Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria

80 Pages·2017·4.01 MB·English

Apartment Design
Guidelines for Victoria
© The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning 2017
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ISBN 978-1-76047-573-4 (pdf/online)
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Cover: Collins and Queen (Rothelowman). Photography by Scott Burrows.
Contents
Introduction 4
Structure of the Guidelines 5
Application of the apartment
standards 6
Urban context and design response 7
Section 1 | SITING AND BUILDING ARRANGEMENT 11
Guidance to building setback 11
Guidance to communal open space 20
Guidance to solar access to communal outdoor open space 24
Guidance to landscaping 26
Guidance to building entry and circulation 34
Section 2 | BUILDING PERFORMANCE 38
Guidance to noise impacts 38
Guidance to energy efficiency 44
Guidance to waste and recycling 47
Guidance to integrated water and stormwater management 51
Section 3 | DWELLING AMENITY 54
Guidance to functional layout 54
Guidance to room depth 57
Guidance to windows 60
Guidance to storage 63
Guidance to natural ventilation 66
Guidance to private open space 69
Guidance to accessibility 73
Glossary 77

Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria 3
Introduction
The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that apartments deliver
diverse and affordable housing options to meet the long-term needs of the
Victorian community. There is a need to lift the quality and functionality of
apartments to benefit the health and well-being of residents, and improve
environmental performance.
Improving Purpose of the
apartment design guidelines
The Apartment Standards The Apartment Design
(Standards) are intended to Guidelines for Victoria provide
improve apartment design assistance to applicants,
in Victoria. The design of architects, building designers
apartment buildings that and planners for designing
suitably responds to context and assessing apartment
and successfully incorporates developments.
the apartment standards and
The Guidelines provide
guidelines requires specialist
additional explanation of the
design capabilities. It is
apartment standards in the
important for the success of
Interpreting the Standards
the project to select a team of
section and guidance on
design professionals to be led
matters to consider to
by an experienced architect
meet the objectives of the
or building designer who
apartment standards in the
can analyse and integrate
Design Guidance section.
the multiple requirements
The Guidelines are also
into a successful design that
intended to support greater
contributes positively to
consistency in the planning
the urban context and the
permit assessment phase of
neighbourhood character.
an apartment development.
Alternative design solutions
may be proposed and the The Guidelines are
responsible authority will complemented by the Urban
assess how an alternative Design Guidelines for Victoria
solution meets the objectives. which provide best practice
This is an important aspect of knowledge and advice to
innovation. inform the design of buildings
in relation to the function and
amenity of the public realm.
4 Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria
Structure of the Guidelines
The Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria are arranged in three sections
as follows. All three sections and their elements are interrelated and require an
integrated approach to achieve the objectives. For ease of reference, each section
includes the standards, objectives and decision guidelines for each standard. The
guidelines include further interpretation where required, and suggestions for how
the objectives can be achieved.
Section 1. Section 2. Section 3.
SITING AND BUILDING BUILDING PERFORMANCE DWELLING AMENITY
ARRANGEMENT
This section reinforces the This section provides This section introduces
importance of urban context guidance about performance guidance related to the
report and design response issues which need to be detailed design of individual
as a starting point for design considered in designing dwellings. The guidelines
and considers Standards the building such as noise address amenity issues
primarily related to the impacts, energy performance such as access to daylight
design and configuration and management of water and ventilation through
of buildings at a site scale. and waste. These issues arrangements of windows
This involves assessing the require consideration at both and room depth as well as
immediate context, adjacent a site scale and at a more functional and accessible
buildings and public realm. detailed building systems layouts of internal and
The guidelines relate to how level. These Standards relate external space. This section
the building envelope (its closely to other environmental includes the following
three dimensional volume) is assessment tools and typically standards:
established through applying require specialist input to
10. Functional layout
appropriate building types, support the design response.
orientation and setbacks. This section includes the 11. Room depth
Siting the building also following Standards:
12. Windows
establishes where communal
6. Noise impacts 13. Storage
open space is located, how
landscape is incorporated 7. Energy efficiency 14. Natural ventilation
into the proposal and how
8. Waste and recycling 15. Private open space
entries and shared circulation
is arranged. This section 9. Integrated water and 16. Accessibility
includes the following stormwater management
standards:
1. Building setback
2. Communal open space
3. Solar access to communal
outdoor open space
4. Landscaping
5. Building entry and
circulation
Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria 5
Application of the apartment
standards
The Standards apply to all apartment developments in Victoria.
