Architectural Guidelines

Introduction

It is a key objective of the Trustees to ensure that all buildings on the reserve are constructed with special consideration paid to the nature of the surrounding environment. This applies not only to the aesthetic appearance of the buildings, but also to the means and method of their construction. Visual appearance, building materials, energy efficiency and construction methods are all equal parts of an holistic approach which must be considered as part of any design process.

In addition to this, a list of basic design criteria must be satisfied by all designs and a system for submitting information pertaining to the design of the buildings has been set up to ensure that the applicant, their design team and the ASDRC is fully aware of the implications of their design, both on the environment and on the day-to-day operations of the reserve.

Design Criteria

The Trustees take the role as curator of the natural environment, on the reserve, very seriously. For this reason, all building proposals and plans must be approved by a Design Committee in consultation with local planning and conservation authorities.

The Trust has several basic design criteria that it wishes to be applied to all designs. These are as follows:

• Buildings should be constructed mainly from natural materials including timber and thatch. Stone will be considered where appropriate or essential - for example fireplaces and backing walls - but the main structure should be a timber-type structure. The timber and thatch should come from renewable sources and the stone should be locally quarried. Approval may also be granted for alternative natural materials or other alternatives such as shingle in place of thatch where it can be shown that this is necessary and advantageous to the development, the reserve and the individual unit. Materials such as roof tiles, plaster, stucco, bare-faced concrete or brick will not be accepted.
• All dwellings should only be a single storey above ground unless on a steeply sloping site where this proves impracticable. Basements or an attic storey will only be accepted if their impact upon the external visual appearance of the building is negligible.
• Paint, varnish and mortar colours must reflect the palette of the natural surroundings and must not seek to make the building conspicuous in its environment.
• Buildings must be within the designated building footprint on each site and no permanent or temporary constructions, including landscaping, of any nature may be erected outside the footprint.
• No fences will be allowed. Any ancillary, external spaces must be provided for within the curtailage of the building. The positioning of, for example, washing lines outside of the building will not be permitted.
• Provision must be made for the collection and re-use of rain water, regardless of roof construction. Each unit will be required to install rainwater storage tanks with a minimum capacity of 50 000 litres to minimise the use of borehole water. Storage tanks must be located below ground and out of sight.
• Access roads to the individual units must be constructed in such a way and from suitable materials so as to minimise erosion arising from surface run-off.
• All landscaping and garden plantings must comprise indigenous, non-invasive species. No sprinkler systems will be permitted.
• The use of sustainable energy systems such as heat exchange systems, solar heating panels, grey water recycling and natural ventilation will be encouraged. Wind turbines and photo voltaic arrays will only be approved where these can be shown to have a negligible impact on the external visual appearance of the building.
• Where external mechanical plant (such as pumps or condensers for air conditioning units) is required, these must be contained within suitable enclosures that reduce the noise produced by the plant.

The Trustees reserve the right to review these requirements and amend them as necessary. The above list should therefore be taken as indicative only. Confirmation of the full set of requirements will be made available to the applicant at the time of purchase and registration.

Approval Process

The approvals and consultation process comprises three stages: Concept Design, Detailed Design, and Construction Documentation.

This staged process is intended to provide transparency and clarity for both the Trustees and the applicant. It is important that the Trustees are able to monitor the development of the design and to ensure that it progresses through to construction along the agreed principals. Similarly, it is important to the applicant that the process is consistent, based on a fixed timeline and provides measurable milestones to ensure predictability and cost certainty.

The timescale for submissions and the granting of decisions by the Design Committee will be agreed at the start of the process with the applicant.

The requirements for the stages can be broken down as follows:

Approval for this stage must be sought prior to an application being lodged for planning permission from the local authority.

