PA RT 5 : PUBLIC REA LM DESIGN GUIDELIN ES
PA RT 5 : PUBLIC REA LM DESIGN GUIDELIN ES
Part 5 presents more specific guidance for particular issues of the public realm. It identifies design objectives and design guidelines with recommendations for their application. The aim of the guidelines is to lay down the ground rules for skilled interpretation by designers. The details illustrated are typical of appropriate practice and express standards to which Sheffield aspires.
The physical elements of the streetscape – paving, trees, street furniture, lighting, signing – the comfort and convenience of people, the effects of climate and the provision of facilities are all of fundamental importance and have been considered in developing these guidelines. The statutory responsibilities and operational objectives of the public authorities have also been a major factor in preparing these guidelines.
The management and maintenance of the city centre environment is also discussed.
Sheffield City Centre part 5.1
5 .1 Pu b l i c Rea l m Desi g n Gu i d el i n es
The Guidelines part 5.1
O v er a ll A sp ir a tio n s The aim of improving the environmental quality and design of streets and spaces must include the reduction of clutter
The guidelines contained within this section are based on within the streetscape, the introduction of fundamental design principles drawn from the Compendium’s Public
characteristics of the philosophy of the design - boldness, Realm Strategy (3.3). These principles can be summarised
simplicity, style and elegance - into the streets. The public as follows:
realm guidelines have been considered under the following headings:
• To improve the quality of environment of the city centre to a standard commensurate with, or superior to, its
Materials and Surfacing;
national and international comparators;
Street furniture;
• To build on work achieved to date to create a distinctive
Trees / Planting;
public realm for Sheffield;
Lighting;
• To implement a coherent and consistent design strategy
Signing;
for the improvement of the public realm;
Climate and Structures;
• To establish standards of design to achieve a quality
Access & Movement;
environment that is:
Water;
- attractive, hospitable and safe;
The Visual Arts;
- appropriate to Sheffield;
Accessibility.
- robust, simple and elegant; - valued and well cared for;
The explanation of the design approach is illustrated by - distinctive and sometimes exciting;
street furniture elements specifically designed for Sheffield’s - of a high standard of craftsmanship; and
city centre, successful public realm projects from the city - presents an image of Sheffield as a confident and
and examples of comparator work from other cities.
progressive city. The design principles and recommendations contained in
part 3.3 of the Compendium have been interpreted in a series of guidelines. W hen applied to new developments, these guidelinesshould allow for a contemporary approach which encourages creative and innovative contributions in the redesign of Sheffield’s public realm and promotes the highest standard of design quality.
Sheffield City Centre part 5.1
M a ter ia ls & Sur fa ces • Common themes, design approaches and a palette of
materialsshould be identified for elementsof the external environment in Sheffield city centre.
• Junctions between spaces should not be abrupt and a degree of continuity is desirable.
• The hierarchy of spacesshould be reflected in the quality of materials, however, the importance of certain spaces may be reinforced through the use of additional innovative or artistic paving features.
• Paved surfacesshould be simple, robust and complement adjoining architecture and street furniture. Changes in paving colour and texture should be restricted. Exceptions can be made for particular purposes - to highlight important entrances, denote ownership or impart interpretive information.
Pedestrian street is designed to allow
Access to underground utilities should be integrated
access for delivery vehicles.
into the design.
• Pavements, open spacesand traffic calmed areasshould:
be simple and avoid meaningless patterns in the floorscape;
be used to delineate boundaries and highlight features; - maintain scale; -
be used to signal direction or segregation; - incorporate, if required, the layout of gullies/ channels into the paving design and use only those systems designed to take maintenance issues into account;
- ensure that street furniture, grilles, covers and gullies are orientated to avoid awkward junctions and cuts; - where necessary, be designed to accept vehicle
Clear delineation between pavement and carriageway.
loading. • The relationship of carriageway to pavement width is a
very important criterion to the integrity of Sheffield’sstreets. There is a limit to the extent that a pavement can be widened and, in most circumstances, it will be necessary to retain at least the width of two lanes within the carriageway to maintain the visual balance of the street as well as allow all of the street’s functions to occur.
