wivenhoe _ urban analysis report

CONTENTS

Abstract

Introduction to Wivenhoe

Location Information

Part A – Urban Analysis • West Quay

• Old Quay

• Historical Core

• Residential Area

• King George Park

• High Street

Part B – Development Brief • Introduction & Location details

• Client’s Brief

• Development Vision

• Site Appraisal

• Relevant Public Policy

• Opportunities and Constraints

• Development Principles

• Details

Conclusion

Personal Reflections

Meetings minutes

Reference List

In alphabetic writing, the meaning of a word is not only associated with the image that this word

represents, it is also related with its idea, the thoughts that someone has when reading or listening to this word.

With this in mind, when we think about a city or a space within a city, many images and ideas may emerge in our

head due to our experiences in this place. Those image-ideas come from a two-way process between the observer

and what is observed, it is the human perception of the urban environment and as an environment it cannot be

seen as an isolated cell.

Abstract

Team LEGIBILITY To better understand the creation process of those images it is

important to recognize some structures and identify some patterns in order to read

and analyse an urban space. In this case of study, the town of Wivenhoe, the main

guide to the analysis was the idea of LEGIBILITY, that is described by Kevin Lynch in

his book The image of the city as how ease the parts of the cityscape can be

organized and recognized. To amplify the understanding of Wivenhoe by this guide-

word some sites of the city were chosen to be studied more deeply, those sites are:

the port, the quay, area around the Church and its connection with the train station,

the High Street and the King George Playing Field.

To study these character areas, several visits to the site in different

times of the day, sketches, pictures an notes were made to analyse the urban

environment of the place and its context. With all the information together with was

possible to discuss the issues, possibilities and constraints with th group member

and ground the research to the urban analysis of wivenhoe.

1335312 Bianca Baidoo

1305535 Desmond Ackam

1354124 Willnara Braga

Diniz Guimaraes

1361128 Clidenor Junior

1422064 Jessica Faria

de Souza

1428554 Juyoun Kim #

Part A _ LOCATION INFORMATION

Wivenhoe is a town in north eastern E

ssex, England, within the administratio

n boundary of the Borough of Colche

ster, which is the local planning autho

rity.

The Town is also located on the banks

of the River Colne, a small river that ru

ns through Colchester and flows thro

ugh the Hythe and down to Brightling

sea. This fact reflects on the town’s his

tory, being centred on maritime indus

tries, such as fishing and ship building

.

Map illustrating the location of Wiven

hoe. From England to Essex, then Col

chester and finally Wivenhoe. Map by

Clidenor Macêdo Júnior.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOWN

For being on the banks of the River Colne, Wivenhoe to

wn’s history is centred on maritime industries, such as fis

hing, rope-making and ship building. The earliest record

of ship building is in 1575 and, before the 17th century

was out, the town was sending two packet boats regular

ly to London (Wivenhoe History Group, 2014).

In the 18th century, Wivenhoe developed as a port and

until the late 19th century was effectively for Colchester,

once large ships were unable to navigate any further up

the River Colne. However, the period of greatest prosper

ity for the town came with the opening of the railway lin

e from Colchester to Wivenhoe in 1863, and three years

later a branch line to Brightlingsea. Now, fish and oyster

s could be despatched rapidly to London, making the ec

onomy of the town increase, while materials, such as wo

od for ship building and slates for the roofs of the house

s could be conveniently brought to the town. Meanwhile

, the population doubled, from one to two thousand, be

tween 1801 and 1881. Map illustrating the evolution of Wivenhoe’s urban growth. Map by Clide

nor Macêdo Júnior.

Photos illustrating the resistence of the local architecture. The building in the

left is the Park Hotel, on High Street, the photo in the up is from 1905 and th

e down one is from 2010. The building in the right is the Grey Hound Pub, als

o in the High Street, in two different times. It can be noticed that the architec

ture of those buildings have not changed much, remaining almost the same.

Photos taken from the website http://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk

However, the most significant fact about Wiven

hoe to the present is the remarkably quick rise i

n population in the course of 20th century’s sec

ond half. This happened when the Wivenhoe Pa

rk was chosen as the location for the University

of Essex, in 1964. The population increased abo

ut 95% to 5316 in 1971 (Wivenhoe Town Plan, 2

008).

The Wivenhoe of today is a much larger commu

nity, with a population around ten thousand, inc

luding the students who live on the University o

f Essex campus. Also, aside from the inclusion o

f tarmac, the town’s network of main roads rem

ains the same in essence as it has been for hun

dreds of years, although the architecture in itsel

f has not change much, with some buildings re

maining the same since they were built years ag

o, only changing their use.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOWN – Character Areas

As stated in the Abstract, to amplify the understanding

of Wivenhoe by this report, some sites of the town were

chosen to be studied more deeply, calling them charact

er areas, those sites are:

the West quay, a residential area that comprises the dry

dock;

the Old quay, the oldest part of the town alongside the

river Colne;

the Historical core, an area around the St Mary’s Church

and its connection with the train station, due to its histo

rical importance;

the Residential area located in the east of High Street, a

large area that differs from all the others sites.

The Park, The King George Playing Field, one of the mai

n points of Wivenhoe, and its connection with the build

ings on its surroundings;

and the High Street, the most important avenue of the t

own that makes a connection between Wivenhoe and C

olchester;

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOWN – Character Areas

Map highlighting all the six character areas. Map by Clidenor Macêdo Júnior.

