The immediate context around our site is characterized by a variety of 2/3 story terraced housing, new build housing of varying scale and various small businesses. The development site is located on a piece of leftover ground between two roads. Road infrastructure surrounds the site on two sides; one being the slip road access to the motorway & the second towards the Newtownabbey commercial area. This junction conveys a gateway or nodal aspect to our site. The adjacent terrace is dwarfed by the motorway bridge. A rich strip of mature trees aides with screening and buffering the site to the south and east from the motorway.
Much of the character and quality of North Belfast derives from a range of 2 and 3 storey Victorian terraces similar to our neighbours, constructed from Belfast brick. Over the years this terrace, and it’s returns have been greatly altered in an ad hoc manner, with some original frontages altered to provide commercial entrances. This building stock however is engrained in the city’s rich part heritage and identity. Whilst not advocating an imitation of the past, our proposal shall reflect the dynamics of this location, the availability of local materials and the built character of what has gone before. It is therefore our intention to repair one of Belfast’s early twentieth century suburban frontages, that over the past fifty years has been eroded and isolated by roads infrastructure.
The proposed scheme takes reference of the existing axis points; the existing front and back lines of the terraces, as well as the right of way, parallel to the slipway. In addition to this the heights of each block have also been staggered to further contextualise the project. The smallest of the blocks references a terrace house, whereas the highest block is referencing an already existing apartment opposite. As the mass of the full site is extruded up to its highest point, approximately that of a four–storey building, mirroring the existing apartment building that lies directly opposite the proposed scheme as mentioned, these moves not only begin to decrease the overall volume of the mass but begin to align it with what already exists, aiding with the diminishment of overshadowing to neighbouring properties.
In order to further contextualise the proposal, the massing has been split into three distinct blocks that take their dimensions relative to the Victorian terrace adjacent. This has two affects; firstly, it continues the slim and slight rhythm of the exiting terraced houses, binding the new with old; and secondly, restrains the proposal from becoming too dominant over the existing built environment.
As a mechanism to further connect the site with its surroundings we proposed to continue the condition of the wall and railings along the front to define the entrance and garden. This is terminated at a new hedgerow that encloses private amenity space for the ground floor duplex. This unit has an individual access, adjacent to the main access to encourage interaction and activity to the street, helping to define the boundary and further assist with integrating the new development into the existing context. By carrying through the continuous edge of the wall, boundary and facade a symmetry between forms is created. In addition to the continuation of the boundary, the scheme also proposes that these new garden spaces are raised up by half meter to mimic the existing condition of the Victorian terrace. This has the added effect of providing greater privacy to those using the garden spaces. These three key design factors of; site axis, terraced proportions, and existing frontage, ensures that not only is the existing fabric of the street maintained but strengthened, which in turn encourages the continuity of form and scale to the street.
It was clear that the proposal should reflect the defined historical built edge and form of the street, so we proposed a pitched roof form that steps up to the ‘nodal’ junction between street and slipway, as a means of reflecting the stepping roofscape of the adjacent terrace. In doing so the built edge becomes strengthened and appropriately scaled connections to the street are re–established.
The immediate context around our site is characterized by a variety of 2/3 story terraced housing, new build housing of varying scale and various small businesses. The development site is located on a piece of leftover ground between two roads. Road infrastructure surrounds the site on two sides; one being the slip road access to the motorway & the second towards the Newtownabbey commercial area. This junction conveys a gateway or nodal aspect to our site. The adjacent terrace is dwarfed by the motorway bridge. A rich strip of mature trees aides with screening and buffering the site to the south and east from the motorway.
Much of the character and quality of North Belfast derives from a range of 2 and 3 storey Victorian terraces similar to our neighbours, constructed from Belfast brick. Over the years this terrace, and it’s returns have been greatly altered in an ad hoc manner, with some original frontages altered to provide commercial entrances. This building stock however is engrained in the city’s rich part heritage and identity. Whilst not advocating an imitation of the past, our proposal shall reflect the dynamics of this location, the availability of local materials and the built character of what has gone before. It is therefore our intention to repair one of Belfast’s early twentieth century suburban frontages, that over the past fifty years has been eroded and isolated by roads infrastructure.
The proposed scheme takes reference of the existing axis points; the existing front and back lines of the terraces, as well as the right of way, parallel to the slipway. In addition to this the heights of each block have also been staggered to further contextualise the project. The smallest of the blocks references a terrace house, whereas the highest block is referencing an already existing apartment opposite. As the mass of the full site is extruded up to its highest point, approximately that of a four–storey building, mirroring the existing apartment building that lies directly opposite the proposed scheme as mentioned, these moves not only begin to decrease the overall volume of the mass but begin to align it with what already exists, aiding with the diminishment of overshadowing to neighbouring properties.
In order to further contextualise the proposal, the massing has been split into three distinct blocks that take their dimensions relative to the Victorian terrace adjacent. This has two affects; firstly, it continues the slim and slight rhythm of the exiting terraced houses, binding the new with old; and secondly, restrains the proposal from becoming too dominant over the existing built environment.
As a mechanism to further connect the site with its surroundings we proposed to continue the condition of the wall and railings along the front to define the entrance and garden. This is terminated at a new hedgerow that encloses private amenity space for the ground floor duplex. This unit has an individual access, adjacent to the main access to encourage interaction and activity to the street, helping to define the boundary and further assist with integrating the new development into the existing context. By carrying through the continuous edge of the wall, boundary and facade a symmetry between forms is created. In addition to the continuation of the boundary, the scheme also proposes that these new garden spaces are raised up by half meter to mimic the existing condition of the Victorian terrace. This has the added effect of providing greater privacy to those using the garden spaces. These three key design factors of; site axis, terraced proportions, and existing frontage, ensures that not only is the existing fabric of the street maintained but strengthened, which in turn encourages the continuity of form and scale to the street.
It was clear that the proposal should reflect the defined historical built edge and form of the street, so we proposed a pitched roof form that steps up to the ‘nodal’ junction between street and slipway, as a means of reflecting the stepping roofscape of the adjacent terrace. In doing so the built edge becomes strengthened and appropriately scaled connections to the street are re–established.