The Guidelines part 5.1
• Most carriageways are surfaced with hot rolled asphalt. In certain locations, the use of the subtly toned coloured asphalt could be considered to highlight important routes and spaces, or delineate and link streets and spaces.
• In major (and occasionally minor) streets and spaces, hot rolled asphalt with a high density of granite chip providesan unobtrusive surface for carriagewaysin central locations. The granite chipsprovide an important colour contrast with a high degree of reflectivity. However, their skid resistance qualities are reduced with polishing by vehicle traffic.
• Bus lay-bys, parking bays, disabled parking and taxi stancesshould be delineated fromthe main carriageway by a material change. Yellow lines are particularly obtrusive on paving and diminish greatly the benefits of good quality materials.
• All areas in the public realm should be accessible and Local Authorities have a duty to provide access requirements for mobility impaired people.
• The line of the kerb can be as significant in subdividing the floorscape asthe definition of storeysare in subdividing
a building. It is an important factor in the perception of the scale of the street, in providing a “plinth” for buildings, and should be retained wherever possible.
• W here kerbs are made flush, the line of the kerb should
be retained to provide visual delineation. • Paving trims or edging should form part of the overall
design of the paved surface: - to delineate uses, boundaries and spaces;
There is a variety of ways to organise the street
- hierarchy and improve permeability for the pedestrian. to denote changes in level; - to act as functional markings on paving surfaces;
- to act as margins to buildings and features; - to delineate between public and private spaces.
• As a design feature, kerbs and edges should be used as a common element, unifying and linking streets and spaces throughout the city centre in terms of materials and detailing.
Sheffield City Centre part 5.1
Str eet Fu r n itu r e • Sheffield City Council has appointed Asquith Design
Partnership to design a new suite of street furniture for the City Centre. The suite is exclusive to Sheffield with the copyright being held by Sheffield City Council. The suite of furniture builds on Sheffield’s international reputation for excellence in metalwork design and manufacturing.
• The general suite of street furniture is in stainless steel with a special bronze suite for the Heart of the City Area. Tree grilles and drainage channel covers are a unique Sheffield City Council design manufactured from ductile iron.
• The full range of the approved street furniture suite is described in Table 5.2. The items included are:
- Seats; - Bins; - Bollards including removable option; - Sign Bollards; - Handrails / Motorcycle Stands; - Lighting Columns; - Banners, Planters and Hanging Baskets; - ‘Connect Sheffield’ Signage / Information Boards
Innovative traffic light design.
Seat with plaque integrated into the design
/ Dataweb Kiosks;
(source:SCC).
- Canopies / Bus Shelters; - Tree Grilles and Drainage Covers; - Help Points.
Cycle Stand (source: SCC).
The Guidelines part 5.1
The position of street furniture can be used to define space and guide pedestrian movement.
• Furniture should be placed with care and restraint in order to respect the civic character of the pubic realm and avoid excessive street clutter.
• Street furniture should be carefully placed / designed so that conflicts with pedestrian desire lines are minimised. There must be adequate movement zones around / between itemsof furniture for both pedestrians and wheelchair users.
• The placing of street furniture must respect Highway
Sheffield designed ductile iron tree grilles (source: SCC).
Authority requirements such as minimum distances from carriageway kerbs, avoiding obscuring sight lines etc.
W hile there is a general requirement for the approved suite of street furniture to be used on all streets in the City Centre, places of special character can have unique furniture designed for that space where appropriate. In this case standards of design, materials and craftsmanship must be at least as high as the standard suite and should respect the character of the standard suite.
Incorporation of information points into the street furniture reduces the need for signing poles (source: SCC /ADP).
Street furniture should be simple and elegant (source: SCC /ADP).
Sheffield City Centre part 5.1