West Quay _ Bianca Baidoo

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APPRAISAL FORMS daytime Night time

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URBAN STRUCTURE Analysing the urban structure in and

around the west quay, there is a limited bus ser

vice, other than this, there are no other

public transport services. There is also an

identifiable amount of off road parking, this co

uld be due to the fact that there is a

limited amount of allocated drive way

parking.

Due to the planning of the area, there is a

vast amount of housing, showing that more att

ention has gone into housing the

residents, than into the placement of cars.

This is due to the reason that, the Wivenhoe to

wn council, wants to reduce the road

usage and encourage walking and cycling; as a

result, of this there is limited road and

pedestrian usage in order to increase space

for housing.

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URBAN GRAIN

Viewing the urban grain of the west quay in detail, road by road the pattern of blocks and buildings are Irregular. The road widths are mainly narrow as you go further into the west quay from the railway station. On Old Ferry Road, the road allows a larger flow of traffic to leave and enter the West Quay. However, on Merediths Close and Spindrift way, the flow of traffic becomes, reduced and fewer cars circulate the area, unless the cars are leaving or going home. Therefore, on the roads more central to the west quay there are many cars giving way to other cars, due to the narrowed road width.

Positive figure plan illustrates the different types of building form and the extent and intensity of this. In the west quay the buildings are evenly spaced out, and evenly sized.

Negative Figure plan showing the open spaces in-between Buildings. The spaces illustrate the routes and Traffic routes within the west Quay. The roads are a mixture of straight and curved

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LANDSCAPE

The landscaping of the west quay is different, to other places within Wivenhoe. The topography of wivenhoe, is mainly flat land, this may be because it is by the River Colne, the edge of Wivenhoe. The west of this area is encased by a vast amount of natural land; from a distance, this flat green land enhances the aesthetical value of the West Quay, because the different housing colours can be seen in the brighter part of the day. Within the West Quay, there are various types of vegetation. The area contains natural vegetation, such as the land that encases the west of the west quay. There is a greater deal of fabricated vegetation, such as plants growing outside of houses and vine plants growing along the side of the houses. This vegetation, seems to have been planted by the residents for an aesthetical value. This is evident because not all houses have this feature; the colour of the grass outside of homes and the colour of leaves of the plants are of an artificial nature.

Photo of manmade Plants planted by residents. Photo taken by Bianca Baidoo

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LANDSCAPE

Appraisal map of Landscaping within the west quay. Grass areas populated within residents Garden and Main trees congested on lower eastern area of west quay highlighted on map and notated on the key.

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LANDSCAPE

Photo of Natural vegetation shown in first photo in contrast to Manmade vegetation shown in second photo. Photo taken by Bianca Baidoo

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LANDSCAPE

Drawing/Watercolour of Plants planted by residents. Photo taken by Bianca Baidoo

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DENSITY & MIX

Within the west quay, the development is solely residential housing. The area is focussed on housing the population of Residents. The planning of the west quay highlights this. The layout of the roads within this area, are curved in order to fit as many houses as possible and to make the area have a more Cohesive structure in terms of linking roads together. In regards to the planning, using straighter roads in some cases could limit this, Admirals Walk is a perfect example of this. There are no commercial developments within the west quay area, because the west quay purpose is for housing.

Photo of more narrow metalled road spacing on mulberry harbour way. Photo taken by Bianca Baidoo

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DENSITY & MIX

Wider roads nearer to busier areas,. In this example Old Ferry Road allows more traffic to flow through, because it is near the railway station so this area is more likely to be congested. Photo taken by Bianca Baidoo. #

DENSITY & MIX

Appraisal map of Private and Public realms within the west quay. Public areas only include the main roads and the pond area. Semi public areas are located in driveways of clustered housing as shown in light blue. Private areas such as housing and gardens dominate west quay, purple areas and black blocks of building area.

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SCALE

Viewing the west quay from a vantage point, all the building heights from a distance vary just by a few inches. Nevertheless as you get closer all houses are typically made up of two floors, apart from the dry dock. The dry dock consists of houses that are mainly made up of three floors and in some cases four. The houses bordering the dry dock, have a height that draws attention to the pond area creating a view leading to the river Colne. The height of housing development covering the west quay, keeps the towns Chapel as a trademark, as it is noticeable from vantage points.

Silhouette Photo of Pond area, and buildings bordering the area, giving a good view towards the River Colne. Photo taken by Bianca Baidoo.

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SCALE

Observational ink drawing of houses on spindrift way with different heights but all houses are two storeys. Drawing by Bianca Baidoo.

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SCALE

Photos of houses acting as a border around Vistas. Photo taken by Bianca Baidoo.

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SCALE

Two storey houses and below

Above two storey houses

This map illustrates the scale of houses within the west quay. The west quay is dominated by houses that are two storeys and below. The houses that are above two storeys are populated around areas of great views, such as the west quay border by the river Colne and by the vast grassland to the west of the west quay. They are also populated around the pond area in the dry dock. In a way these taller houses work as a border and emphasise on these vistas.

