Type, Form and Profile

Plan and Layout

Accessibility

Elevation and Proportion

Materials and Detail

Parking and Garages

Threshold and Boundaries

Houses

Type, Form and Profile

Introduction

The type, form and profile of a building has a dramatic effect on how it sits within its setting, and should seek to be complementary to the surroundings, particularly in historic environments.

 

The rhythm and repetition of a group of houses on a street or around an open space can create a striking visual identity. Form is also important for the functionality of a building, with projecting elements in the facade or roof creating additional spaces or maximising light into a property.

Features of housing type, form and profile

  • Housing form must reflect the local vernacular
  • Well-articulated facades should incorporate recessed and projecting elements
  • Continue local building lines
  • Reference should be made to local materials, and the height and width of neighbouring properties
  • Proposed roof types should be informed by context

HTFP 1

Housing type, form and scale relevant to context

Examples of referencing common housing types in Trafford

Example of how modern housing can be designed to fit into and improve the street scene

Principles of contextual response to form and profile

Building type context

Building form context

Building scale context

Examples of context from around Trafford

HTFP 2

Building line

Examples of building lines in different context settings

High density suburbs and new places

High density urban areas are characterized by strong building lines with 0-2m building set backs. 

Medium density suburbs and new places

Medium density suburbs still exhibit building lines although may be set back further from pavement to allow for landscape.

Low density suburbs and rural village

Building lines are more varied and less continuous in low density suburbs and rural areas

Example of building lines at corners

This example shows how a building line has been created on both streets using correct corner design with multiple street facing elevations. with projecting elements and slight variations of set back, the building line is not too rigid but strong enough to create a visual order to these streets

Examples of building lines

Strong building line

slightly varied line

Mixed building line

Corner building lines

HTFP 3

Roof types informed by local context

Examples of common roof types in Trafford

Gable Roofs in Trafford

Hipped Roofs in Trafford

Principles of contextual response to roof form

Matching gable roofs

Matching hipped roofs

Mixed roof types

HTFP 4

Depth and articulation of facades

Examples of using depth and articulation

Examples of depth and articulation from Trafford

Projecting examples from Trafford

Recessed examples from Trafford

Examples of recessed elements

Examples of projecting elements

HTFP 5

Porch and entrance articulation

Common entrance and porch detail examples from Trafford

Recessed archways

Enclosed or open porch

Canopy and porch

Recessed doorways

Recessed doorway
Recessed entrance
Integrated canopy
Enclosed porch
Open porch
Open canopy

Type, form and profile case studies

Calais Street

Calais Street, Lambeth by PRP Architects for Pinnacle Regeneration Group Fronting the historic park and within the Minet Conservation area, the approved scheme comprises of

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Fairways View

Fairway View by Calderpeel Architects for Cube Homes The houses in Prestwich, Manchester display good use and balance of robust materials that are appropriate to

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Somerbrook Homes

by Stonewood Design for Stonewood Homes This new development in Wiltshire of 38 homes displays a harmonious mixed palette of materials with a similar muted

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Home by Home

by MCGONIGLEMCGRATH Architects This project is one of 2 proposed Homes from Home for Clic Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young

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Derwenthorpe

Derwenthorpe by Studio Partington for Joseph Rowntree Foundation Derwenthorpe was one of the first large-scale low carbon communities in northern England. Its ‘green’ heating and

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Common Housing Types in Trafford

Whilst their is a predominant red brick Victorian residential vernacular in Trafford, it is clear that their is great variation in the vernacular of the borough.. The forms described in the following pages should be fully considered by designers when addressing their own site.

Victorian Terraces

Victorian terraces are the predominant typology throughout the borough, particularly within Stretford and Old Trafford. They are largely formed in a linear block, creating rigid back-to-back rows of housing.

