Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Understanding Context
The case studies presented in this chapter respond to an existing con-
text defined by past planning efforts, current regulations, historic re-
sources and the existing physical framework of downtown streets and
lots while also seeking to demonstrate positive growth and change.
The case studies illustrate how the
Downtown Planning Context. As described in the Introduction to the Guidelines provide qualitative direction
Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines, visions for downtown have for various types of buildings in different
contexts.
been expressed in several planning documents for the area. The 1988
Downtown Plan and the 2006 Vision and Policy Framework for Down-
town are both relevant documents which provide some context for In This Chapter
downtown planning objectives.
Understanding
The Vision and Policy Framework for Downtown Ann Arbor, includes over- Context 4-1
all goals for downtown with a focus on diversifying uses and increasing Illustrative Case
densities (particularly residential uses) in a way that improves pedestrian Studies Map 4-2
friendliness and supports the use of transit. The case studies demonstrate Building Types 4-4
several examples of how to meet these overall planning objectives.
Historic Resources Context. Ann Arbor has a strong history and tra-
dition of protecting historic buildings and neighborhoods. The Guide-
lines complement preservation objectives and design review process.
The case studies assume that new investment respects historic re-
sources as an important part of the future, even as the vision for down-
town includes increasing densities.
Page 4-1
Case Studies Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines
Existing
Shopping Street Opportunity to
Expand Shopping
and Create a Place
Opportunity
Opportunity
to Add
to Add
Housing
Housing
Page 4-2
Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines Case Studies
Overlay
Districts S District
S Districts have
storefronts and
streetwalls.
R District
residential neighbor-
hoods.
Frontage
Standards
Primary Frontages are
shopping streets with
Multi-use alley
Multi-use alley
Secondary Frontages
allow residential and
commercial uses with
small setbacks.
Page 4-3
Case Studies Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines
Building Types
Ann Arbor’s Downtown Design Guidelines provide examples of how
they would shape investment in a variety of site contexts and densi-
Building Types Context ties. These examples demonstrate how site planning and building
The context map for the Case Studies
designs respond to their context making downtown neighborhoods
illustrates opportunity sites for a variety
of building types. more walkable, social and aesthetically pleasing.
H Mixed-use
towers
H
B
D
A
E
H
G
Expanding shopping
streets with a com-
bination of commer-
H cial and residential
Infill duplex, tri-plex I mixed-use buildings
and four-plex Mix of urban housing types all
projects on smaller oriented towards the street with
opportunity sites stoops, porches and storefronts
Page 4-4
Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines Case Studies
Page 4-5
Case Studies Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines
Mid-Rise Professional
Buildings
Mid-rise professional build-
ings are developed to support 3
smaller tenants or single users.
Mid-rise office buildings are two
to four-stories with ground floor 1 2
commercial uses. These would Streetwall split into bays
include retail as ground floor use similar to traditional
on downtown’s primary frontage commercial blocks
1. Office lobby 2
streets. 2. Storefronts Streetwall height aligns
3. Alley access for services with adjacent historic
Design Issues: buildings
• Streetwall buildings
• Street-level scale can be larg- Design Response:
er than traditional storefront • Vertical articulation and bay spacing of streetwall reflecting tradi-
pattern tional scale of blockfront. (See: Ch.2 Sec. 9)
• Location of office lobby • Corner orientation for stores, mid-block for office lobby.
• Design of storefronts • Alley or side street access for parking and services. (See: Ch.2
• Services for building Sec. 6 and 7)
• Corner vs. mid-block location
Two-Story Commercial Mixed-use, Secondary Frontage
Neighborhood Shopfront
Buildings
In the residential neighborhoods,
C
there may be opportunities to
develop shopfront buildings
two to three-stories in height on
small infill parcels in or adjacent 3
to storefront districts or at corner
locations. These would have one
to two ground floor tenants and
small office users on the upper 2 1
floors. Parking would be off-site.
2
2
Design Issues: 1. Upper floor lobby entry
• Storefront buildings 2. Storefronts
• Fitting into existing line of 3. Alley access for services
shops or in residential context
Design Response:
• Location of office lobby
• Bay spacing and storefront design of streetwall reflecting tradi-
• Design of storefronts
tional scale of blockfront (see: Ch.2 Sec. 9 and 10)
• Services for building
• Corner orientation for stores, mid-block for upper story lobbies
• Corner vs. mid-block location
• Alley access for services (see: Ch.2 Sec. 6 and 7)
Page 4-6
Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines Case Studies
Design Issues:
• Bulky, slab-like building pro-
portions
1 2 • Street-level scale much larger
than traditional storefront pat-
tern
• Location of residential lobby
• Services for building
• Parking design and location
(on-site)
1. Commercial lobby
2. Residential lobby • Corner orientation
3. Storefront retail • Balcony design
4. Service alley
Design Response:
• Vertical articulation to break
bulk into narrower, better pro-
portioned elements (see: Ch.2
Sec. 9)
• Vertical articulation and bay
spacing of streetwall reflecting
traditional scale of blockfront
(see: Ch.2 Sec. 9)
4 • Corner orientation for stores,
mid-block on secondary
3 streets for residential lobby
• Alley access for parking and
This case study assumes the project has received premiums and has between a services (see: Ch.2 Sec. 6 and
700% and 900% FAR. The massing assumes the lower three floors are commercial 7)
uses. The residential floor plans are stepped back to taper the tower. Balconies are
an integral part of the massing and elevation design. • Integrating balcony and deck
design into building massing
(see: Ch.2 Sec. 9)
Page 4-7
Case Studies Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines
Design Response:
• Vertical articulation and bay 2
spacing of streetwall reflecting 2
traditional scale of blockfront 1. Residential lobby
(see: Ch.2 Sec. 9) 2. Storefront retail
• Corner orientation for stores, 3. Service alley
mid-block on secondary These two case studies illustrate some potential variations of mid-rise residential
streets for residential lobby mixed-use projects. The top case study is a six-story building with four levels of
• Alley access for parking and residential over two levels of commercial uses in a two-story context. The streetwall
services (see: Ch.2 Sec. 6 and aligns with adjacent buildings and then steps back to a an articulated four-story
7) top. The lower case study has three levels of residential over retail and fits into a
three or four-story streetwall. It has a strong corner-oriented design feature. Both
• Integrating balcony and deck case studies have active and transparent ground floors, integrate balconies into the
design into building massing facade design, and hide parking under the building.