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APPEARANCE

The appearance of the west quay is a bright contrast from the other areas of wivenhoe. This is down to the reason that the area is a new addition, to the Wivenhoe area. The approach used to plan this side of the quay, adapts a modern style of town planning. The appearance of the houses, use subtle pastel colours to reflect the calm atmosphere of the quay as a whole. The roofs of the houses are also at a specific angle to maintain the coherency of the historical value of the town. If the roof angle, were made more obtuse and relaxed, this would detract from this important feature of maintaining that the houses throughout wivenhoe to resemble one another. Throughout the West Quay, not every house looks identical. However, the houses use the same materials such as paint, cement, red brick and wooden cladding (on the upper half of the houses) a great example of this will be along the dry dock, surrounding the pond area.

Photo of houses om dry dock, pastel colours used on houses and wooden cladding on the façade. Photo taken by Bianca Baidoo.

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APPEARANCE

Photos of mixture of housing within west quay, all look different from afar but all use same materials and have similar aesthetics. Photo taken by Bianca Baidoo

Observational watercolour drawing of houses and aesthetics of them on the dry dock. Drawing by Bianca Baidoo.

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CONCLUSION

To conclude, the west quay area can be considered to be different to the rest of Wivenhoe, due to it's new housing developments. The style of this is unique to Wivenhoe as a whole and it's area draws much attention due to this. The west quay has been planned in a way where Wivenhoe's historical value has not been wiped away and is in fact carried throughout the west quay's appearance. This area of Wivenhoe provides a serene atmosphe

re, that is appreciated by it's residents and it's visitors.

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Old Quay _ Desmond Ackam

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THE OLD QUAY Appraisal Forms

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THE OLD QUAY

Summary The Old Quay is one of the most important areas in Wivenhoe. This dates back to the medieval period where Colne Estuary was main source of income to the locals. However the Quay has transformed drastically as the population rose over the years making it more legible. Now there are various activities that take place around the area such as fishing, boat sailing and leisure. The locations in this Character area are Bath Street, Quay Street. The Quay, East Street, Black Buoy Hill and The Folly From the following slides below, The Old quay is analysed under headings such as urban structure, urban grain, Landscape, Density and mix, scale and appearance with the aim of breaking down the current state of the Old Quay and its key elements. Which are: • Heights of buildings • Layout of buildings • Level od development • Movement in the area

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OLD QUAY: Appraisal drawing

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URBAN STRUCTURE

The Old quay’s response to urbanisation is impressive. Although The Wivenhoe town history has it that the old quay was a shipyard and the gateway to most commercial activities in the town, the Old quay has evolved in terms of urbanisation. The most urbanised aspect of the Old Quay is its west side: which has seen new Housing Constructions. There is a whole sense of harmony as the remains of the pre historic Old Quay has merged beautifully with the new developments in the area.

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URBAN STRUCTURE

Key Area The Quay is the main focus of this side of Wivenhoe, this is be cause of its strong connection to the town’s history.

Photo of the Quay. Showing people walking around the Quay. Photograph by Desmond Ackam

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URBAN GRAIN FIGURE PLANS

Positive

Negative

The Negative figure plan shows the spacing of buildings in the Old Quay. There are linear and irregular spaces in between buildings: this creates some interesting views as you walk in between the buildings.

The positives the unequal distances between the buildings and also the different forms of buildings in this area. These different building forms, result in different heights and types of the buildings

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URBAN GRAIN

Buildings in the Old Quay area have an interesting pattern of irregularity to them. From bird’s eye view, there are mostly between three to five groups of houses laid out linearly with the others angled opposite or in a different angle to each other. From the East Street towards the quay, there is this pattern of old buildings untouched to old buildings maintained with a modern touch to it with some bright colours. The irregular pattern of the buildings in this area creates narrow spaces between buildings which have been tarred as roads.

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URBAN GRAIN

Photo of the East Street. Showing The different heights of buildings and uneven spacing in between them. Photograph by Desmond Ackam

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LAND SCAPE

The Old quay mostly has domestically designed buildings. These buildings have a regular rectangular, square or a combination of the two as one unit of a building. This is because some houses in the area have small extensions. However, there are appreciable amounts of green areas within these groups of buildings: some grown in pots, around the houses by residents and some also grown naturally. There are few building extensions on the river where people board the boats from or sat out to relax.

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LAND SCAPE

Photo of Ornamental vegetation around the Quay by Residents. Photograph by Desmond Ackam

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LAND SCAPE

Photo of Natural vegetation and building extensions around the Quay by Residents. Photograph by Desmond Ackam

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DENSITY & MIX

The Quay is mainly residential and leisure area where people sit out to relax and ride on the river. The housing development from the East Street maintain the old brick patterning and colours through to Bath Street, Quay Street and Black Buoy Hill where they have been developed with plastering, new bricks and painting. However, the pub, the Wivenhoe Port and services club are commercial areas where people socialise.

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DENSITY & MIX

A Sketch of The Quay being used for leisure. Sketch by Desmond Ackam

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DENSITY & MIX

Photo of old and new brick patterning with a mixture of wood cluttering and plastered walls. Photograph by Desmond Ackam

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DENSITY & MIX

Photo of old patterning contrasting a plastered and painted building. Photograph by Desmond Ackam

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SCALE

There are mostly one storey building in the Old Quay area. Most of these buildings are residential except The Royal British Legion (Wivenhoe Services Club) which is a commercial building. There are also some two storey buildings in the Old Quay area these: some are residential and the others are commercial (The Wivenhoe Port). All these building have solid shapes (rectangular, square or both) but not as high as the St Mary’s church on the other side of the East Street.

