Drumchapel | Urban Design Project 3 | Masterplanning

URBAN DESIGN PROJECT IN DRUMCHAPEL 03: SPECIAL DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Prepared By: Zhenghao Gan Architecture Year5 Urban Design Studies Unit University of Strathclyde

Foreword This urban design project is the final year project of our postgraduate study in University of Strathclyde. The course is designed to equip us to analyse the urban fabric, space and measures. The chosen site is Drumchapel, located in the north - west of Glasgow city. The site is currently a problematic area in Glasgow and my target is to renew and improve the area according to current urban design theory.

Our design process is divided into three stages: analysing the existing city, creating a overall strategy and detailed masterplan. This booklet is created to explain my detailed masterplan proposal for the third stage, developed with the first two stages research. Please also check booklets for the details of current situation of Drumchapel and booklets for our early stages of development strategy.

This is the third booklet out of three. In this booklet there will be a collection of the detail of special public space I chosen to develop, such as the centre square and public green space.

Contents

1. Analysis and Strategy Current Drumchaple Analysis Design Elements Strategies Proposed Concept Plan

2. Regulatory Framework Foundation Masterplan Street Design

3. Special Design Development Blocks Design Development Open Space Design Development Green Space Design Development

4.Conclusion The Masterplan

SPECIAL DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Blocks Design Development

Block Adaptability to accommodate the changes of urban structure and time.

They can adjust themselves to the changing demo-socialof urban structure. future scenarios: planning condition, a positive economic boom, a solution to population index growth by 2050, or an economic recession.

The masterplan is well prepared for changing demo-socialeconomic conditions: block sizes, plot width and depth, internal blocks, active frontages. Land owner can accommodate

The block is located on the New Stonedyke Drive to accommodate active frontage, office uses, workshop, social housing and residence housing.

The economic boom will bring build form changes: the increasing space for office use and active frontage, the residence expands as well to form a denser form.

The block changes when population increase: more social housing is required, the twin family houses can be replaced with multifamily flat, storage space and active frontage increases to provide more facility for growing population.

The workshop and residential use increases when the growth of local economy. The overall block density increases.

The density of the block could be easily changed by transform the building function.

Little changes are made when population growth happens. Social housing block increases and storage space extends.

The medium state was proposed when planning: East side facing secondary road, the rest are on the neighbourhood streets. This block is dominated by the residential uses with a large signal storey workshop.

Enough storage and parking space are arranged to fit residences needs.

Social housing proportion greatly increases when population growth happens. Working and living requirement can be mixed in inner block.

As economic recession in, land is difficult to sold only can be occupied with parking space for rent. The light industry or workshop area decrease; more social housing are needed.

SPECIAL DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Open Space Design Development

Small open spaces are very important to the city, especially when there is high density residential area.

These open space created space to breath between the buildings, and introduce different visual effect among the buildings.

On the other hand, squares can be just a empty space if no one is willing to use it. A well loved square can be anything, as long as people are willing to come and use the space. Rather than planning what to do on the square, my proposal leave the decision to the residents of Milton.

The open space is not specifically designed for anything.

Most of them are located close to high density, mix-use residential blocks, some with public buildings near by to make sure people will walk pass this space and use it in different time period.

A public square locates on the highest point of the topography in design area, and it is right in the centre of existing centre of public spaces. As the precedent image it can be as a busy walking scene or a stopping point as meeting place.

Milton Centre Plaza Goal: London bond street

Bond Street Station, London

Station Plaza Pavement Reference: for pavements around fountain, and the bench.

The square works as a functioning public open space to provide essential link to those passing through. The quality of the plaza should be defined as a gathering and safe place to attract people. The plaza provides civic sense, a place to hold events and to relax. A fountain in the centre is designed to strengthen the view, which can add identity as a navigate signage. The surrounding buildings are including a public office building, a cafe or a restaurant and a community centre. They are all 3 storey high to be a demotic size to get a sense of intimacy.

A quiet and domestic feeling is created: standing in a leafy garden square surrounded by silver birch trees. The surrounding blocks are medium density housing. In the plaza, the layout of the housing blocks provides a enclosure and the stone pavement strengthen the atmosphere. It’s an idea place for children playing in terms of scale and surrounding.

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SPECIAL DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Green Space Design development

By improving walking connections and creating a new green network I aim to form a sense of place and identity with new green avenues, green streets, pathways and nature trails. The new green spaces and streets can also be utilised to form an ecological strategy to aid with surface water drainage and river flooding by implementing SUDS.

garden. It is a lighter, more satisfying and pleasant roster of task comparing to the boring work in a farm. The community garden only requires participation in residents’ spare time.

