Intent:
The intent of the architectural scale and mass guidelines is to utilize a building’s massing, façade, windows and entryways to create an identifiable order of horizontal and vertical elements. Negative visual impacts arising from the scale, bulk and mass inherent to large buildings and shopping centers should be mitigated through the application of these guidelines.
Guidelines:
Massing should relate to the site and be consistent or compatible with the scale, form and proportion of existing development in the immediate area by addressing the following guidelines:
1. Break up the Façade. The use of recesses and projections should be used to create articulations and shadow lines that help break up the massing of large buildings. The minimum depth of a recessed or projected surface should be one foot and the minimum width should be five feet.
2. Integration. Large buildings should integrate features along façades visible from the public right-of-way and pedestrian routes and entries to reduce the apparent building mass and achieve an architectural scale consistent with other nearby structures.
3. Base, Middle & Top Proportions: The vertical mass in multi-story buildings should be divided into smaller scale components that include a base, middle and top to reduce the perceived height and create architectural interest. First floors should be taller than upper floors and differentiated architecturally to create a sense of human scale.
4. Window & Entryway Treatments. Provide window and entryway treatments in façades visible from streets to reinforce the human scale and create architectural interest. Windows and doors should include decorative mullions, lintels, sills, glazing, and framing details. (See also Section 2.3.)
5. Architectural Elements: The mass of large buildings can be made more visually interesting by incorporating architectural components such as awnings, balconies, bay windows, dormers, building-mounted lighting fixtures or sconces, cornices and parapets.
6. Rooflines: A distinctive roofline can reduce perceived building height and mass, increase compatibility with smaller scale and/or residential development, and add interest to the overall design of the building. (See also Section 2.7.)
7. Materials: When there is a change in the building plane, consider a change in the building materials, colors, or patterns. (See also Section 2.5.)
8. Landscaping: Provide trees complimented with low lying bushes and perennials that relate to the architectural massing of the façade and provide seasonal color, contrast and texture.
9. Tenant Liners: In shopping centers with anchor tenants, the use of smaller tenant spaces lining the entrances of street-facing façades should be used to reduce the apparent bulk by breaking-up the overall building façade. (See also Section 2.3.)
ILLUSTRATED GUIDELINES
AVOID
PREFERRED