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SCALE

A Sketch of different building heights and pitch of roofs creating a beautiful contrast with skyline in the old Quay Sketch by Desmond Ackam

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SCALE

A photo of different building heights on the East Street Photograph by Desmond Ackam

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APPEARANCE Variety is the simple description of the appearance on the Old Quay area. There is brick and block work on houses,

which are painted or left in its original state. The painted brick and block walls are in warm and inviting mild pink,

white, blue, yellow, grey, cream and orange which brightens up the surroundings in the day time. The old brick work

has faded and decayed which gives an organic feel to the surroundings. There are also wood cluttering on extensions

of some houses: with ornamental growths around buildings mainly for decoration. The cluttered wooden walls are also

in plain colours 9 white and Black; this seems like a theme around the Quay. The roof of the buildings are mostly clay

and slate with mould on some parts of them. Some roof have shed roof pitches, pavilion, others are flat and others

very saddle. This part of Wivenhoe clearly looks to keeping the strong historical link it has and merging it with a slight

sense of modernisation. The surroundings still has ship yard elements (old/new boats, canoes, all walking bridges) as

well as the pond area with pavement and chairs with trees for leisure.

A photo of different walls surfaces on the Quay and Black Buoy hill Photograph by Desmond Ackam #

APPEARANCE

A sketch of a view point of on the Black Buoy hill, showing a pavilion roof pitch and ornamental vegetative over Sketch by Desmond Ackam

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APPEARANCE

A sketch of a view point of on the Anchor Hill Sketch by Desmond Ackam

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APPEARANCE

Photos of different forms of decay around the Quay and Down The Black Buoy Photograph by Desmond Ackam

Photos of beautiful skyline views of the Quay. Photograph by Desmond Ackam

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CONCLUSION

Looking at the present day developments made in the entire Wivenhoe, it can be said that the Old Quay is the trans. Simply meaning that it is the area of the town where new developments

met the old rich historical aspect of the town. This has given the Old Quay area a balanced presence of the old and developed architecture and the two have merged beautifully as evidenced in some of the pictures. With some areas in the Old Quay still undergoing development, the

Old Quay still manages to keep its rich history; which is good for residents and visitors to experience. In other words, the more rapid the development, the more legible the are becomes.

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HISTORICAL CORE _ Clidenor Macedo Junior

Located in the south of Wivenhoe, alongside the quay and next to the River Colne, the Historical Core is a site around the St Mary’s Church and its connection with the train station and is one of the oldest areas of the town. Inserted in the Wivenhoe conservational area, where the Council decides on demolishing of buildings and other structures, the Historical Core covers key features of the town, such as the train station and the St Mary’s Church, classified as landmarks, “point references which most people experience from outside” (Bentley at al., 1985. P44), important paths, like part of the High Street and the Station Road, and also relevant nodes like the connection between the High Street and the Station Road and the one in front of the Train Station. Those elements help to increase the town’s legibility.

Map highlighting the Historical Core area. Map by Clidenor Macêdo Júnior.

Urban Context

HISTORICAL CORE – Notated plan

All this range of features reafirms the importance of the

Church, as a Landmark and for the history of the town.

Alma Street differs fr

om the whole by its

urban shape.

The Station in itself repres

ents the economic growth

of the tow.

The train line works like an adge. Dividing Wive

nhoe in tow: Up/North Wivenhoe and Down/S

outh Wivenhoe. Apart of being a real barrier, li

miting the movement of the people

HISTORICAL CORE – Urban structure

Map highlighting the paths and roads of the Historical C

ore area. Map by Clidenor Macêdo Júnior.

After analyzing the urban structure of the

area, it was noted the clear predominanc

e of organic form on the road’s trace. Als

o that in many instances there is a narro

wing of those roads.

This narrowing of the streets gives the fe

eling that the area is more dense, which i

s actually true, in comparison with other

areas of the city.

Another consequence is the lack of parki

ng, the cars do not have places to park. T

his is actually one of the major problems

already reported by residents of the tow

n, which will damage traffic.

HISTORICAL CORE – Urban grain

Like organic tissues whose cell arrangements delineate interstitial sp

aces of various shapes and functions, the organization of the buildin

gs in cities results in spaces of the same type.

The map has a trace with organic routes – Alma Street and Station R

oad being the exceptions -, irregular blocks, where the relationship

of fullness to emptiness is not very prevalent. It is also possible to no

tice some gaps not yet invaded by the built environment.

The frontage line of the buildings is now easy to read and, like the ro

ads, it is not regular – again, Alma Street and Station Road being the

exception, and Hamilton Road too.

The St. Mary’s Church is easily found, emphasizing its legibility, just li

ke the Train Station.

Alma Street, Station Road and Hamilton Road are newer paths in co

mparison with the others, and this may be the reason for its frontag

e building uniformity and straight roads.

Negative and positive figure ground maps. With the figure ground negative ma

p is possible to analyse the spaces between buildings, making possible to under

stand how public space interacts with the private one. While the positive map ill

ustrates the different types of building form. In the Historical Core, different fro

m other areas, there is not an uniformity of the shape of the buildings, with som

e exceptions like Alma Street and Hamilton Road.