Community gardens contribute to a healthy lifestyle Relieve stress and increase sense of wellness Getting people active, improves overall physical health Help build a sense of community and belonging Opportunity to learn and share knowledge Build welcoming, safer communities Improve the look of neighbourhoods Sequestering carbon Reducing the shipping of food over long distances Support well-being habitats Reduce food insecurity Connect people to nature Provide a common meeting area Educate people on food

Earlier in 2017, due to the cold weather there were a few types of vegetables disappeared from the shelves. The supply of vegetables heavily depend on import, which means this Britain. A community garden will help prevent the shortage of food and supply stable and safe food source.

Create Unique Civic Space

Education For Children

Enjoy Growing With Low Cost

Encourage Social Interaction

Local Food Supply

Space For Local Events

Promote Healthy Lifestyle

Good Family Activity

Founded in 1991, Garden Cottage is a forest garden in Coldstream, Scotland. It is named as Garden Cottage as it is located within a garden of a large estate. It is a 800m2 area having a various range of perennial fruit and nut trees including quince, plums, cherries, apples, pears, apricots, prolific hazels, walnuts, and chestnuts. Together with the trees, there are strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, red, white and blackcurrants, and blackberries. As annual crops, there are potatoes, parsnips, beetroot, carrots, turnips, radishes, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, peas, garlic, fennel, artichokes (globe and Jerusalem) rocket, broad (fava) and runner beans, lettuce and many other salad plants, pumpkins, courgettes/marrows, sunflowers, and diverse types of herbs. In addition to these, the garden provides firewood and timber for garden constructions. Apart from the plants, Garden Cottage hosts a variety of birds, bugs, and small animals. At some points, there were chickens, rabbits, Muscovy and Call ducks, guinea pigs, bees, and pigs. Currently, there are some goldfish and Call ducks. It is possible to visit Garden Cottage, join training through courses, which are organised throughout the year or join open days held in summer.

Community Allotment/Garden An allotment is an area used to grow fruit, nuts, vegetables, herbs and other plants. Produce can be used to feed the community or sold to local businesses such as cafes and grocers for profit.

“I decided instead of sitting in the house all day, the garden would get me out and about. It gives me something to do… Me being epileptic as well, it [the garden] helps bring down my stress levels with having something on my mind […] I was in a bad way, drugs and stuff – working the gardens has saved my life.” (Volunteer, April 2014).

Garden Cottage.

A variety of fruits and vegetables.

Lambhill Stables Community Garden.

Lambhill Stables Community Garden.

Garscadden Burn in Drumchapel has a high rate of bio-diversity accompanied with a water channel runs to River Clyde so riparian buffers will be a simple and inexpensive way to protect and improve water quality. ‘’Between 50 and 85 percent of storm water pollutant loads can be filtered within 100 to 300 foot vegetated buffers through local plant communities’’ (Conservation Buffers: Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways). Buffer Strips along the bank will create potential to increase bio-diversity and prevent soil erosion.

Dry swale when integrated with check dams and under drains, detains storm water and increases the infiltration rate. It also has the capacity to reduce peak flow that includes runoff detention and sedimentation. Dry swales will improve site aesthetics and provide wildlife habitat in Drumchapel.

Within the Natural Environmental Policy in the Glasgow City Development Plan (CDP), Drumcahpel is identified as a flood risk management area. Scottish Water are the public body responsible for flood risk management operations. Flooding is proving to be a major issue in the area and the existing drainage systems is in sufficient to cope with the demands.

There are streets in the low points of the accumulate water area. Key areas of Drumchapal that need tackling include the north of the site, where several schools are located, which brings water into the boundary and to the south eastern and south western edges.

Many elevated points in the topography of Drumchapel result in rain water run-off that accumulates in dips and valleys.

Our aim is to treat stormwater runoff at multiple levels before it is stored for reuse or redirected to main drainage system. SUDS systems are proposed to prevent water ingress at the green edge to the north of Drumchapel.

SPECIAL DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Master Plan

The final masterplan is the combination of the work explained in the previous chapters. In the map there are details of plot design, access and transitional spaces, specialist plots and blocks design, landmarks and stages design, street design and public spaces design.

After this year studying urban design theory, as architecture students, it is a valuable experience.

Although in architecture studios I also consider my bigger context, but the meaning of context totally changed when the design area is in urban scale. This course does encouraged us to really think about why our city looks like the way it is now, and how it could be better in the future.

It is very interesting that after a year of study, every line on the street suddenly has a meaning. Reading the city becomes a natural action when walking around.

Also the participation of Glasgow Housing Association and Glasgow City Council made my proposal more on the ground. One of the bad thing being an architecture student, we are always looking at those fancy projects that costs a lot. But in real life there is always the problem of money. During the design process we need to think about how to use every piece of land efficiently, creating usable spaces instead of left over spaces. Every decision we made costs, so it is important to ensure they create value.

Special thanks to Sergio and Ombretta for all the advices.

This is just a sample of the final master plan. Please refer to my poster with my masterplan in 1:1000 for further details.

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