Description
SAM 25 is located just to the north of the Central City between Salisbury and Durham Streets and consists of all properties that front onto Gracefield Avenue.
This area is considered to be very notable because of the strong relationship between the buildings and the street, the general consistency in scale, form, and style of the buildings as well as the abundance of mature planting both within the properties and in the road reserve.
Most of the dwellings were constructed in the early part of the last century, from 1910 to 1930, and there is a mixture of one and two storey buildings. Similar architectural elements are used extensively throughout the SAM including gabled roofs, hipped roofs, dormer windows, verandas, balconies, bay windows, and entrance porches. The original building materials in the SAM were corrugated metal and tiled roofs, brick chimneys, timber windows and painted horizontal timber weatherboard and shingles to bay windows and gable ends. More recent modern materials used include red brickwork, plastered and painted concrete blocks and painted stucco. Some of the original buildings have evolved over the years with substantial additions and alterations.
The canopy formed from the trees planted in the road reserve casts extensive shadows with a cooling effect in summer and the trees also provide a sense of enclosure. Both of these effects will strengthen as the trees grow and the canopy expands.
Designing within this character
New buildings in SAM 25 should be designed to work in the context of this character, rather than imitate it. When designing new buildings, consideration should be given to the orientation of the adjoining buildings and the distance they are set back from the front boundary. Combining forms that are similar in proportion, scale and height to the existing buildings, for the overall building shape, will help maintain this character.
Sudden changes in roofline, colour and building shape can break up the consistency of the streetscape. This disrupts the existing harmony between buildings within the SAM and the way they relate to the street.
The type of materials, style of the ornamentation and texture used for the façade of the new building should reflect that of the existing buildings, without necessarily copying them. Look at how different materials can add to the character of the area, and how a current building method might be used to achieve a result in keeping with the existing architecture.
The way that the existing buildings and their front windows and porches relate to the street also needs to be considered to continue the consistency and interaction with the street. Additionally, the placement of double garages in the front yard can be visually detrimental and should be avoided. Double garages can completely isolate the home from the street and are inconsistent with the scale and form of the area.
City Plan rules
SAM 25 is in a Living 4C zone in the City Plan. The Plan contains a set of rules that regulate the way sites can be developed. There are rules additional to the standard Living 4C rules that apply to SAM 25, which acknowledge the area as having special qualities that should be retained. They are:
The purpose of the decreased density is to retain the relative feeling of spaciousness and the level of vegetation coverage in the area. If you are considering altering a building in SAM 25, or building anew, and you need a resource consent, it is recommended that you seek advice from the Urban Design – Strategy and Planning Group of the Christchurch City Council, before submitting your application.
Date: October 2001