Maps by Clidenor Macêdo Júnior

HISTORICAL CORE – Density and Mix

This character area shows a very interesting range o

f uses: shops, bars, residential, residential buildings

and even a church and a chapel.

The shops and service stores are located in the High

Street, right next to the St. Mary’s Church, and is act

ually the part of the High Street whit the greatest n

umber of these land uses. The train station is one of

the most important buildings of the area, classified

as a service, it is, in itself, an important landmark.

Residential buildings are concentrated in the Station

Road, West Street, East Street and Alma Street.

The St. Mary’s Church is an example of an institutio

nal land use. The church itself, which has occupied t

he same site from Saxon times to the present day, a

cquired, by about 1500, a tower, which rose high ab

ove the surrounding timber-framed houses, in whic

h bells rang and a clock chimed.

Sketch of the St. Mary’s Church. Draw

ing by Jéssica Souza

HISTORICAL CORE – Density and Mix

Photo illustrating the commercial use in the Hi

gh Street. Photo by Clidenor Macêdo Júnior.

Photo illustrating the residential use in the Station

Road. Photo by Clidenor Macêdo Júnior.

HISTORICAL CORE – Scale

Most of the buildings in the Historical Core ar

ea are from 2 to 3 storeys, making a very unif

orm sequence, creating a rhythm.

Most of the residential buildings are of 2 store

ys and the commercial and service buildings a

re from 1 to 3 storeys.

An interesting fact is that all of the residential

buildings in the West Street and Station road

are of 2 storeys.

The St. Mary’s Church is the highest building i

n the site, making possible, from its tower, to

have a great view of almost the entire town.

Photo taken from the St. Mary’s Church Tower, illu

strating the scale of the buildings in the Historical

Core area. Photo by Willnara Guimarães

RESIDENTIAL AREA _ Jessica faria de Souza

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URBAN CONTEXT

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TOWNSCAPE APPRAISAL

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NOTATED PLAN

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URBAN STRUCTURE

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URBAN GRAIN and APPEARANCE

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DENSITY and MIX

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SCALE

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FIGURE PLAN

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KING GEORGE PARK _ Willnara guimaraes

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PARK URBAN CONTEXT

Located in the city centre, this park is one of the main points

of Wivenhoe, it is surrounded in one side by the Wivenhoe Woods and in t

he other side by the High Street, despite this strategic position the park

seems rather underused and there is no organization or diversification of

infra-structure. In the east portion, where the park connects with the High

Street, there is no clear visual limit between private and public spaces

which creates a mixed edge that increases the permeability through those

green areas which contrasts with the south portion where there is a

physical barrier created by the rail line and with the west portion where the

trees of the woods form a visual barrier. In the north portion the park is

encircled by a short fence.

Source: Digimap (Edited by Willnara)

King George Playing Field Park

Park of Wivenhoe

Photo take by the group 69

PARK URBAN CONTEXT


Main access

Photos taken by the group

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PARK URBAN CONTEXT


Park of Wivenhoe

Photos taken by the group 71

NOTATED PLAN

Notated Plan

In this notated plan is possible to

see the different uses of the area around the

park with the majority of building being used

for residential purposes.

There is also the access to the

park and the physical and visual edge that exist

around the park.

The node and landmarks are also

stated in this plan.

N

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This photography is in front of the south entrance of the

park and it leads the dwellers who live behind the rail line

to the park.

This sketch is a view of the Clifton Terrace, that

is the road that leads to one of the main entrance to the

park. Its possible to see that most of the street is not

prepared to pedestrians and the public illumination is not

adequate.

Figure 6. Sketch : High street facade

Sketch: Clifton Terrace

Stair next to the rail line

Photo take by the group

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URBAN STRUCTURE

There are no streets light or signs which may be related to one o

f the problems that appeared in the survey realized by the City H

all in 2008 in which the inhabitants complained about the presen

ce of gangs in the park.

The structure in the park is not very effective in creating an

identity to the area, although there are a few remarkable points,

such as the basketball and football fields and the skateboard

slopes, in an overview those points do not stand out and are not

legible, is hard to identify a pattern among those structures,

there is no particular framed view or a distinction of scale or co

verage within the park, however the old-trees planted along the

narrow paths design in the park guide the observer eyes in long

views towards both north and south sides of the park.

Park structure

Photo take by the group


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LANDSCAPE AND URBAN GRAIN

The buildings in the east portion of the field do not have a strong impact in the

overall view of the park, even though, there are different uses to those builds and th

e distance between them and the border of the park are not very substantial, the tra

nsaction area, filled with plants and in an area, a pond, smooth away this

separation and it becomes a regular shape. By the west portion the forest creates a g

reen wall, almost a homogenous wall, because the trees have about the same

height.

Important trees

Photos taken by the group

Source: Digimap

(Edited by Willnara)

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LANDSCAPE AND URBAN GRAIN

The shape of the whole field is organic; the walking paths are re

gular, strict and narrow with a concrete surface. As for the sports

fields there a no apparent distinction between the surfaces apart

from thin lines drawn on the grass to limited the area of each act

ivity.

Photos taken by the group #

DENSITY & MIX

This area is basically a green field, so there is no

mix in the uses, it is a recreational area with little i

nfra-structure, despite the potential that the site h

olds. It not a dense park, there is no major diversi

ty in vegetation, paths and coverages.

The scales area is also very similar in the south

and north portion and only where the field

meets the woods and the builds that are a

chance in the general template of the park.