For this stage of the process the following documentation must be submitted to the committee for consideration:

This should take the form of an A4 document, including text and any necessary explanatory diagrams or sketches. It should be written in an easy-to-understand format without the use of unnecessary technical jargon. The following aspects of the design should be explained:

• architectural style and character of buildings
• bulk and massing including heights of buildings
• means of boundary delineation
• materials and colours
• energy efficiency
• hard and soft landscaping
• lighting
• signage
• pedestrian and vehicle access
• fuel and firearms storage

These must be prepared by a qualified architect and should include:

• site plan on a scale of 1:1250
• plans, sections and elevations on a scale 1:50
• 3-dimensional drawings showing the building within the context of the site
• drainage plan on a scale of 1:50 showing the location of drains, sewerage pipe runs and rainwater storage
• landscaping plan on a scale of 1:50 showing all bush clearance as well as proposed plantings
• materials sample board showing the key external materials to be used

This should be prepared with the input of a qualified quantity surveyor and should give evidence that the design has been evaluated with respect to construction costs and buildability.

This document is crucial to ensuring that the applicant has an awareness of the cost implications of the proposed design as well as the cost implications of site specific restrictions to the construction process. These restrictions include, but are not limited to:

• no on-site, overnight accommodation for construction personnel on the reserve
• limited access for delivery vehicles
• limited use of heavy plant and machinery
• the shielding of the construction site with Hessian or similar material for the duration of the works
• the replanting of areas of bush cleared to make space for temporary site facilities or storage
• limited hours of noisy works as well as limits on noise levels

This document will also provide the Design Committee with an opportunity to ensure that the costs being allocated to the construction of the building are consistent with the level of quality required.

Once approval has been granted by the Design Committee for the Concept Design, the applicant may submit the proposals for planning consent. If the proposals are required to be adjusted for any reason by the planning authorities, written evidence of these requirements must be provided to the Design Committee together with the relevant proposed alterations to the approved design. Once these alterations have been approved by the Committee, the applicant may submit the alterations to the planning authorities.

Once planning consent has been obtained, the proposals should be developed to a detail stage such that any ambiguities or issues of detail highlighted in the concept design stage are resolved.

The formal submissions for this stage should comprise the following:

• Enhanced Architect's Concept Design Drawings - including detailed materials specifications
• Structural Engineer's Drawings - including calculations for foundations and all other major structural elements
• Services Engineer's Drawings/Report - confirming design parameters of all services including water, electrical, mechanical and waste
• Updated Feasibility Plan - confirming adjustments to construction costs arising from detail design work

The level of information contained within these documents should be consistent with that required by a reputable contractor to accurately price the building. For this reason, it is assumed that once consent has been granted for this stage of the design, the applicant will proceed to the tender stage of the procurement process.

This final stage of the submissions process comprises two key parts: a) the submission of written documentation; and b) the evaluation of site works to ensure compliance with the approved design.

For Part A, the applicant will be required to submit copies of the following:

• Details of the selected contractor including relevant experience and a list of completed projects with suitable references
• Contract documents including all drawings, specifications and schedules of work
• Building contract
• Contractor's liability insurance
• Construction programme with key delivery dates
• Contractor's method statement giving details of how the works are to be carried out, power and water requirements, the number of construction personnel anticipated to be present on the reserve during the course of the works, types of vehicles required and access arrangements, on-site health and safety measures, fire prevention measures and emergency contact details.

The submission of the above is key to enabling the Trustees to monitor, manage and minimise the disturbance that the construction will make to the reserve environment. As the contractor will be working on the reserve for an extended period, it is important that they have both the expertise and the resources to ensure that the project is completed without compromising the safety of construction personnel, visitors, reserve staff and the well-being of the animals.

The contractor will be required to sign a formal agreement that will outline the conditions for working on the reserve and describe the contractor's obligations - work will not be allowed to proceed until this agreement is in place.

Part B will comprise scheduled site inspections that will be attended by nominated representatives of the Trustees, Applicant and Contractor. Failure to provide access to the site for a scheduled visit will constitute a breach of the agreement between the contractor and the Trustees and will result in the contractor being removed from the reserve.

Conclusion

The preceding pages have provided an overview of the design criteria and information that will be required to be submitted to the Design Committee if approval for a design is to be obtained.

These criteria and processes have been put in place for the benefit of all stakeholders and to maximise successful design innovation. In this way, a high quality design that fulfills the needs of both the applicant and the Trustees will be delivered with minimum difficulty and result in a productive and rewarding experience for all involved.