Residential development within heritage conservation areas is regulated by Development Control Plans
(DCP) that provide guidelines about the shape and form that new houses, alterations and additions
should take (DIPNR 2004). By understanding that the visual amenity of streets within a city plays an
important role in creating a sense of place and community for its citizens (Lynch 1960) they attempt to
sustain, through regulation, an urban pattern that has become valued by the community.
This paper builds on an established interdisciplinary approach, utilising architectural knowledge and
computer visualisation to evaluate the visual character of detached housing within a heritage
conservation area. The visual environment is analysed using computer software developed to locate the
visual boundaries within a view of a streetscape both as an elevation and aerial view.
Analysing the visual properties of modern and traditional buildings can show where they share certain
visual characteristics, providing a planning argument for why a contemporary building, for instance, can
sustain the heritage value of a streetscape within a conservation area. Understanding the visual
characteristics of the built environment within heritage conservation areas might allow new buildings to
be proposed that are of a different style, but none the less retain the visual character of the area.
History
Source title
Symposium: Building Across Borders Built Environment Procurement CIB WO92 Procurement Systems. Proceedings
Name of conference
Symposium: Building Across Borders Built Environment Procurement CIB WO92 Procurement Systems