bradford city masterplan

Bradford C

ity Masterplan

Design R

eport and Guidelines

By Mathew Giles, Noel Hughes, Simon Knight and John Milligan

Design R


Bradford C

ity Masterplan

Bradford C

ity Masterplan

Contents

Section OneSite Analysis 1

Section TwoPrecedents Study 6

Section ThreeUrban Block Typology Study 9

Section FourSketch development 16

Section FiveMasterplan Layering Diagrams 19

Section SixMasterplan Guidelines 24

Bibliography 31

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Site Analysis

Section One

In this fi rst section we identify what activities (if any) are currently occuring on our site and in the immediate area. We also established what existing urban fabric we wanted to retain in our masterplan.

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An Introduction to B

radford

Bradford is historically an industrial city located on the edge of the moors of Britain’s West Yorkshire Pennines.

During the industrial revolution in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century, Bradford grew and gained importance as a major producer of textiles and became known as the woollen centre of the world.

To support the textiles mills and machinery a large manufacturing base grew in the city, leading to diversifi cation with different industries thriving side by side.

View of City Hall from Thornton Road, 1954

View of coal drops and beck The Odeon cinema Aerial view of City Hall, 1920

Today, most of the older textile mills and some of the heavier industries have closed and many areas have been overlooked by developers.

Bradford boasts some fi ne Victorian industrial buildings but has lacked the investment to turn this city into a focal point of the north west once again.

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City C

entre ZoningRetail area

Education

Residential

Transport Interchange

Civic buildings

Bus routes

Proposed site boundary buildings

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Photographs of Buildings R

etained

The photographs show the buildings to be retained on the site. These were chosen due to their architectural quality, condition and use.

The diagram on the following page illustrates the location of the retained buildings and highlights those demolished.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

16. 17. 18.

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Dem

olition Plan and Retained B

uildings Locations

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2.

3.

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5.6.7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

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13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

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Section Two

We decided to look at a variety of masterplan precedents and possibilities. Specifi cally, we looked at bold urban interventions, ranging from very conceptual ideas to more realistic designs.

Precedents Study

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This image shows the idea of a bold superstructure encompassing downtown Manhattan and eventually enveloping its surroundings. The superstructure would be inhabited as a new city, while the original settlement would be looked upon as a monument to the past.

Precedents Study

The superstructure here, replaces the existing fabric with a new identical volume. New urban blocks are created, providing a distinct contrast between old and new.

The approach taken here was to create a collection of buildings, similar in form to, provide a coherent masterplan. It does not incorporate an urban block type but uses individual buildings instead.

Here, the masterplan reads as a sinuous, organic, alien mass, which has landed in the city. This form is then broken up by streets into blocks, while still retaining the feeling of one whole form.

Superstudio - Continuous Monument Superstudio - 32nd St. 12th Ave. Zaha Hadid - Soho City, Beijing Zaha Hadid - One North Complex, Singapore

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Rather than a huge superstructure, a grid is formed, creating urban blocks which surround a central park. There is a combination of the block as monument and matrix.

Precedents Study

The blocks take on a abstract, almost sculptural form in this masterplan. Each block is a building and forms a coherent aesthetic.

Utopia is depicted as a large sprawling city where the processes of living are separated out into different layers. Transport infrastructure occupies one layer, pedestrian traffi c fl ows on another, while high rise buildings intersperse themselves between these highways.

Here we can see the ‘futuristic’ transport links slicing through the sky amongst the skyscrapers.

Ten Arquitectos - Song Do Dec, South Korea.

Ten Arquitectos - Queens Water Front, New York.

Hugh Ferris - City Drawings. Hugh Ferris - Still from Just Imagine USA, Fox, 1930.

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Section Three

The Urban Block Typology Study comprises of analysis of the block types and composition within six European cities.

It focuses on how public and private spaces create a certain character and relate to the rest of the city.

The sketches in the study represent our interpretation of the most signifi cant patterns identifi ed.

Urban B

lock Typology Study

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The public space is formed by a formal grid. Essentially the public space has been defi ned by the removal of a block.

Urban B

lock Typology Study - Madrid

A sinuous urban grid form the urban blocks, possibly due to the topography of the city. Although organic, there is still a regularity to the grid. The blocks are very dense, with very few internal courtyards or openings.

