Preference 7. Architectural coherence with visual interest
In ‘What makes a good building’ siting, massing, scale, proportion, rhythm and materials were identified as the sub-criteria of integration. To simplify: does the building fit-in and is it interesting?
Harmonious streetscapes with genuinely traditional or refined contemporary styles are favoured. Articulated forms and massing, layered 2 and 3D visual interest, balanced window ratios, and the visual expression of balconies are all liked.
At Great Kneighton in Cambridge, the architecture is varied across the development but within repeated themes that offer a sense of coherence. This reveals itself in the choice of materials and colours, the rhythms of buildings along the street, and the multiple layers of visual interest, from the varied forms of buildings to the geometric decorative effects of the materials. The resulting homes feel contemporary yet give due defference to local vernacular traditions.
Flat or overly repetitive facades are disliked along with styles seen as superficially vernacular.
At the other extreme are buildings (in whatever style) that feel flat, unduly repetitive or simply uninteresting. Typically this reflects a lack of visual articulation from near and far. Such qualities are often behind the dislike for architecture that is attempting to be one thing – usually vernacular – in an inauthentic or jarring manner. The styles used by many housebuilders in the UK are a case-in-point. Detail, if applied, is superfical and house types are strung together incoherently (bottom right).