Page 17 - San Marcos, TX Design Manual

A APPENDIX Design Guidelines

Table 1.4 Expression - Four-sided Design
The degree to which Expression techniques may be applied varies by location on the site. The intent is to provide visual interest on all sides of a building.

Wall Type A: High Priority (Primary Wall)
This wall type is highly visible to the public A High Priority wall:
and is important in conveying a sense of scale, • Faces a public right-of-way and is in
visual interest and a pedestrian-oriented activity relatively close proximity to it
for the building and its site. This is the “front” • Will be seen by users on a regular basis
of a building, either facing a street, into a • Contributes to a clustering of buildings that
development or onto an outdoor public amenity defines a place
space. It should include a high percentage of
glass to display goods and activities inside. Objectives for High Priority walls:
(Note that a building may have more than one • Convey a sense of human scale in massing
“Type A” wall, especially in “double-fronted” and detailing
building scenarios, and when the building is at a • Have a high level of visual interest
highly visible location.) • Invite pedestrian activity
• Provide views into interior functions

Wall Type B: Pedestrian-Friendly (secondary Wall)

These are also in high-traffic areas, but are walls A Pedestrian-friendly wall:
(or portions thereof) where internal functions do • Faces a pedestrian area
not lend themselves to designs with extensive • Will be seen on a regular basis
amounts of transparency. For example, there • Includes some “back of house” or service
is likely to be one wall where service doors are functions
located, and public access is not appropriate.
Because these are in high-traffic areas, a high Objectives for Pedestrian-friendly walls:
degree of wall surface treatment is needed. • Convey a sense of human scale in massing
This may include a broader range of options to and detailing
achieve visual interest, including wall art or other • Have a high level of visual interest
architectural detailing. • Be compatible with pedestrian activity in
the area

Wall Type C: Utilities, service, and Auto-Access (Tertiary Wall)
Finally, there are walls that are more remote A Service-Oriented wall:
in terms of public exposure, such as along an • Is seen by the general public at a distance
alley. Even so, the objective is still to assure that • Is less frequently experienced by the
these walls are seen as part of coherent design general public
composition. A lesser level of detail may be • Has service functions as a primary
appropriate. requirement

Objectives for Service Oriented walls:
• Convey a sense of scale in general massing
• Have a moderate level of visual interest
• Convey a sense of relatedness to the overall
building design

A:18 San Marcos Design Manual