The surround area is mostly residential with some

institutional builds represented by a church and

the halls.

Source: Digimap (Edited by Willnara) #

SCALE

The scale in the area around the park is predominant

2 store houses, how is possible to see in the map on

the right and only few builds with one store. The

scale is very homogeny and that impression is

increased by the fact that most builds have the same

type of finishing.

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Source: Digimap (Edited by Willnara) #

FIGURE PLANS

Positive Negative

In those figure plan is possible to note that the builds in this area do not occupy the majority of the land space,

most of the houses around the park have a “L” or squared shape which demonstrate the homogeneity in the

building pattern.

Its also notable how the empty spaces and the park are visually connected, especially because most of the builds

are not attached to their division walls.

#

HIGH STREET _ Juyoun Kim

80

HIGH STREET URBAN CONTEXT

The High street is one of the most important area in

that it makes a connection between Wivenhoe and Colchester.

People who work or study on outside of Wivenhoe pass through

this street everyday by their own car, bicycle, and bus. This route

forms a main axis of the village with a rail road which go through

the center of small town.

Main Axis of Wivenhoe _ made by Joen

High Street area _ made by Joen

From the High street area, people can easily

access to both train sation and bus station. Also, this is one of

the area which includes lots of commercial facilities. In addition,

to the west side, huge green park is adjacent. This results in

considerable circulation to this area.

81

NOTATED PLAN

Notated Plan _ made by Joen

This notated plan includes lots of

information. First of all, color of area shows land uses.

Violet area is the residential area, which hold the highest

rate on High street. The Orange area that account for

second high rate of area is commercial area. Also there

are green area near the King George’s field and west side

of the Park road and gray colored public areas.

One of the Public area(gray color) includes

a parking lot at the corner of Clifton Terrace. Tough this

can accommodate about 40 cars, there is a problem of

parking all over the high street.

On the other hand, there are important

elements on the area such as Edge, Node, and Landmark.

Edges are the linear elements : they are usually the

boundaries between two kinds of areas.1) For example,

on the map, the vertical broken line divides green field

and high street area.

#

TOWNSCAPE APPRAISAL

Townscape Appraisal on high street at 14:30 & 18:00 #

As marked on the notated plan, northeast

façade of High Street has interesting elevation. While

northwest elevation is blocked by brick wall, it shows the

house’s façade as it is. This skyline of High street is formed by

mixture of both gradual slope of the street and height of

housing which is slightly rising and falling repeatedly.

The sketch on the right side display one of a

dead end Malting yard. This alley is usually empty except

when resident use the place for a parking lot. As this space,

there are some areas which is not used in Wivenhoe. In this

point, it is necessary to utilize these dead space for urban

design.

Sketch : High street façade _ made by Joen

Sketch : Malting yard

#

URBAN STRUCTURE

Node is the strategic focus into which the

observer can enter, typically either junctions of paths, or

concentrations of some characteristic.2) From this point, there

are two big nodes on both ends of High street. In other words,

the High street act as a bridge between two nodes.

As a result, relationship between nodes makes High

street legible. Legible city would be one whose districts or

landmarks or pathways are easily identifiable and are easily

grouped into an over-all pattern.3) High street is one of the

most legible area through this point.

Sketch of Node _ made by Joen

Picture of Wivenhoe

Picture of Wivenhoe Notated Plan #

URBAN GRAIN

The high street is where the greatest

intensity of movement occurs in Wivenhoe. As it

compose the main axis, a pattern is formed with the

street as a center. Forward to this, several roads such as

queen’s road, lifton terrace road, rebow road are

connected. Also there is a few dead end in this area.

Urban grain Appraisal map 1,2 _ made by Joen

#

Figure plan _ made by Joen

#

LAND SCAPE

Appraisal map with landscaping within the

high street. Landscape areas are evenly distributed for

overall area. Most of the western houses forward the

street tend to have own garden while the opposite

houses have less green spaces.

Landscape Appraisal map _ made by Joen

Pictures of Wivenhoe

#

DENSITY & MIX

Residential

Public

Commercial Appraisal map with density within the high

street. Compare to other areas, it includes lots of public

structure such as city council, library and so on. Also there are

some commercial shops in the site such as a restaurant, a hair

dresser, and a post office.

On the other hand, rest of them are all

residential buildings. The interesting point is the difference

between southern and western part of the street. Southern

part of the houses are placed on edge of the street and have

own garden at back side of it. However, the buildings which

are located in western part have their own yard forward to

the street. It makes differences of elevation between them.

Density & Mix Appraisal map _ made by Joen Pictures of Wivenhoe

#

Section A-A’ _ made by Joen

SCALE

1 story

2 story

3 story

Appraisal map with scale within the high

street. There is no structure higher than 4 story building

in this area and most of them are 1 story and 2 story

buildings.

Building Scale

1 Story

2 Story

3 Story

Scale Appraisal map _ made by Joen

Graph of Building Scale

A A’

#

There are some problems which can notice easily if a person walks at once on the High Street. First one is

about he width of pedestrian road which is too narrow to walk. It makes people take dangerous situation when they

make way for another pedestrian coming across. Also, it is obviously revealed through a survey which is taken by

Wivenhoe town. According to the survey, almost 70% of people consider that there are specific danger spots on

pedestrian roads.4)

The other one is that lots of cars are parked besides of the pedestrian road so that it spoil the view and

people’s circulations. From the same survey, it asked if people have difficulty parking near their home. 10% of car

owners said they often have trouble parking near their home. Therefore, it is necessary to consider these points for

urban design of Wivenhoe.