Again there is a regular grid but in this instance it has been broken up by roads splicing through at irregular locations. There are more courtyard spaces, private and public.

1. 2. 3. 4.

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The public space is secluded; surrounded by a tight cluster of private buildings. The square is sheltered from the main road. Small narrow streets snake around the blocks, creating a distinct character.

Urban B

lock Typology Study - Barcelona

Chamfered block corners create urban nodes. Main roads slice through the grid system. It is a very formal and large scale urban grid.

Narrow lanes are possibly informed by the warmer climate that Barcelona endures. There are no courtyards within the buildings, neither are there any large formal public spaces. Gatherings are therefore not encouraged by the street layout.

1. 2. 3. 4.

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The use of public buildings opens up the space and increases the sense of grandeur. A wide main road also adds to this grandeur and expansiveness of the space.

Urban B

lock Typology Study - Athens

An irregular building line exists within a regular grid. Within the urban grid, blocks are occasionally split up informally to create small outdoor spaces.

Here the public space is formed by a random arrangement of informal buildings.

1. 2. 3. 4.

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Urban B

lock Typology Study - Am

sterdam

A very formal block type is employed in this city grid. It provides a coherent building facade to the area while also providing private or sometimes communal spaces.

The block again is on a formal grid but the internal courtyards are broken down by the rear facade treatment of each individual dwelling or plot. Wider roads dissect the grid North to South, while narrower streets split the streets up East to West.

1. 2. 3. 4.

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The public space is sheltered from the main road. A grand approach to the square is created through centrally intersecting roads.

Urban B

lock Typology Study - London

A focal nodal point identifi es the remnants of a medieval plan. Opportunities for landmark buildings are presented each corner. The ‘Diamond’ confi guration allows for views and vistas to other parts of the city.

Terraces provide a coherent building facade to the area while also providing private or sometimes communal spaces.

1. 2. 3. 4.

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Urban B

lock Typology Study - Berlin

A large block is employed in this city an is punctuated with regular courtyard spaces. This maximises the amount of light fi ltering into the buildings.

The ratio of public area to private buildings is very high in this block type. The row defi nes the street and the communal space.

1. 2. 3. 4.

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Section Four

This section shows how we developed our ideas. A certain stages we went off at tangents, including looking at superstructures, various formal grids and form driven designs. The design process, as is usually the case, was not linear but did result in a coherent process non the less.

Sketch Developm

ent

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‘Wipeout’ variation on the grid infl uenced by contours of the site and surrounding context.

Sketch Developm

ent

Continuation of pathways across site, informed from existing routes and surrounding context.

Citation of spaces ‘in-between’ existing layers. The superstructure provides new accommodation for mixed uses, in one whole mass.

The use of a rigorous grid with retained buildings and increased existing green spaces, starts to look at the creation of a masterplan through a pragmatic approach of layering.

1. 2. 3. 4.

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The use of a rigorous grid, which responds more to the immediate context, and incorporates existing buildings and increased existing green spaces. This starts to look at the creation of a masterplan through a pragmatic approach of layering.

Sketch Developm

ent

Rigorous grid applied to relate to existing road and block layout. A linked green space runs through the extent of the site and relates to the existing beck.

Creation of vistas and pathways engages and draws people through and around the site.

Breakdown of block, segregation of ‘type’, initial tree strategy and public and green spaces form our masterplan.

5. 6. 7. 8.

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Masterplan Layering D

iagrams

Section Five

Our masterplan design was created by the careful build up of existing fabric and the superimposition of our chosen block types on a grid defi ned by contextual buildings and contours.

The reading of ‘Urban Forms - The Death and Life of the Urban Block’ and ‘The Dialectic City’ were key texts in the development of our scheme.

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iagrams

1. The Site 2. Roads

The site is treated as an individual portion of the city. Currently it is a ‘Twighlight Zone’ of sorts, where there is no real character or activity occuring within this area. Due to this, we decided to focus our attention within the boundaries of the site while establishing links with the city centre.

The fi rst stage was the retention of existing roads. The decision was made that the busy thoroughfare in and out of the city was effective as a passage through the site and that the tributaries running off of it were also working.