The Standards have been Operation of Requirements
introduced to the Victoria
the apartment
Planning Provisions and all
An apartment development:
planning schemes in: standards
• Must meet of the objectives
• A new clause in Clause 55
of Clause 55 or Clause 58.
The apartment provisions
(Two or more dwellings
on a lot and Residential operate in the same way • Should meet the standards
buildings) at Clause 55.07, that Clauses 54 and 55 of Clause 55 or Clause 58.
operate to assess residential
and
The apartment standards
development in the Victoria
• A new Particular Provision Planning Provisions. contained in Clause 55.07
at Clause 58 (Apartments). cannot be varied in a schedule
The apartment provisions to the zone. A select number
Apartment developments of contain Objectives, Standards of the existing standards
four storeys or less (excluding and Decision guidelines. under Clause 55 continue to
a basement) in a residential
have the ability to be varied
Objectives describe the
zone will continue to be
by schedules to the zones.
desired outcomes to be
assessed against most of
the standards under Clause achieved in the completed The Neighbourhood
55 (which includes new development. Character Overlay will
Apartment Standards at continue to allow variations
A Standard contains the
Clause 57). to most of the standards
requirements to meet the
of Clause 55 except for the
objective. A standard should
Apartment developments of
apartment standards in
normally be met. However, if
five or more storeys (excluding
Clause 55.07 and existing key
the responsible authority is
a basement) in a residential
amenity standards such as
satisfied that an alternative
zone and all apartment
overshadowing and daylight
design solution meets the
developments in other zones
to new and existing windows.
objective, the alternative
will be assessed against
Clause 58. design solution may be Apartment standards in
considered. Clause 58 cannot be varied
The guidelines relate to
in a schedule to the zone or
Decision guidelines set
both the new Clause 58
an overlay, except for the
out the matters that the
provisions and the new Clause
Building setback standard
responsible authority must
55.07 provisions. Refer to
(Clause 58.04-1).
consider before deciding
Planning Advisory Note 66:
if an application meets
New planning provisions for
the objectives. When an
apartment developments –
alternative design solution
Amendment VC136 (April
is proposed, the effect
2017) for details of how the
of the design solution on
new standards for apartment
the achievement of other
developments are given effect
objectives should be
in both the amended Clause
considered.
55 and new Clause 58.
6 Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria
Urban context and design response
Neighbourhood • responds to any An urban context report
neighbourhood character is not a justification for a
and site
features for the area preconceived design. It is a
description and identified in a local planning factual record of the physical
policy or a Neighbourhood features of the urban context
design response
Character Overlay. and the site. Therefore,
the description should be
For apartment developments For more information on
impartial and describe both
of four storeys or less preparing a neighbourhood
the positive and negative
(excluding a basement) and site description and
features of the urban context
in a residential zone, the design response refer to the
and the site.
Victoria Planning Provisions following documents available
in Clause 55.01 requires a on the department’s website: A design response must
Neighbourhood and site explain how the proposed
• Planning Practice Note
description and design design:
16: Making a planning
response to be prepared
application for one or more • derives from and responds
and submitted with an
dwellings in a Residential to the urban context report.
application. A neighbourhood
zone It involves evaluating the
site description accurately
influence that features
describes the features • Planning Practice Note
identified in the description
or characteristics of the 43: Understanding
should have on the design
neighbourhood and the site. Neighbourhood Character.
• meets the objectives of the
A neighbourhood and site
Urban context Clause 58
description is a factual record
of the physical features of the report and design • responds to any relevant
neighbourhood and the site. planning provisions that
response
Therefore, the description applies to the land.
should be impartial and
For apartment developments • responds to any relevant
describe both the positive
of five or more storeys housing, urban design and
and negative features of the
(excluding a basement) in landscape plan, strategy or
neighbourhood and the site.
a residential zone and all policy.
