Manual on the preparation of state-aided housing schemes.

Date:
1919
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Manual on the preparation of state-aided housing schemes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/86 (page 11)
    APPENDIX I. THE LAY-OUT OF SCHEMES. General Considerations. 1. In laying out a site general considerations come first, such as the location of the different parts of the scheme and reservations for open spaces. These open spaces may often be provided suitably on parts of the land not so attractive or convenient for the erection of dwellings. In the case of larger schemes such considerations will arise as the setting aside of sites for larger houses, schools, clubs, other public or semi-public buildings, or groups of shops. In each case positions and sites suitable on account of their character should be selected. It will be found both economical and generally convenient to: group many of these special buildings around some centre where social life and other activities can be focussed, and in relation to which the remaining roads and other parts of the scheme may be laid out and adapted to the site and circumstances of each case. The more important roads for providing convenient access to and about the estate would be the next consideration. When these have been located, the minor roads, drives, or footways necessary to provide frontage for and give access to the required number of houses, with due regard to convenience and economy of road costs, would be filled in to complete the lay-out. 2. Where the land is approximately level, the nature of the ground will not be a dominating factor in the arrangement of the roads. With undulating land, however, if reasonable economy is to be secured, both in development costs and in connection with the foundations for buildings, the lay-out plan must be greatly influenced by the nature of the site. It is for this reason that the necessity for the preparation of a contour plan of all undulating estates has been emphasised in the Memorandum. Sloping Sites. 3. In dealing with sloping sites special considerations arise which vary according to the degree of steepness. There are three main directions which the roads may take in relation to the contour lines (See Illustration No. 1). Plan showing sites for buildings facing a road running— A. Parallel to the contours. B. At right angles to the contours. C. Diagonally to the contours. (A) Where the roads are planned to follow the contour lines, the houses on the two sides of the road are not level ; those on the lower side require under-building, if the floor is to be raised to the level of the road. It may not always be necessary thus to raise the level of the floor, especially on a southern slope where the aspect allows the living rooms to have windows overlooking the garden at the back. On these contour roads the surface of the ground is usually parallel to the horizontal lines of the front elevation of the buildings. This is an advantage to thei appearance, while the slope of the garden lends itself to regular terraces or banks. (See Illustration No. 2, Fig. A.) (B) Where the slope is not steep, roads at right angles to the contours have several advantages. Drainage is usually simple and economical, and the houses on both sides of the road are approximately level. If the houses are built in pairs, or in groups of four with one break in level near the centre, little extra cost in foundations is entailed by the slope. (See Ilustration No. 2, Fig. B.) The break of level in the group of four may often be masked by a gable (see Fig. B.1), or the roof may be continued with a level ridge, which would enable extra bedrooms to be provided on the second floor of the house or houses at the lower end of the block (see Fig. B.2). (613) B 2