Master planning is more than sketching lines on a map and puzzling out where buildings go. It’s about telling a story— developing a narrative that is rooted in the context of the location. To unlock the potential of a site, a master planner needs to access the site’s “story” to create a resonating theme, one that can be followed from the plan’s conceptualization to completion.

The key to a successful master plan lies in understanding the history and conditions of the site, listening to the needs of the client and community, and developing a design with programming that yields the best use for the land. Let’s explore how the process works and what it truly takes to create a master plan that resonates.

Key 1: History and Conditions

“One of the most exciting aspects of master planning is that no two projects are alike.” -Chris Williams, Director of Planning

Before any design work begins, the first step in master planning is understanding the site’s history. A successful master plan doesn’t just rely on modern trends; it listens to the past to inform the future. Every project is different and requires self-education to inform the approach.

• Explore every street and nook with Google Earth.

• View the aerial perspectives to get a feel for the topography.

• Identify existing utilities, structures, trails, and open spaces.

• Research city and county codes.

• Deep dive into internet resources or even read books about the site!

Taking a deep dive into the history of a site reveals more than just what’s physically there; it also uncovers the broader context. Knowing this history informs the aesthetic direction, the types of products that may work best on the site, and how to integrate new design elements without erasing the old ones. Learning the history also reveals the site’s sensitivities such as existing industries or institutions.

Through informed design, the master planner takes a blank slate and helps the client discover what the best development potential is. Drawing from the site’s history, the design should not just incorporate but enhance sensitivities with the narrative being created for the space.

• Look at the site from a holistic approach— grading, massing, vehicular/pedestrian circulation, and open space.

• Plan communities that blend existing uses with new development.

• Take example from existing regional architectural styles.

When reimagining a harbor site into an active downtown area, an existing commercial fishing industry became a feature that the envisioned plan both supports and is enhanced by. The design concept uses the commercial harbor as a focal point, surrounding it with supporting commercial uses (like sea-to-market) to form an economic hub that anchors a new village concept. The fishing harbor isn’t lost or excluded in the design; it is celebrated as the heart of a new, mixed-use, vibrant community.

Key 2: Client and Community Needs

It is the master planner’s role to direct the conversation, get feedback, and collaborate with the client and community to craft a master plan concept. Initially, client goals need to be established, and expectations set. Next, comes the discussion of how the goals will be accomplished and clearly detailing the process that will be followed so client expectations can be managed along the way. Being a master planner is a dynamic role that requires wearing many hats. Part designer, part developer, part marketer, and part director— the key to success is balancing all these perspectives while keeping the client’s goals at the forefront.

It is also important to have a discussion with the client to identify the site’s moving parts. As a master planner, understanding the inner design dynamics and even site politics allows you to create a design that reflects and complements the community and its needs.

• What are the inner politics of a site— stakeholders, who’s involved, and who will be affected?

• What are the existing uses and potential new uses that can coexist— influenced by the public and stakeholders?

Ultimately, this information partially informs the opportunities and constraints analysis for a site to highlight key issues that might influence planning decisions. The analysis functions as a guide for planning and design-related decisions throughout the master planning process.

TCA’s concept for the 2nd Avenue Development in Marina, CA, involved extensive research into codes, general plans, and overlays to uncover constraints and opportunities that helped shape the community framework. Trail connections, complementing edge conditions and understanding of programmatic elements established the initial vision for the property. Yield studies provided a detailed look at the design while shaping a distinct, vibrant architectural identity. Through stakeholder input the development was ultimately limited in intensity with a stronger preservation of existing cypress groves. Collaborative design charrettes refined a vision that supports the nearby University’s goals and promotes a socially vibrant, wellness-focused community rooted in nature.

Key 3: Developing the Design

“Intimate knowledge of the property helps to drive design and unique ideas.” -Chris Williams, Director of Planning

The ultimate design doesn’t come right out of the gate, it’s a process. By marrying client and community needs with insights from the site’s history, a clear vision emerges that optimizes the land’s potential uses for the desired programming and design.

This vision is realized through bubble diagrams that map what spaces go where, how they interact, and the flow of activity on the site. The goal is a plan that feels connected, functional, and informed by the needs and insights revealed through the design process.

Though technology plays a large role, hand sketching remains an invaluable tool for master planners to connect to a site. It’s an efficient and flexible way to explore ideas and visualize designs. Sketches are tangible and allow the master planner to quickly experiment with different perspectives, making changes on the fly. A piece of paper can be rotated to view a plan in fresh way, torn in half and reformed with a new drawing, then brought into a computer to be refined. Multiple sketch iterations can establish the framework for the community that stakeholders can quickly view and respond to.

The preferred iteration can be further detailed with yield studies and statistical analysis, examining circulation and developing an open space framework. Then massing and spatial studies form an understanding of spatial organization, scale/proportion, and influencing views. The objective is programming a final plan that can be followed for the best use for the land.

Not all planning projects follow the same flow. The designer can be involved from creating the framework of a vision plan, to the detailed phasing of a master plan, to the encompassing book of a specific plan. But in all instances, the final product of a master planner’s role should be a design that makes people feel connected to the property. It should feel like it belongs to the community, reflecting the past while looking toward the future and incorporating innovation. The master plan’s story for the site should be something that the client and the public can relate to and appreciate. In the end, it’s not just about buildings and streets; it’s about creating a space that tells a story— a space that people can call home.

The post In the Mind of a Master Planner: How to Unlock a Site’s True Potential appeared first on TCA Architects.

Background:

UC Davis is engaged in the most ambitious student housing construction initiative in its history. The Orchard Park Redevelopment Project aims to support their campus’s strong sense of community, offer students multiple options for living on campus and provide them with easy access to academic resources. The project will provide 189 two-bedroom units for students with families and 424 studios and four-bedroom apartments for graduate students, a total of 1,486 beds. TCA Architects teamed up with Developer, Michaels Student Living (TMO) and Contractor, CBG Building Group.

CHALLENGE:

Weaving prefabricated buildings between trees.

TCA was tasked with designing and planning 11 graduate and family residential buildings using the Prescient prefabricated steel system, along with two community amenity buildings. The 19-acre site has 64 heritage trees that were to be preserved. While Prescient enables the entire project to be built faster and with fewer costly on-site modifications, having only 3 building types could lead to repetition.

Project Objectives:

How to overcome repetition in buildings?

How to arrange rigid buildings around the organic spread of trees?

ACCEPTED:

Marrying the rigor of the Prescient system with the organic field of trees.

Incorporating the trees inspired a site plan that follows an organic character and not a traditional grid system. The TCA team embraced the efficiency of only 3 building types and oriented the buildings to introduce variety as they are nestled among the Heritage trees sprinkled throughout the site. Building rotation and variation of façade patterns also helped reduce the tendency toward repetition naturally occurring from the prescient system.

Inspired by the playful organic nature of the site, we introduced centralized through-building entries and unique elevations to make the 3 building types more dynamic as they are encountered among the trees.

The two smaller-scaled community buildings, appropriately, The Treehouse and The Greenhouse, take the organic theme one step further, making the collegiate community feel more like a resort camp in the woods nestled among the site’s preserved Heritage oak trees. These unique and playful buildings activate the site’s open space and blur the line between indoor and outdoor, providing a strong connection to nature.

The family community building, The Treehouse, features a CLT roof, with an exposed wood ceiling. This mass timber feature combined with the interior design by TCA’s Interiors Studio, embraces the organic design themes of the community and creates a strong connection to nature.

Stay tuned forOrchard Parkto finish in 2023!

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