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Research & Methodology Programme Information rev. 04.23.2001 |
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Programme |
Programme The site will be explored in terms of its potential for mixed use. Housing could exist alongside if not directly above commercial buildings. There is an opportunity for a green space near the overpass, and for a small public place where the library once stood and adjacent the fire department. Housing could define the character of Broadway Avenue, and commercial facilities along Lapiniere Boulevard could protect against the undesirable affects of the highway. The validity of constructing residential units so close to a highway could be questioned. It is certainly not the most desirable of locations. However, the problem of building houses near highways is a critical part of suburban design. In Brossard about 10% of all residentially zoned areas are located along highways (at the same distance as the site in question). Furthermore almost all highway-side properties in suburbia are appropriated for housing. Commercial development only tends to occur near highway exits or intersections. Proposed Zoning The image below shows a schematic proposal of a large scale distribution of uses. Yellow indicates residential areas, commercial zones are in blue, cyan is used for service areas (gas stations), green indicates open spaces, and magenta shows municipal services (fire station).
The site in question is primarily the island in the centre of the image. The total area of the site is approximately 430,000 sq.ft. (10 acres). According to the above distribution (that does not include circulation requirements), residential use would occupy about 50% of the area of the site (215,000 sq.ft.), commercial about 24% (103,000 sq.ft.) and pubic green spaces about 14% (60,000 sq.ft.). Of course, this does not take into account three dimensional zoning (residential uses above commercial for example). Residential Buildings Residential units would range from rental apartments to single family housing. They would likely be based on a modular dimension for the lots and for the houses. A basic home could be expanded by adding more rooms that extend to the rear defining a garden. A garage could replace the parking space and rental units or additional rooms could be located above in a finished basement. A base house could be detached, semi-detached or a townhouse. Modest in scale it could have two or three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and dining room. More bedrooms and additional common space could be added creating different models. Thus from a basic two bedroom model one can derive a four bedroom court garden house. Whereas the basic model can have a parking space, an upgraded model could have a two or three car garage. The following table shows room areas typical to 2 or 3 bedroom suburban homes. The values are an average compiled from a number of plans illustrated in the Autumn 1999 issue of the periodical Plans de Maisons du Quebec, and in pamphlets distributed by various developers of new residential projects on the South Shore. They are by no means a literal expression of the intentions of this project, but serve to give a general understanding of the programmatic requirements.
The following table compiles the above information to express the total usable area of the homes intended for this site. Rental apartments are considered as studios with a kitchenette and a bathroom (about 300 sq.ft. total).
The above information shows the variety and flexibility possible using a very simple and modest but expandable program. The ground floor of the 'maximum' home would have a footprint of approximately 1400 sq.ft. If one allows for a garden of about 500 sq.ft. and another 300 sq.ft. of outdoor space (front and rear space) one has a lot size of 2200 sq.ft. This is very small by suburban standards. Additional outdoor space (privately or communally used/owned) should be considered as an extension of the property. Also, although trees are not mentioned in the programme (and are generally not regulated in the suburbs) one should consider approximately three trees per lot. The image below compares these approximated areas for the 'maximum' model. The yellow corresponds to outdoor space (front and rear), the blue to the footprint of the house, the red to the garden and the green to the shared (or private) outdoor space.
The lot sizes mentioned above are modest compared to typical suburban detached homes. The Quartier des Lanternes, one of the new residential developments in Brossard, offers three to four bedroom homes with usable areas from 1800 sq.ft. to 2500 sq.ft. and with lot sizes from 4700 sq.ft. to 8700 sq.ft. However, the above figures would not be for single family detached homes, but townhouses with court gardens (essentially a zero-lot-line typology). The figures are also used here only as a general guide or precedent and are expected to be tested and changed throughout the design process. Commercial Buildings Commercial buildings can vary considerably in size from small retail or service stores that can operate in residential buildings to larger "big box" stores. Given the need for flexibility and mobility the open plan is often valued in commercial spaces. However the planners of suburbia often underestimate the quantity and variety of small scale stores that could easily exist amid residential buildings. Instead stores and services that could be integrated into the suburban residential fabric are grouped behind expansive parking lots, along busy through streets, and sandwiched between big-box "anchor" stores. The design for commercial space on this site could thus be done on two scales, that of the residential street, and that of the busy through street. The commercial zone along Lapiniere street could be designed as a buffer between the highway and the houses. Two storey buildings with footprints approximately 4000 sq.ft. to 9000 sq.ft. in area. It is estimated that about 20% to 30% of the total commercial area would have to be dedicated to parking (although on-street parking may diminish this figure). Vegetation will play an enormous role in harmonising the commercial and residential uses, in humanising the scale of the street and in protecting the neighbourhood from the highway. Municipal Buildings No large municipal buildings are expected to be included in the design of the site. Small facilities (100 sq.ft. to 200 sq.ft.) may be implemented in the green spaces. New transit terminals (shelters 100 sq.ft. to 200 sq.ft. in area) will be important nodes of activity in the area and will be designed as such. Public Spaces It is expected that the residential areas will have semi-public green spaces (as previously indicated) at their disposal. The green slope of the overpass, and the surrounding area seems aptly suited for a small park (about 37,000 sq.ft.). The site where the library and the city hall once stood could be appropriated as a public square (about 23,000 sq.ft.).
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author: Thiago Valente rev. 04.23.2001 |
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