolved by simply reducing the bulk of the overall structure. Successful rural design comes from breaking down the bulk to a more sympathetic massing and proportion. While traditional forms are preferable, contemporary architecture can also provide creative alternatives to deep plan forms. A high quality contemporary dwelling can assimilate into a landscape if designed properly to reflect its context and be sympathetic to the human scale. The Big and Bulky House U-plan L-plan Two storey T-plan
- 48 New Build Rural Design Guidelines 6.10 Scale and Height Traditionally houses were designed around their human scale. Building heights and openings were relative to the size of a person which gave the structures a pleasant style. Recent trends in house building have meant that more and more dwellings are being built ‘out of scale’ with their occupants and their landscape. A building’s size is a key element of design and as a rule of thumb, the larger the dwelling the greater its impact. Large houses require large sites which are set in appropriate landscapes. These large houses should be broken down into smaller elements so as to limit their impact. In determining the appropriate scale, the existing natural screening, field boundaries, topography and vernacular architecture should all be taken into consideration. The size of the dwelling should relate to the size of the site and utilize the natural contours of the landscape to help assimilate the dwelling. In terms of height, it should be remembered that the deeper the plan of the dwelling, the wider the gable and subsequently the higher the overall ridge height of the dwelling. House designers should pay particular attention to this when working on a design solution. Traditional scale as compared to a more recent typology Ceiling forms bottom to roof zone Large roof span due to poor proportions First floor partially accommodated within the ceiling zone Deep plan leads to high ridge height Ridge heights reduced due to a narrower plan Distance between top of window and sill minimised to achieve better proportions Low eaves 5.5m 3m 5m 2m
- 49 New Build Rural Design Guidelines 6.11 The Design Process A design should consider every aspect of a building and its setting to achieve an outcome the responds to the needs of the individual while integrating into the landscape. This process should be followed as compared to picking a design from a ‘pattern book’ of house types and trying to fit this design into the site. Stage 1: Define the brief It is important to decide what you need and what you don’t as this will inform your architect / designer what you require. A good brief will take time and is a two-way process which discusses the needs of the individual and is shaped by the guidance and expertise of the designer. Stage 2: Assess the site The following should be looked at in relation to the site: · What are the characteristics of the site? · Are there features that should be retained or incorporated in the design? · Is there a good view? How can the rooms and/or the dwelling be orientated to take advantage without losing the benefits of solar gain? · Are there potential negative impacts on neighbouring properties? · Are there viewpoints external to the site where the proposal will be obvious in the landscape? · What will the design affect the skyline? Stage 3: Produce a concept A design concept will bring together all the individuals requirements and assessments carried out and will help to arrange the buildings on the site. This will show how the buildings will look on the ground. The production of a good design concept will form the basis for the preparation of detailed drawings to be submitted with a planning application.
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No text on this page — it is probably a drawing, a map, a photograph or a scanned page. See it in the PDF.
- 52 Adding the detail Rural Design Guidelines 7.1 Roof Style Traditionally roofs in rural Ireland had gable ends, had a pitch of around 35-40° and were made of local slate or thatch. Nowadays through the availability of alternative roof coverings there is the demand for different shaped roof designs. House types that require excessive roof heights and proportions should be avoided. 7.2 Dormer windows Over the years dormer roof lights have become a dominant feature in single storey dwellings. This stems from utilizing the attic space for extra accommodation and results in excessive roof spans from deep plan forms. Depending on the location and design of the dwelling it may be more suitable to use a storey and a half type dwelling with traditional eave dormers. Care should still be taken regarding the construction and detailing of the dormers. Mid-roof dormers should be avoided as they lead to cluttered roof planes. The use of PVC cladding, box fascias and soffits should also be avoided. When using eave dormers, it is also important to remember the location and frequency of rainwater downpipes. A proliferation of rainwater downpipes should be avoided on the front of a dwelling. Simple edged roof with minimal eaves Slight projecting eave and verge Roof with large ‘oversail’ Mid-roof dormer Traditional eave dormer Traditional roof material such as slate continues slightly over the gable with no edge trim Eave projection formed with blockwork or concrete Slightly raised plaster band Deep soffit raised above verge P.V.C. or stained timber fascia
- 53 Adding the detail Rural Design Guidelines 7.3 Windows In the past, size and shapes of windows were limited by construction materials and costs, which meant that windows openings tended to be small and away from corners. Consequently openings were surrounded by large areas of solid wall creating what is known as a high solid to void relationship, giving a sturdy appearance to rural buildings. Today by virtue of improved building materials and cost reductions these constraints have been reduced. Current practice therefore tends to lean towards an increasing selection of larger, wider windows in a variety of shapes which often tend to look at odds with the simpler rural style. 7.4 Bay Windows While not a traditional feature in rural houses, they are acceptable in a modern context when used appropriately. They should only be used on the ground floor but should not add undue emphases to the window feature itself. The feature should not be seen as merely and ‘add-on’ but be worked into the roof design. Windows which are symmetrical along the vertical or horizontal axis are more appropriate. Where wide windows are being used a strong vertical divides with panes of equal size should be used to retain the vertical emphasis. Designs which avoid symmetry on the vertical or horizontal axis and unequal pane sizes should be avoided. Design features such as mock Georgian and Tudor panes should not be used. Traditional window proportions Square Double Square Diagonal of square Golden Section h=1½w Traditional houses almost universally had windows with consistent and satisfactory proportions. Generally traditional windows were narrow and had a vertical emphasis and this design feature provides a good reference for a modern house. To achieve vertical emphasis the overall height of the window should generally be greater than, but never less than its overall width, the subdivision of a square window with a glazing bar will achieve vertical emphasis. A feature window whose overall width is greater than its height and that is divided by visually strong vertical members may be acceptable provided that the balance of the windows on the elevation have a vertical emphasis.
- 54 Adding the detail Rural Design Guidelines 7.5 Doors The design of the door should be simple and avoid a clutter of detail and it should be located so that it reflects the positions of other openings. The doorway as a whole should be simple and not dominate the facade and should be made from sheeted or panelled timber. Materials such as white PVC, aluminium or varnished tropical hardwood are discouraged. The requirement to admit light to the hallway is acknowledged however large glazed panels in doors can look elaborate; a window above or beside a door is often a solution. Solid door with small glazed light Panelled door with partial glazing PVC surrounds with over elaborate fanlight Cluttered white PVC with mock Georgian / Tudor panels
Source Roscommon County Council: Rural Design Guidelines · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.