Page 4-8
Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines Case Studies
Design Response:
• Hide parking, access off alley
• Break-up massing, express
Porches and yards for
ground floor units individual units, bays (see:
Ch.2 Sec. 9)
• Focus use of design flourishes
and quality materials (see:
3
Ch.2 Sec. 15)
2 • Eyes-on-the-street security
2 • Street-oriented ground floor
1 units, porch and stoop design.
• Common and private space
et
2 Stre central feature, orientation and
1. Building lobby visual access (see: Ch.2 Sec.
2 2. Porch/front yard 5)
3. Parking access
• Balcony design integral to
massing/architectural concepts
Page 4-9
Case Studies Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines
Design Response: 1
• Hide parking, access off alley 2
• Break-up massing, express
individual units, bays (see: 3 et
2 2 tre
Ch.2 Sec. 9) S
• Focus use of design flourishes 1. Residential lobby
and quality materials (see: 2. Shared porch Porches and yards for
Ch.2 Sec. 15) 3. Side yard setback at R-Massing District ground floor units
• Eyes-on-the-street security 4. Service alley/parking access
• Street-oriented ground floor hese case studies are of residential flat buildings located adjacent to a R Massing
T
units, porch and stoop design District requiring a side yard setback and offset at the streetwall. The top version
• Common and private space is a parapet building on a (Secondary Frontage) block with stoops. This could be
central feature, orientation and a site between a commercial block and traditional residential building. The lower
version is the same building with residential roof forms and porches (Residential
visual access (see: Ch.2 Sec.
Frontage) potentially more in character in a traditional residential setting.
5)
• Balcony design integral to
massing/architectural concepts
Page 4-10
Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines Case Studies
Design Response:
• Tuck-under parking, access
3 from alley or side street with
shared driveway
• Express individual units, bays in
module of neighborhood build-
1 2 ings (see: Ch.2 Sec. 9)
1 • Focus use of design flourishes
1 1 and quality materials
Alley
1 • Eyes-on-the-street security,
1. Residential alley stoops 1
2. Shared alley access to parking court street-oriented units
H 3. Passage pedestrian entry from street • Common and private space
central feature, orientation and
Zero step entries are also possible in these scenarios.
visual access (see: Ch.2 Sec.
5)
• Porch design integral to mass-
ing/architectural concepts
Page 4-11
Case Studies Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines
1
Duplex/Tri-plex/Four-plex
Developing multiple attached 1
units with independent entries
t
ee
on a single parcel provides an
Str
opportunity to increase density
at a scale compatible with the 1. Front porch/yard
neighborhood. Either as owner- 2. Alley access garages
ship or rental housing, doubling-
up or tripling-up on lots is a
common method of infill devel- Corner Lot Duplex, Shared Drive Side Street Access
opment. Parking access and unit
orientation are important con- Two-story streetwall with single-story porches
siderations for design and site I
planning.
Design Issues:
• Parking access and garage
orientation
• Street pedestrian access
1
• Privacy 2
• Massing/scale within a tradi-
tional single-family block
1
Stre
Design Response: et
• Shared parking access
eet
Page 4-12
Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines Case Studies
Adaptive Reuse
Adaptive reuse of existing commercial, industrial and residential
structures is a common activity in downtown Ann Arbor. Adaptive
reuse could also be combined with new construction where the
development combination and the uniqueness of the design make
each aspect more interesting and feasible.
Institutional
New institutional projects such as city facilities, libraries and church-
es, have unique programs and site contexts. It is important for
the design of these projects to fulfill similar neighborhood-building
and social objectives as private sector development. These types
of buildings are also often viewed “in-the-round” requiring serious
architectural design solutions for each elevation.
Page 4-13
Case Studies Downtown Ann Arbor Design Guidelines
Parking Structures
Downtown Ann Arbor has a variety of parking structures. With one
exception, the garages have been built as stand-alone structures
and have not included ground floor commercial uses, office or resi-
dential liner buildings or wraps. Downtown Ann Arbor’s small historic
blocks make it difficult to line parking garages with other uses; how-
ever, this is still the preferred strategy.
Lofts/live-work
The market demand and economic development opportunities for
live-work is a growing trend. Live-work is land use and unit type
discussion, rather than a building type. It can be located in lower or
ground floor units in apartment and condo flat buildings providing an
accessible street-oriented use. They can be included in townhouse
development on higher traffic streets and as alley units in a variety
of building types. Lofts/live-work is also highly appropriate for adap-
tive reuse of high-bay spaces in commercial and industrial buildings.
Page 4-14