• Generally Accrington or Cheshire red brick in stretcher or Flemish bond
• Slate roofs
• Sandstone sills
• Sandstone or brick arched lintels
• Vertically proportioned sash windows
• Panelled doors
• Clipped roof details
• Dentil detailing
• Brick chimneys
• Narrow or no front curtilage
• Buildings set in grid iron streets
• Brick boundaries

Edwardian Terraces

The Edwardian terrace provides a variation on the Victorian form, adding a more ornate form and distinct repetition of bay windows and coupling of entrance thresholds. They are particularly prevalent in Sale, Stretford, parts of Old Trafford and Altrincham.

• Generally Accrington red brick in stretcher or Flemish bond.
• Often contrasting brick panelling and banding (buff,  cream and blue commonly)
• Slate roofs
• Sandstone sills
• Sandstone or brick arched lintels
• Sandstone detailing
• Vertically proportioned sash windows
• Bay windows
• Panelled and part glazed doors
• Clipped or simple roof details
• Dentil details
• Buildings set in straight rows
• Elevated ground floor levels above a cellar
• Medium sized front gardens
• Brick boundaries with stone gateposts

Edwardian Semi-Detached

Similarly to the terraced variation, the Edwardian semi-detached provides a more ornate form to the traditional semi-detached property. A coupled bay frontage with tudor detailing is predominant, with well defined entrances.

• Generally Accrington red brick in stretcher or Flemish bond.
• Carved brick details
• Rendered panels at upper levels
• Slate or terracotta roofs
• Gabled fronts with mock-tudor details
• Sandstone sills
• Sandstone or brick arched lintels
• Vertically proportioned windows with decorative fenestration
• Bay windows
• Arched doorways
• Panelled and part glazed doors
• Clipped or simple roof details
• Buildings set in straight rows
• Large sized front gardens
• Brick or stone boundaries with stone gateposts

1930’/40’s Semi-Detached

Trafford’s growth can be largely attributed to the suburban growth of Manchester. The vast growth of Sale, Old Trafford, Urmston and the surrounding areas of Altrincham were driven by the development of 1930’s semi-detached properties. This creates a consistent and recognisable form for Trafford.

• Generally Accrington red brick in stretcher bond.
• Terracotta tile or rendered panel details
• Slate or terracotta roofs
• Gabled fronts with mock-tudor details
• Timber sills
• Soldier course brick lintels
• Horizontally proportioned windows with decorative fenestration
• Arched doorways
• Panelled and part glazed doors
• Clipped or simple roof details
• Buildings set along variety of street patterns
• Large sized front gardens with driveways to the side
• Brick or stone boundaries with brick gateposts

Rural Domestic Style

Trafford’s rural edge marks a clear transition from the suburban edge of Trafford into the Cheshire’s rich agricultural areas.Small clusters of residential properties, generally clustered around village greens or road junctions, form hamlets and villages. Their form is intimate and unassuming, creating welcoming and familiar forms within the open countryside.

• Generally Cheshire red brick in Flemish bond
• Slate or terracotta roofs
• Sandstone or brick sills
• Horizontal eyebrow windows often in informal arrangements
• Cottage style doors
• Clipped roof details
• Brick chimneys
• Small or no front curtilage
• Buildings set in clusters and informal groupings.
• Generally set tight against the highway
• Brick, hedge or timber picket boundaries

Villa Houses

As wealth grew in Trafford and the surrounding Cheshire countryside, villas were developed to provide large spaces set within a larger plot. These properties, largely located around Sale and Altrincham, offered larger gardens and a clear boundary (i.e. hedge) form set off the street.

• Generally Accrington red brick stretcher or Flemish bond
• Carved brick and sandstone details (banding, keystones etc)
• Slate or terracotta roofs
• Complex roof forms often with gabled fronts
• Sandstone sills
• Sandstone or brick arched lintels
• Vertically proportioned sash windows
• Bay windows and porch structures
• Panelled and part glazed doors
• Decorative and ornate roof details
• Detached or semi-detached
• Buildings set in short rows or gently meandering streets
• Elevated ground floors above cellars
• Large sized front gardens
• Stone boundaries with hedges

Permeable paving options