Nottingham was historically a market town. All residential, commercial and retail activities took place together in the medieval period. The later growth of the town was restricted by the tight boundary of the town wall. Therefore, buildings have been repurposed and reused in Nottingham over time as uses have changed reflecting this outwards growth restriction. This has resulted in the historic buildings we see today which have been shaped by many centuries of change. In the 19th century the western part of the city centre around Old Market Square became the retail heart of the city whereas to the east the character was defined the needs of the Lace Industry in the Lace Market of large warehouses built in the wealthy residential part of the city.
Those properties in the western part of the centre that were not originally built with ground-floor retail have been modified as residential use has declined in the centre and retail has increased. The current pattern is of ground floor retail with large amounts of glazing and a general domestic character on the upper floors with a smaller ratio of glazing to walls. Historical trends have resulted in a compact, medium density city with a mix of narrow, elongated facades.
Upper floors were used for accommodation and administration, and façades incorporated smaller windows in the upper floors, following classical architectural orders. This can also be seen in the more modern infill of ‘Taco Bell’, which relates well to the historic pattern although the material used is not so successful in terms of texture.
Historic buildings in Nottingham are often separated by narrow passages and alleyways.
This modern building has a façade design strategy that responds to the layout and creates the appearance of smaller volumes in keeping with the size and proportions of the setting. It also has a more prominent ground floor and the top is finished with a proportionate cap.
4. Mass treatment
Modern commercial developments tend to have larger massings and volumes than buildings from historic periods. However, it is possible to manipulate the massing of new large buildings to achieve designs that sit comfortably within their historic settings. For example, façade treatments can make a large volume look slimmer, shorter or smaller than it actually is. A good way to do this is splitting façades vertically and working with rhythms.
Cities, streets and façades have a natural rhythm given by the repetition of their parts and their position in space. For example, equal windows with equal separation will have a monotone rhythm; but if the central windows are different in size these can act as an accent. Façades have a vertical and a horizontal rhythm. If the top floors have smaller windows than the lower floors, a variation is created in the vertical rhythm of the building.
Design Criteria
4.1 The rhythm of the surrounding environment has informed the façade proposals.
4.2 The proposed façades help make the mass treatment legible by adding hierarchical variation.
4.3 The proposed façades respond to their immediate environment in scale, form and rhythm. This means each aspect of the building is treated according to its setting.
4.4 Bottom, middle and top floors will be differentiated following the trend of the setting.