Pictures of Wivenhoe

APPEARANCE

#

CONCLUSION

• The High street is one of the most important area and it has a huge circulation in Wivenhoe.

• Relationship between nodes makes High street legible.

• Southern part and western part of the street has different form of elevation.

• Problems on the high street

1) Narrow pedestrian road

2) Parallel parking through the high street

#

PART B _ INTRODUCTION

According to a guide entitled “Planning and Development Br

iefs: A Guide to Better Practice”, released by the Department

for Communities and Local Government (1998), “a site-specif

ic brief forms a stepping stone between the provisions of the

development plan and the requirements of a planning applic

ation. The process of preparing and implementing a plannin

g brief provides a framework for collecting information abou

t a site, and investigating and evaluating different interests i

n it.”

This development brief has been written to give a succinct o

verview of the site location, its current ownership and use an

d also information about the client. A development vision ha

s been produced in response to an outline brief issued by Wi

venhoe Town Council for the development of the site, taking

into consideration the conclusion from the part A of this rep

ort, the urban analysis.

Relevant public policy were outlined and opportunities and c

onstraints imposed by the site were summarised from the sit

e appraisal made, helping to identify design generators. Usin

g this, development principles for the site were defined, reinf

orcing the Vision. And then, proposals were made.

Map illustrating the location of the sit

e in Wivenhoe. Map by Clidenor Mac

êdo Júnior.

THE SITE

William Loveless Hall: ownership of the Wivenhoe Town Council. It is a chea

p industrial building expensive to maintain built in 1964, when the town’s p

opulation was roughly one quarter its present size. It is widely used for a sor

t of functions from yoga classes, dinner events, etc.

Public Library: ownership of the Essex County Council.

A single storey 1960s flat-roofed structure.

Former Police station and houses: ownership of the Wivenhoe Town Council. Located in the centre of the site, it is a pair of semi-detached houses with a former station office. Previously owned by the Essex Police Authority, the houses are now rented out by Wivenhoe Town Council.

Wivenhoe Town Council offices: ownership of the Colchester Borough Council, leased to Wivenhoe to Wivenhoe Town Council. The building has no wheelchair access.

Wivenhoe Town Council offices: ownership of the Colchester Borough Council, leased to Royal Mail. The building was designed for the old Urban District Council and because of that is much larger than is needed. The ground floor is currently let to Royal Mail as a sorting office.

Map illustrating details of the site. Ma

p by Clidenor Macêdo Júnior.

INTRODUCTION TO THE CLIENT

Wivenhoe town Council is the client for this project. They are one of th

e key users of the site, their offices are leased to them, by the Colchest

er Borough Council. The development of this site is just as important to

them as the local residents. Wivenhoe town council is a parish council,

the town councillors of Wivenhoe, all volunteer on an unpaid salary, thi

s emphasises their dedication to the town.

From the meeting in the William Loveless Hall, Wivenhoe’s Town Hall, The Client outlined the history and Context of Wivenhoe. The mayor outlined the town’s needs, it was brought to attention that the elderly population of Wivenhoe, had been forgotten and are being pushed out due to all the changes being brought into the town such as, university students of Colchester moving into housing within Wivenhoe also the large increase of family units within the town. The mayor expressed the need for, bringing these relatives back. The need for starter homes, for young people that are unable to afford mortgages. The need for larger houses was brought to light, to encourage population growth. It was also highlighted, that many people work from home, so more office and commercial units could be created, to encourage working relationships and social cohesion because social contact is being lost.

DEVELOPMENT VISION

In this very meeting with the mayor, he was asked which seven words h

e would use to describe his preferences for the new development on b

ehalf of Wivenhoe. He stated they would like this development to be;

“Encompassing, Light, Vibrant, a sense of Availability, Spa

cious and Aesthetically pleasing.” From these preferences, for our development vision it was concluded, t

hat this development in Sites A and B, should Merge the new site with

the town, ensuring that the site does not stick out like a sore thumb, an

gering the residents of Wivenhoe. The context and aesthetical historica

l values of Wivenhoe, should be displayed in the site.

The site should also include a central area, like a piazza or square style

of area – in order to bring residents and visitors together in an open un

-claustrophobic manner. This area should incorporate green spaces, wit

h the purpose to reflect the nearby park area and show a sense of fluidi

ty with this area. The external and internal of the development should

be fluid and coherent, reinforcing the idea of having a social point in a

nd outside of the building, so the public can interact with the environm

ent.

Most importantly, the new development and usage of the site should b

e aesthetically pleasing and attractive. This is crucial because this devel

opment is to contain important uses of the town. It should have an invi

ting and familiar warm sense of atmosphere and appeal.

SITE APPRAISAL

97

RELEVANT PUBLIC POLICY

The policy stresses on the ability of new developments to conform to all of the health and safety requirement ch

ecklist. This is highly achievable if stress-free pedestrian access routes and area allocated for parking are included

in the design proposal. Using public consultation will be crucial in terms of meeting this requirement (Colchester

Borough Council, 2014).

