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
Tall Buildings
Scale and Massing
Introduction
Tall buildingA tall building is defined as one that is six storeys or more. 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.
Codes in this Section
TBSM 1
Form
CODE
Description
Compliance
CODE
Towers and point blocks must express elegance, proportionality and verticality, whilst slab or finger blocks must be narrow, seek to optimise dual aspect units and have a legible grid format that expresses verticality.
Description
When tall buildings are viewed from a distance, their building form should be distinctive and identifiable whilst maintaining a positive relationship with their surrounding context.
It is more successful to express the verticality of tall buildings using vertically proportioned grids or patterns. The shape and proportion of window openings should also correspond to the verticality of the building.
Compliance
Applicants should demonstrate in their submission how this element of the Code has been complied with.
Documents required:
- Context characterCharacter includes all of the elements that go to make a place, how it looks and feels, its geography and landscape, its noises and smells, activity, people and businesses. This character should be understood as a starting point for all development. Character can be understood at three levels; the area type in which the site sits, its surroundings and the features of the site. appraisal
- Facade design analysis
- Elevation
- Section drawings
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
CODE
Description
Compliance
CODE
Tall buildings must comprise a base, middle and top. The ground floors of tall buildings must be well-designed and articulated to create a human scale and add interest at street level. The skypoint (top) must contribute positively to the character of the skyline, when viewed from different directions and distances.
Description
How a tall buildingA tall building is defined as one that is six storeys or more. meets the ground and sky is critical to its success. The standard architectural convention of a base, middle, top.
Tall buildings should be grounded, creating a sense of permanence and presence. This should be articulated through a regular, repeating bay rhythm or through a more solid elevation with emphasised openings. Double or triple height ground floor spaces should be created with active uses planned at strategic places to deliver a human scaleThe use within development of elements which relate well in size to an individual human being and their assembly in a way which makes people feel comfortable rather than overwhelmed. and enliven the street at different times of the day. The quality of material, detailingThe details of a building are the individual components and how they are put together. Some are a deliberate part of the appearance of a building, including doors, windows and their surrounds, porches, decorative features and ironmongery. Others are functional, although they can also contribute to the appearance of a building. These include lighting, flues and ventilation, gutters, pipes and other rainwater details. Detailing affects the appearance of a building or space and how it is experienced. It also affects how well it weathers and lasts over time., glazing and fenestration should articulate the street level interface as a distinct section of the building. This should integrate into the rest of the built environment. Particular consideration should be given to the materials and detail used at ground floor level where materials should enhance the street level experience and respond to the local context.
The middle section can make use of an elevational grid to respond to either residential or commercial uses which can be expressed as simple repetition or expressed bays.
Options to terminate the building to the skypoint (top) include elevation rhythm change, crown, hipped corners and decorative caps. Any rooftop plant should be integrated into the architecture to create a well-conceived silhouette.
Compliance
Applicants should demonstrate in their submission how this element of the Code has been complied with.
Documents required:
- Context character appraisal
- Facade design analysis
- Site plan
- Elevations
- Floor plans
- Section drawings
- TVIA as required by the Council’s Validation Checklist
- Accurate Visual Representations as required by the Council’s Validation Checklist
Examples
Principals of activating ground floors with mix of uses
A variety of land uses can be used to activate ground floor and they should be mixed to ensure people activity throughout the day.
Offices and retail leisure units on bottom three floors. The first floor can overhang to create a covered collonade for certain uses.
Retail, cafes, restaurants or other leisure uses on bottom two floors of building with parking podium to rear
Key
- Residential
- Workplaces (includes offices, workshops, research facilities)
- Active uses (includes retail cafes, restaurants, leisure uses)
Offices on two ground floor levels with basement parking to allow access to rear communal area
Residential uses are possible on ground floor but should be set back to allow for private entrances and a space between public boundary
TBSM 3
Daylight, sunlight, amenity and overshadowing
CODE
Description
Compliance
CODE
The scale and form of the building must be designed to allow daylight and sunlight into amenity spaces and buildings.
Description
People like sunlight, it is seen as providing light and warmth, making spaces and rooms look bright and cheerful and also having a therapeutic health-giving effect.
Solar studies should be used to demonstrate that new development is in general compliance with the guidelines set out in the Building Research Establishment guidance in terms of the impacts of daylight, sunlight and overshadowing, including the two-hour sun on ground analysis.
Compliance
Applicants should demonstrate in their submission how this element of the Code has been complied with.
Documents required:
- Solar studies or Building Research Establishment compliant Daylight andSunlight Assessment if required by the Council’s adopted ValidationChecklist
Principles of dual aspect towers
Internal corridor slab; Apartment units in a long horizontal shape building should have longest elevations facing south and place core or services on north elevation
Internal corridor tower; apartments with small floorspace can maximize dual aspectDual aspect houses or apartments have been designed to have [openable] windows on two or more walls, allowing for increased levels of natural daylight, sunlight and cross ventilation. apartments and have core on northern elevation
TBSM 4
Wind microclimate
CODE
Description
Compliance
CODE
Applicants must demonstrate that the design of tall buildings has taken into account the impact of their proposal on wind microclimate.
Description
The development of tall buildings can lead to wind microclimate impacts. These issues can impact on the safety and comfort of pedestrians as a result of wind speeds and wind tunnelling. Developments must be designed and assessed to ensure that no detrimental wind microclimate impacts arise as a result of developments.
Compliance
Applicants should demonstrate in their submission how this element of the Code has been complied with.
Documents required:
- Wind microclimate study in accordance with Council’s adopted Validation Checklist
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
Egham Gateway
Egham Gateway master plan by Allford Monaham Morris Egham Gateway is a new mixed use developmentA well-integrated mix of different land uses which may include retail, employment, leisure and other service uses with decent homes of different types and tenures to support a range of household sizes, ages and incomes. in the Runnymede borough of Surrey. Four mixed useA well-integrated mix of different land uses which may include retail, employment, leisure and other service uses with decent homes of different types and tenures to support a range of household sizes, ages and incomes.
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
