Location and
Siting

Scale and
Massing
Plan and
Layout

Boundaries and Servicing

Elevational Treatment

Tall Buildings

Scale and Massing

Introduction

Tall building forms should be elegant and create positive features in the skyline. Their form, scale and massing must be carefully considered through detailed appraisal and testing including their visual impact on the setting both individually and when part of a cluster.

 

Tall buildings must also consider their impact on the street environment and public spaces. Buildings that are too tall can visually overwhelm and cause unwanted side-effects, such as wind funnelling, overshadowing or trapping air pollution.

Features of tall building scale and massing

  • Elegance, proportionality and verticality
  • Slender form comprising a base, middle and top
  • Avoid microclimate impacts

TBSM 1

Form

Examples of creating proportion and verticality

Vertical window openings

Vertical frame and columns

Vertical and horizontal proportions

Examples of tall building form and proportion

TBSM 2

Composition

Examples

TBSM 3

Daylight, sunlight, amenity and overshadowing

TBSM 4

Wind microclimate

Principles of wind microclimate

Consider how the impact of downdraught can be mitigated to reduce negative impact of high speeds at street level

Consider impact of moving wind around a curved building and how that can impact surrounding context

Tall building scale and massing case studies

ARC, Sydney

ARC, Sydney by Koichi Takada Architects for Crown Group Arc is made up of two 26-storey, 80-meter high towers. The mixed-useA well-integrated mix of different

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Egham Gateway

Egham Gateway master plan by Allford Monaham Morris Egham Gateway is a new mixed use development in the Runnymede borough of Surrey. Four mixed use

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Botanica Apartments

Botanica Apartments by Tim Groom Architects The site occupies a highly prominent location alongside the Bridgewater Way, a major arterial road running south west from

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Permeable paving options