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Feel & Design » Housing Variety | Rural By Design | Appealing Architecture | Compact Development

Appealing Architecture

The Villages and Lawson Hills have been designed to uphold the highest architectural standards, while maintaining enough diversity to appear as though the homes were built over a great length of time.

While there will be a consistent level of quality and some signature detailing, it is important that the buildings do not look out of context. They will have variety in their design so they do not look like a “project,” but a true, timeless village. The main street may have some residences over the retail as well as higher density neighborhoods close or adjacent to it. This is necessary to bring housing close to jobs and services as well as to enliven the main street retail. It is vital to bring as many people into the Town Center as possible to support the shops and cafes.

All building facades visible from streets, parks or other public areas will display a similar level of quality of materials and workmanship, detail and architectural interest as the front elevation. A complimentary variety of materials used on facades from home to home and within a single home creates a more diverse and interesting neighborhood. Creative and thoughtful use of color can be a very simple yet effective tool for creating visual diversity. Together, variety in color and materials can have a significant and positive impact on the overall appearance of a neighborhood.

The streetscape is important because it becomes a shared amenity for all residents and visitors. To avoid bland homogenous neighborhoods and to ensure that the streetscape maintains a level of interest and variety, the following guidelines shall be applied:

  • Incorporate a variety of compatible architectural styles within a neighborhood while avoiding overly themed or stylized statements.
  • Articulate the building massing appropriately to minimize boxiness of elevations facing streets, parks or other greenways.
  • Provide additional articulation and variety to elements by changing materials, details, color and landscape.

 
All of these standards exist to ensure that The Villages and Lawson Hills blend easily with existing homes so that Black Diamond can retain its small-town feel and design.