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iagrams

3. Retained Buildings 4. Street Layout

The retained buildings have been assessed on architectural quality, condition and present use. They have then been placed on the site, in their current locations.

The street layouts were derived from the site’s topography, existing buildings and roads but also by the surrounding context. The aim was to create new routes through the site, which would in turn provide new and interesting vistas.

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iagrams

5. Green Spaces 6. Perimeter Block

The green spaces were then created. These were dictated by the locations of the existing green spaces and combined with the grid to create the dotted areas illustrated above.

After researching the ‘block’ type through our Typology Study and further reading, we came to the conclusion that the perimeter block would be the most suitable for this scheme, providing the character and spaces we wanted for the site.

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iagrams

7. Block Types

The fi nal stage was to superimpose the two different perimeter block types - the block as a building and the block as a collection of buildings.

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Masterplan G

uidelines

Section Six

Any masterplan needs a set of guidelines to implement it. This section explores how the masterplan can be employed in the area and create the character and aesthetic that we envisaged.

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In order for the masterplan to work and to meet our aims and ambitions, we have laid out certain design guidelines. Hopefully by following these rules, the site of the masterplan will read as a coherent piece of urban design, providing a distinct character to the area and most importantly providing a pleasant living and working environment.

General M

asterplan Guidelines

These are general design guidelines for the masterplan:

All pedestrian streets must be 5.5m wide, allowing for emergency vehicles and deliveries.

All vehicular routes are to be 8.5m wide. This consists of a 5.5m wide road with 1.5m pavements either side.

All external public stairs to have a tread of 500mm and a rise of 150mm.

Milan, Italy Paris, France Genoa, Italy Paris, France

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1. Key Plan 2. Typical Plan 3. Typical Section 4. Photograph of typical block

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Block Type A is the condition where the block forms an individual, independent building. Due to the masterplan using the perimeter block, the building will therefore have an internal courtyard space.

Block Type A G

uidelines

These are the design guidelines for block type A:

On all blocks, the buildings must be constructed up to the designated building line.

All buildings are to have a fl oor to fl oor height of 4m, which consists of a fl oor to ceiling height of 3m and fl oor construction of 1m.

All blocks are to be three storeys i.e. 12m high, except from the North segment of the perimeter block which will be two storeys i.e. 8m high and the block segments that front Thornton Road which will be four storeys i.e. 16m high.

All Internal courtyards are to be communal.

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Block Type B is where the block is split up into individual plots. This provides a uniform facade to the block and therefore a coherence to the city as a whole. However internally, the block provides the potential for individual and private spaces or simply one communal space.

Block Type B

Guidelines

These are the design guidelines for block type B:

On all blocks, the buildings must be constructed up to the designated building line.



The Minimum plot size is 10m x 10m.

If the internal courtyard is more than 650 sq m, than it can be divided up into individual courtyards for each plot.

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Block Type C is where the block butts up against an existing building on the site. There should be a defi nite distinction between what is new and what is old, while responding sensitively to the existing condition. This is an exciting opportunity to present interesting and varied spaces and blocks within the masterplan.

Block Type C

Guidelines

These are the design guidelines for block type C:

The new buildings must be constructed up to the designated building line.All buildings are to have a fl oor to fl oor height of 4m, which consists of a fl oor to ceiling height of 3m and fl oor construction of 1m.


If the new building extension is bigger in footprint than the old existing building, then it will be subdivided into plots as in block type B. However if the new building is smaller than the existing building, it will not be subdivided.

If the internal courtyard is more than 650 sq m, than it can be divided up into individual courtyards for each plot.

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Block Type D is an individual, independent, monument building. It serves one function and incorporates a public space around it.

Block Type D

Guidelines

These are the design guidelines for block type D:

The new buildings must be constructed up to the designated building line.



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Aerial Photograph

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Bibliography

Lynch, Kevin. Image of the City. The MIT Press, 1960.

Kostof, Spiro. The City Shaped.Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1999.

Samuels, Ivor. Urban Forms.Architectural Press, 2004.

Cullen, Gordon. Concise Townscape.Architectural Press, 1994.

Rossi, Aldo. The Architecture of the City.The MIT Press, 1984.

O.M. Ungers. Dialectic City.Skira Editore, 1999.

Architectural Theory. Bernd Evers.Taschen, 2006.

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