A design response must apartment developments
explain how the proposed in other zones, the Victoria
design: Planning Provisions in Clause
58.01 requires a Urban context
• derives from and responds
report and design response to
to the neighbourhood and
be prepared and submitted
site description. It involves
with an application. A urban
evaluating the influence
context report accurately
that features identified in
describes the features or
the description should have
characteristics of the urban
on the design
context and the site.
• meets the objectives of
Clause 55
Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria 7
Urban context Design response
The starting point for a The neighbourhood and site
new apartment design is description or urban context
its urban context. Urban report assists in determining
context refers to the strategic the most appropriate building
setting of a development. It type and site layout for
includes the natural, social residential developments.
and economic environment Different building types
of the area, existing physical may be appropriate
surroundings, features that within different contexts
make a particular place depending on individual site
distinctive, neighbourhood characteristics. A context may
character, and the likely future have more than one building
character of the area. In some type, scale and character, or
cases, urban context refers to multiple interface conditions
valued aspects of the existing such as public space,
character, and in other commercial uses and so on.
circumstances, such as urban It may be appropriate for
renewal precincts, it may refer the development to respond
to an emerging or preferred by providing a diversity of
future character. building forms and dwelling
types.
Across Victoria, each location
and site is different. Defining A design response derives
the context establishes the from and responds to the
parameters for apartment neighbourhood and site
development and how new description or urban context
buildings should respond to report, and any applicable
the character of an area. The local planning provisions, as
development proposal will well as the objectives within
derive its own design response the Standards.
from its unique urban context.
It will need to demonstrate
that it takes into account the
context and all the standards,
to deliver acceptable
apartment amenity and
support the liveability of
surrounding neighbourhoods.
8 Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria
Guidance on responding to contexts
There are distinctive features and characteristics in different contexts that need to be considered
in designing an apartment development. The following section outlines four typical contexts:
Central City (Tower and Podium), Activity Centres, Neighbourhood Centres and Residential
Neighbourhoods.
Central City (Tower and Podium)
This context is characterised by taller building
forms, often as tower and podium, such
as found in central city areas. These areas
are characterised by high commercial and
residential intensity, high site coverage and
a strong urban character. Considerations
for residential apartment development in
this context include managing complex
relationships with adjacent buildings and
spaces. This urban context may include
heritage buildings and places, adjacent tall
buildings and high amenity public spaces.
In this context, planning schemes outline
detailed controls for building setback and
height. The design response in this context
should generally increase setbacks with
building height and may require consideration
of wind effects, noise and availability of public
open space.
Activity Centres
This context is characterised by medium rise
built form, typically on larger or consolidated
sites. These areas have medium to high
levels of residential and commercial intensity
and an active public realm. New apartment
developments which may include mixed uses,
often have zero setbacks to the street frontage
and may be adjacent to heritage and other
sensitive interfaces. Planning controls may be
in place detailing preferred character and built
form. The design response will typically require
high site coverage at lower levels, with setbacks
required at upper levels.
Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria 9
Neighbourhood Centres
This context is characterised by varied
site configurations, typically in established
shopping strips. Lower rise buildings on smaller
sites are generally built up to side boundaries,
and to the street frontage. New apartment
development may interface with sensitive lower
density residential uses or heritage buildings.
Development should address the pattern of
building setbacks, amenity of surrounding
dwellings, and the quality and type of
landscape.
Specific planning controls may be in place to
guide built form and character. The building
form above street frontages may require
further setbacks with front and rear orientation
of apartments appropriate for narrow infill sites
to achieve amenity objectives.
Residential Neighbourhoods
This context is characterised by lower rise
residential buildings, including detached
houses and townhouses as well as infill
apartment development in appropriate
residential zones.
New apartment development should be
responsive to the low rise residential character
of the area.
Low rise apartment buildings typically require
setbacks to the street and other boundaries to
achieve amenity objectives and respond to the
preferred landscape character.
10 Apartment Design Guidelines for Victoria