It also important that possible demolitions and land acquisitions suggested are justified with relation to the fact t

hat the site is in the Wivenhoe Quay area, an area of peculiar importance to the Council. This is also achievable as

this proposal has identified and considered the existence of all such plans for the town (Wivenhoe Town Council

Neighbourhood Plan, 2013).

Wivenhoe Conservation Area

There are some areas in the historic town of Wivenhoe which are authorised by the Council as conservational are

as. In these areas the Council decides on demolishing of buildings and other structures. Although there are permi

tted development rights for owners to be able to work on their properties, they can be reduced or not granted at

all.

Within the town of Wivenhoe, areas like the Quay, Anchor Hill and Saint Mary's church are key conservational are

as of the town. Interestingly, these areas contrast the other. The historical core of the town is contrasted by the ne

w developments but the maritime characteristic of the Quay has been maintained.

Therefore it is important to consider the significance of these areas to the people of Wivenhoe and to accommod

ate these elements in future development plans of Wivenhoe. Careful justified analysis, community survey and Co

uncil's concern must be obtained before demolishing any structure in and around the conservational areas of Wiv

enhoe.

RELEVANT PUBLIC POLICY

Wivenhoe Neighbourhood plan

This document outlines Wivenhoe’s future plans, based on 980 questionnaires answered by Wivenhoe’s businesse

s, residents and university students. The questionnaire asks these groups of people simple questions such as – ho

w long have they been a resident. From the information gathered, they will use this to generate proposals for Wiv

enhoe’s future that these same groups will need to approve of in the 2015 referendum. This plan is crucial becaus

e it focuses on the needs of the groups that are influential to the life of Wivenhoe and its future and it welcomes t

heir input into this.

In regards to the site, we have been provided with, the “communities and facilities” section of the Neighbourhood

plan is key, because it highlights what the community need for this area. Focussing on Community buildings, 52%

of people that answered the questionnaire stated there is a need for more community buildings however, 26% sta

ted that there is not a need for this. Within these responses, people felt that the usage of the current buildings c

ould be improved due to the “sufficiency of community provision”(wivenhoe neighbourhood plan, 2014-07-05) a

ccess to these buildings should also be improved. Others also stated that bigger buildings with an improved desi

gn with a more multifunctional aspect should be created.

INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION

Bianca Baidoo

In hindsight, this task was important, as it widened our understanding for a town and it enabled us to see features of it and

understand why the feature is the way it is. In addition, looking at Wivenhoe and it's character areas in such detail, with per

sonal site visits and in depth analysis, renders us with our own understanding of the town, allowing us to interpret the urba

n features of it to our own specification.

Clidenor Macêdo Júnior

Through this study, it was possible to draw a general picture of Wivenhoe. To then make a proposal for a Civic Center that

meets the real needs of the city as well as the local population. This taught me how important and necessary the urban ana

lysis before the project itself is. Furthermore, it was revealed the significant influence that human actions have on the urban

space, as this causes interference in the socio-spatial relationships that occur in the urban environment.

Desmond Ackam

I found the task a big challenge when we started working through it. I think the group's planning and organisational skills

were put to good use hear and the task was well allocated and well done. I have learnt a lot during this task about site anal

ysis which I intend to further develop and put into practice.

Jessica Faria De Souza

The Wivenhoe site analysis was a great opportunity for me to reinforce my knowledge in the area and learn a lot more. I be

lieve that when you study something that deeply you keep more information and get more prepared to face real situations

that we are certainly going to have in a close future as architectural professionals.

INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION

Ju Youn Kim

With this coursework I learnt different methodologies of urban analysis, such as Lynch, Bentley and Cullen. Also, I understo

od how important urban analysis is. It was also interesting work with people from other nationalities.

Willnara Guimarães

This assessment taught me how important is the urban analysis before the design project and how impactful is the human

action over the built environment and how to plan in a doubtful scenario. It also helps me to think about the role of the arc

hitect in the urbanism practice.

MEETING MINUTES

110

REFERENCE LIST

Bentley, I., Alcock, A., Murrain, P., McGlynn, S., Smith, G., 1994. Responsive environments: a manual for designers. Oxford: Ar

chitectural Press.

Cullen, G., 1961. The Concise Townscape. Oxford: Routledge.

Department for Communities and Local Government, 1998. Planning and Development Briefs: A Guide to Better Practice. [p

df] [online] London: Government of the UK. Available at: <https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attach

ment_data/file/7774/156363.pdf> [Accessed 3 November 2014].

Digimap, 2014. [online] Available at: <http://digimap.edina.ac.uk> [Accessed 7 November 2014].

Lynch, K., 1960. The Image of the City. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.

Wivenhoe City Hall, 2014. Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Plan Questionnaire Survey. [pdf] Wivenhoe City Hall. Available at: <ht

tp://wivenhoeneighbourhoodplan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/WNP-SURVEY-FULL-DRAFT-01.pdf> [Accessed 20

October 2014].

Wivenhoe History Group, 2014. [online] Available at: <http://www.wivenhoehistory.org.uk/> [Accessed 2 November 2014].

Wivenhoe Town Council, 2008. Wivenhoe Town Plan. [pdf] Wivenhoe City Hall. Available at: <http://www.colchester.gov.uk/

CHttpHandler.ashx?id=5384&p=0> [Accessed 20 October 2014].

wivenhoe _ urban analysis report

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