By Andrew Lethbridge Ltd
5th May 2006

Index

Section one:

Design Statement & Site Photos

Section two:

Location Plan

Site Plan

Site Sections

Elevations

Floor Plan

Section one

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

The Site

The site is located on Princetown Playing Fields. Our building is positioned to ensure there is enough room to retain the football pitch. It is located adjacent to the play park and will be visible from Tavistock Road.

The stream to the east of the site will be re-landscaped courtesy of the Princes Trust. This will allow access to it and provide a better aspect from the new Community Centre.

Able-bodied parking is to be accommodated within the existing car park in the village. We have provided 5 parking spaces for the disabled adjacent to the Centre and it will also be possible to drop people by mini bus and taxi at the front door of the Centre. Pedestrian access will be encouraged by the creation of a new footpath from Tavistock Road and from the existing footpaths adjoining Barrack Road and Belliver Close. The entrance to the Centre faces onto Tavistock Road, which accommodates most of the town’s amenities and is the sunniest aspect. The Prison is to the west of the site but will not be visible from the main rooms within the Centre.

Local Need

Many of the facilities for the local community are either unsuitable and / or in need of repair. The community has no indoor sports facilities at present and there is a growing need for community facilities as the Arts Centre will be bringing new business to Princetown and the proposed new houses will also bring new residents.

The Church is still consecrated ground and the other community facilities such as the library and Wesley House are damp and in need of refurbishment. It is anticipated that, by building a bespoke facility that addresses the needs of the whole community under one roof, current facilities will be improved and people will then be encouraged to use all the other facilities. Wesley House, the library and the doctor’s surgery can then be sold and developed for other uses i.e. housing, retail or commercial use thus perpetuating the regeneration of Princetown.

Views

The view of the Moorland from the car park, which is protected in the current DNP local plan, will not be affected. (See figure 4)

Only the foreground of the view from Moor Crescent will be affected (see site sections). Moreover, the centre will be evident from Hessary Terrace but the views of the moor will not be completely obscured due to the stepping nature of the site. From Two Bridges Road, the Centre will be seen below the prison, therefore it’s scale in proportion to the prison will be reduced.

Insert photograph 1 – view of site from Belliver Close
Insert photograph 2 – View to north of site
Insert photograph 3 – Stream area east of site
Insert photograph 4 – View of Dartmoor from car park

Landscaping

A planting scheme is to be agreed with the DNP, which contains species of plants capable of flourishing in the exposed position that the centre is to inhabit. The north elevation is to be banked and this bank will be planted in order to create a natural base from which the building will rise, as seen from the moor. The south entrance area will be planted to encourage people to linger. We wish to achieve this by appealing to as many senses as possible, i.e. smell, sound, touch as well as sight. To the east the landscaping will be integrated with the stream, and to the west it is possible that at some point a small herb garden will be created for the kitchen.

PARAMETERS OF THE DESIGN

To create a Community Centre which accommodates:
Internet bar / reception
Large hall
Small hall
Doctor’s surgery & associated facilities
Children’s area
Library & Archive areas
Changing facilities
Offices for HMCA

To create an inviting, inspiring but practical facility for the community.

To maximise the views of the moor from the reception and main hall.

To create a building that responds to the landscape of the moor and the positive elements of Princetown vernacular whilst being inviting to it’s occupants.

To create an environmentally sustainable building.

To integrate existing footpaths and create new landscaping to encourage pedestrian access to the new community resource and landscaped stream area.

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS OF DESIGN

Materials

There is a mixed pallet of materials used in this design, namely granite, render, glass & timber.

The overall effect of the mixed pallet is to break elevations into a human scale to the south and to create a block effect on the north elevations, similar in scale to the existing buildings in Princetown viewed from Ashburton Road.

With regard to the quantity of glass used in this design, one of our design parameters is to create an environmentally sustainable building and therefore we wish to use natural light and ventilation in as much of the building as possible.

Another of the design parameters means that our scheme should respond to the positive elements of the Princetown and Dartmoor vernacular. The Dartmoor vernacular has a high proportion of wall to window and we trust that our design presents an acceptable compromise between these two ideals.

The timber has been introduced to create an element of warmth, which our clients feel is lacking in many of the Princetown buildings. There is a recent precedent set for the use of timber type cladding in the Brewery.

Insert photograph 5 – View of Princetown Brewery showing timber

Granite and render are the most widely used materials, and we have used these materials predominately for this reason. We have used more render as we consider it to be a lighter and more welcoming material and there are issues concerning the cost of introducing granite sills etc.

The Duchy of Cornwall has kindly offered to donate a limited quantity of local granite free of charge. We propose to use this for landscaping and the construction of a granite wall, which is to be perceived as continuous (see Design). This wall introduces an element of granite in the most conspicuous part to the design (the entrance area) and highlights the east west emphasis on circulation. In addition to this, there will be a short wall either side of the structure to help the scheme rise gradually from the ground.

Insert photograph 6 – Typical use of granite, render and natural slate
Insert photograph 7 – typical use of granite, render and natural slate
Insert photograph 8 – Typical use of granite and natural slate
Insert photograph 9 – Typical use of granite and natural slate

Shape and Position

The height of the main hall is dictated by the height required to play badminton. The roof pitches (where slate) have been set at 35 degrees, this is the traditional pitch for Princetown and one we feel is wise to adopt, considering Princetown’s occasional inclement weather conditions.

The East section of our design has been splayed in order to respond to the site contours and to present a more welcoming aspect to Belliver Close. The building is orientated north/south as this creates a southerly aspect and greater potential to exploit the views to the north (whilst ignoring the view of the prison to the west). The span of the building elements enables most of the building to be naturally lit and ventilated. The ends of the structure have been gabled as this is such a distinctive part of the Princetown vernacular.

Detailing & Fenestration

It is felt that the proportions, shape and materials used in our design should harmonise with the existing town. The detailing has a modern flavour because the site is set back from the main street and therefore our scheme is not seen directly next to other buildings and can, as a result, express itself as a modern building. We have introduced plain softwood windows with heavy concrete sills and lintels. This is extrapolated from details commonly seen around Princetown. See figure 10 showing a window on the adjacent school. The overhangs will be approximately 150mm, enough to create a shadow line, whilst staying close to the flush facias traditionally used in Princetown (presumably to reduce the risk of wind damage).

Insert photograph 10 – window detail

There has been a strong desire for gable walls throughout the many permutations of this scheme as they are a distinctive feature of Princetown, however it has been decided that gable should not be used as they are a problem detail and also expensive.

In order to assimilate this style we have introduced clipped eaves on the gables and an angled block at the eaves to cover the overhang. This detail is used elsewhere in Princetown

Insert photograph 11 – gable detail
Insert photograph 12 – view of site from Hessary Terrace

We intend to increase the thickness of the granite wall to 45mm and to set the windows 250mm back from the front face in order to emphasise the solid nature of this building element.

CONCLUSION

We have sought to create an appropriate building – in scale and detail – whilst embracing the users requirements. We have attempted to knit the building fabric of Princetown together by including the existing footpath and introducing an extra path from the main street.

Our building protects the playground from the north and spans the gap between the school and Hessary Terrace. Moreover, it creates a sheltered south facing entrance space away from traffic, where people can meet and socialise in safety.

Section two

Insert all drawings: (all need scanning from A4 copies)

Location Plan
Site Plan
Site Sections
Elevations
Floor Plan