You might’ve noticed American towns and cities looking increasingly “ugly.” Such a reaction is nearly universal. Unsurprisingly, most architects are no longer taught the traditional design principles that once made up the craft of architecture and ensured that buildings resulted in maximum human delight.
If traditional design has been forgotten, our only hope, in the short term, is the creation of some minimum level of design restriction to get things back on track. That’s what you’ll find below. It’s an adaptation of the traditional design principles found at the Institute of Traditional Architecture, translated into the language of a zoning ordinance. Illustrations accompany the text. I welcome all feedback! Fixing the public visual realm is going to take lots of trial and error, no doubt.
1.10.100 – Purpose and intent.
The architectural design provisions are established by this title to ensure the creation of an aesthetically pleasing visual environment with respect to public-facing buildings pursuant to the authority contained in Section 13-7-201 of the Tennessee Code Annotated to regulate the height, bulk, number of stories, and size of buildings and other structures [Note: insert a reference to your state’s enabling zoning legislation here]. The provisions of this title are intended:
- To regulate exterior design, arrangement, texture and materials proposed to be used to ensure the maximum level of enjoyment by the viewing public;
- To preserve and protect the integrity of the built environment when infill occurs in areas where the existing building stock features historical and/or architectural value and no corresponding historic overlay exists;
- To create an aesthetic appearance which reflects the latest findings in the fields of neuro and cognitive science;
- To stabilize and improve property values;
- To foster civic beauty;
- To strengthen the local economy; and
- To promote a visual environment conducive to the education, morals, pleasure, and welfare of the present and future citizens of [insert municipality or county government name here].
1.10.110 – Exceptions and/or Exemptions. [These will need to be thought through carefully. Challenges to the ordinance will be handled in most jurisdictions through the locally appointed Board of Zoning Appeals.]
1.10.120 – Architectural Standards established.
The following architectural design standards are made a part of this title for all new construction.
- Openings:
- Except for attic story, cellar, dormer, and ground floor commercial windows (which may be square), openings shall be vertical rectangles with a height to width ratio between 1.5:1 to 2:1.
- Openings shall be centered horizontally within sub-masses.
- Circular windows shall only be allowed as accent features and must have diameters no larger than 0.8 times the width of any associated rectangular openings.
- Sub-masses of buildings shall feature an odd number of openings, except on recessive connecting sub-masses, which may feature an even number of openings. A central sub-mass may feature only two openings when the sub-mass is 16 feet wide or narrower.
- Adjacent sub-masses shall not feature the same number of openings.
- Horizontal spacing between openings and between an opening and the edge of a sub-mass shall not be the same width as the openings but shall be either 0.5 to 0.8 times smaller or 1.2 to 2 times larger than the width of the openings.
- With the exception of the ground floor and top story, windows shall be at least double-hung; window rails and any muntins must be visible.
- A building’s arches must be either pointed or round and feature consistent heights across rows.
- Public facing facades with no openings shall incorporate niches, molding details, or similar architectural features that conform to the above requirements.
- Subdivisions of buildings:
- Sub-masses of buildings shall project beyond or be inset back from adjacent sub-masses.
- Symmetrical buildings featuring sub-masses shall be split into an odd number of sub-masses.
- Buildings shorter than seven stories shall have no more than two stories without molding between them. Said molding shall extend around all public facing facades and through all sub-masses.
- Sub-masses of buildings shall feature an odd number of bays, except on recessive connecting sub-masses, which may feature an even number of bays.
- Symmetry and balance:
- Individual sub-masses of buildings shall be symmetrical.
- Sub-masses of asymmetrical buildings shall be balanced around the central sub-mass such that the centroid of a rectangle or square drawn to encompass the outer extremities of the front façade as viewed orthographically intersects the vertical line of symmetry of the central sub-mass.
- Framing:
- Each building shall have only one primary focal point and axis. Secondary and tertiary focal points and axes shall be smaller and shorter in height than the primary focal point and axis.
- A focal point shall be smaller at its top than at its base.
- Load bearing components:
- Except for when a large window occurs on the ground floor and/or when a building is only two windows wide, all load bearing components shall be aligned vertically for the entire height of all public-facing facades.
- Top light, bottom heavy
- Flat-roofed buildings shall feature a balustrade, cornice, stacked masonry pattern, or similar horizontal architectural feature extending across the top edge of all public-facing facades.
- A public-facing façade area shall feature the same coarseness and/or heaviness or less coarseness and/or heaviness in its material finish than the façade area beneath it.
- Public-facing columns shall be the same size or smaller than the columns beneath them.
- The lowest balconies on a public-facing façade shall be larger and/or heavier than the balconies on higher stories.
- For buildings of three or more stories, if only one story features balconies, that story should not be the top story.
- Balconies
- Fully recessed balconies are not permitted.
- Anchor abutting elements
- Architectural elements (projections, columns, beams, entablatures, etc.) that abut a wall, floor, or ceiling shall be connected to said surface by anchoring elements, as appropriate (trim, bases, capitals, engaged columns, pilasters, corbels, modillions, etc.).
- Garage:
- Garages shall be recessed ten feet back from the front façade plane of the forward-most sub-mass.
- Two-car or larger garages shall not face forward.
- Garages or garage sub-masses shall not be wider or taller than the main house structure.
- Orientation and bulk:
- Horizontal orientation shall be balanced by appropriate vertical massing by not exceeding the golden mean (1.618, or a ratio of approximately 5 units of width to 3.1 units of height). When façade length must exceed the golden mean, the horizontal façade shall be broken up into sub-masses that do not exceed the golden mean. No sub-mass shall exceed the golden mean.
- Pitched roofs shall feature a minimum slope of 4:12.
- Ornamentation:
- Nonfunctional decorative elements meant to mimic functional elements, such as inoperable shutters, shall not be obviously incapable of performing their historic function.
- Horizontal moldings shall be carried through all sub-masses.
- Bonuses are available for ornamentation. [Note: what each jurisdiction considers an appropriate density, height, or otherwise bonus will vary based on a number of factors. The politically agreed upon bonus stipulations should be spelled out here.]
Case Study
Without regulations:
With regulations:
With regulations and ornamentation bonus:
