These Design Guidelines are modeled after the traditional Pattern Books which builders used in this country until the Second World War. Instead of a “code” which limits possibilities for developers, it provides a collection of details and methods for building houses that support the design concept for the town. Therefore, it was not conceived to limit the possibilities of designers, but rather as a “kit of parts” that can be used by individual designers to create a wide range of houses while maintaining the character of traditional neighborhood design.
The design process began with research of traditional towns and the houses that create their public spaces. Twenty towns were visited. House types were photographed and documented and their architectural style identified. From an initial inventory of sixteen potential architectural styles, six were identified as styles for the first phase development: Classical; Victorian; Colonial Revival; Coastal; Mediterranean; and French. Specialists in those styles were commissioned to provide detailed design criteria. The dimensions and qualities of neighborhood streets and public spaces were drawn in a series of cross sections showing the relationship between house facades and street space. At the same time, standard plans from a number of developers were evaluated in terms of the traditional patterns. A series of prototype houses were designed which modified those standard plans to create the appropriate front facade and building massing.
The Introduction describes the vision of the town and the concept of the Pattern Book. A prototype Celebration House is described that accommodates the square footage program and spatial relationships required by builders while maintaining the scale of traditional houses. It concludes with instructions for using the Pattern Book.
The second section, Community Patterns, describes the basic form of houses for five different lot types and establishes landscape design elements for the town. Then, each space in the town is described with an eye level perspective and specific requirements for that space, including, setbacks, special porch elements, mixes of styles and special landscape .
The third section, Architectural Patterns, describes the patterns for six architectural styles, each with six pages that include:
- The five or six essential qualities of the style;
- The massing for that style including roof pitch and critical details such as eave and cornice;
- The proportion and profiles of correct windows and doors with principles for placement on facades;
- Special elements such as porches, balconies, loggias with details;
- Materials and colors with critical details such as trim and corner elements; and
- Possibilities, a sampling of house facades using these patterns on the range of house size and height in the town.
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