Sheet No.4 - Balbriggan

Architectural Design Benchmarks

We would like to see a high standard of architectural design promoted by FCC when reviewing potential developer proposals for residential areas.  Developments should adopt a â€˜People-first’ approach. We ask that you please achieve this by designing at the ‘human scale’ i.e. at ‘eye level’ and ‘create interest’ at the ‘5kmph walking speed’(ref. Jan Gehl). Consider high quality housing by developers/architects as exemplified by:

• Taylor Hill development in Balbriggan by Glenveagh Homes Ltd. 

  

• Castlelands SHD development in Balbriggan (MP4.F) by the Land Development Agency and Metropolitan Workshop architects (see attachments for architects plans showing clustered development)
• Social Housing by the Guinness Trust Ltd and Southwark Council in London. Cost Rental Model. Create sufficient space for families to grow, stay stable and climb the social ladder. We like the Cost Rental model.
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• Adamstown by OMP Architects

Materiality

We suggest consideration is given to the architectural referencing of the Historic Town Core and Ardgillan Castle using materiality (red brick/select reconstituted stone etc). This is to strengthen a sense of ‘Place’. It would meet Placemaking aspirations of Project Ireland 2040 and IDA Strategies. As Balbriggan is a coastal town, brick and stone would maintain durability and astethics of a development over time.  

Residential perimeter clusters

We would like to see safe clustered 2-3 storey housing communities to the perimeter of any development and surrounding neighbourhood commercial cores:

Where people are clustered to have:

• Enhanced sense of “place” and identity
• Enhanced sense of community
• Enhanced sense of ownership and territory
• Enhanced security
• Enhanced amenity

Whereby every home has;

• a front door to the street
• a front curtilage secured with a wall and railings
• car parking in the secure front garden area
• car parking that is overlooked from the kitchen or living area
• a good sized, secure back garden,
• secure direct access to the rear garden from the front
• good orientation, for bright, warm rooms.

Within the neighborhood, pedestrians have priority and cars are forced to slow right down.

• There are small housing cluster areas with clear identity so you can see who is coming or going.
• You are never more than a couple of minutes’ walk away from a secure and overlooked children’s play area or pocket park.
• There are no blank gable ends, or areas that are not overlooked. Areas that may facilitate anti-social behaviour have been designed out.
• Parking for visitors is provided in off-street parking bays or indents in the green areas.
• There are no easy rat runs, alleyways, concealed or dark areas.

Residential core clusters

We’d like to see layouts like this as you approach the centre of any main residential cores, but with up to three to four storeys:

Residential clusters to inner ring of developments
Towards the inner ring of development cores, as the density increases, we’d like to see these typologies from the Urban Design Manual:

Commercial cores to developments:

For commercial and active core of any residential development, we’d like to see pedestianised plazas:

Please check and learn from legacy mistakes in other parts of Balbriggan where developers got it wrong and the ‘car’ dominated the landscape.

Designing out anti-social behaviour:

Please ensure the highest levels of passive surveillance is designed into each-and-every corner of developer's layouts and housing typologies using the Urban Design Manual Parts 1 & 2 along with other industry best practices and Departmental guidelines.

We suggest that designing out anti-social behaviour from layouts and typologies in a very young socio-economically diverse, fragile growth town at the geographic edge of an administrative district should be one of the highest of your design priorities.

We suggest that any medium density development is continental in style: 2-3 storeys; full depth basements; strong linear frontage to streetscapes with set-backs at high level; ensure a clear understanding of public/private spaces; punctuation of streetscapes with pocket parks and plazas providing quiet and active spaces; sun path analysis with massing and streetscapes orientated to suit; definitive clustering of residential areas around commercial core around a transport hub so as to generate economic activity.