era | Place YOUR WHERE
STEP TWO
in the process to design + build architecture specific to you.
learn the story of your place
Find your place, then learn all you can about everything that is existing there.
Find your place.
If you don’t already have a place – a piece of land or an existing house for your purpose – this will be the next step you take in making your purpose a reality.
You may have an idea in the back of your mind about what you would like to build.
It will have some things that you will need and some things that you will want.
The place you choose will need to fulfil those needs and some or all of those wants.
If you have found your purpose, you will have a good understanding for what you are looking for in your place.
Forget everything you think you know about finding a place and try to re-learn your ideals based on your purpose.
How to find your place.
There are three main criteria to think about when choosing your place:
1. Location
2. Orientation
3. Immediate Surroundings
Take some time to consider what each one means to you.
Then prioritise each criteria into a list, with the one you care about the most as number one.
This will help you find your place because you will know what is most important to you.
Get to know your place.
There are a lot of little things to know about your place that will affect where you locate your architecture.
Whether you already own your land or are looking at options for which land suits you best, a Property Information document is a way to learn about your place.
What is a Property Information document?
A Property Information document is where all the information about your place is kept
It is prepared at the beginning of the Process and means you can consider all of the existing aspects, options and constraints of your place and how you can nestle your architecture within it. It is also a reminder as you progress through the Process of what these items are and what is required for your place.
You can use a Property Information document to communicate all of the information about your place to others.
Gather information.
Identify your place.
The information on the Certificate of Title will identify your place. You will also use this identification when speaking with anyone about your architecture or submitting an application for a permit.
What is the address? What is the Lot Number? What is the Title Number?
Get to know where everything existing is located.
This includes existing trees, vegetation, slope of the land, soil type, buildings, services such as water and power, any legal restrictions on the land such as an easement, and such.
It also includes anything existing which is located adjacent to your land including existing dwellings, power poles, ditches, roads, and such.
You can find this information in a number of places, and it is important to complete a Feature Survey to locate everything with some accuracy. You can do this yourself if you have the skillset, or engage a Surveyor to prepare a drawing of your place to show these things. Regardless of how you collect the information, the best place to check what is there, and where it is, is to stand on your land and look around you.
Get to know the seasons.
This includes where the sun rises, where the sun sets, where the wind blows in summer, where the wind blows in winter, where the rain comes from, where the water flows across the land, if frosts come, if cyclones come, if bushfires come, and such.
You can generally find this information online, but the best place to find it is to stand on your land and experience it yourself.
Get to know the regulations that apply to your place.
This includes state and local planning regulations such as what you can use the place for, how far your architecture should be set back from your title boundary, how high your architecture can be, and such.
Your local authority has looked at the big picture layout for your area, sorted out where they think suitable development is appropriate and written up information for you about what you can do on your land. In New South Wales, Australia, there are two main planning documents for you to follow:
- LEP Local Environment Plan – State Prepared Regulations for Local Areas
- DCP Development Control Plan – Local Requirements to support LEP Regulations
There are also regional and state planning legislation requirements that may apply to your place.
You can find all of this information from your local planning authority, otherwise known as council.
Or you can engage a Town Planner who will gather all of this information for you.
Where to find information about your place.
There are many places to find information about your place – some of them mentioned above – but the best way to learn about your place is to
spend some time there.
It is a way to learn where the water flows, to learn where the wind blows, to learn where the sunlight and the shadows are, to learn where to build your fire out of the wind, to learn where the noises are, to learn where the services to your place are located, to learn where it is comfortable to be and to learn where it is uncomfortable to be.
If you have employed a designer or specialist consultant such as an architect, they will likely gather the information about your place in their own way. If you are working with a design and construction organisation or project home builder, they may need you to collect some or all of the information about your place. If you are purchasing an ‘off-the-plan’ design from a designer, prefabricator or designing yourself, you will most likely need to gather all of the information about your place yourself.
Your place in the process.
THINK ABOUT PROXIMITY TO TOWN. The further you are away, the more difficult it will be to find tradesmen to work on your project and the further your materials will have to travel to reach your place, both of which add to cost.
THINK ABOUT WHICH DIRECTION YOUR LAND IS ‘FACING’. In the southern hemisphere it is ideal to ‘face’ or open up a building towards the north. In the northern hemisphere it is ideal to ‘face’ or open up a building towards the south. Your place will help you achieve that if it is ‘facing’ in the direction which is most ideal to your location.
THINK ABOUT LAND WHICH IS FLAT VERSUS SLOPING. Sloping land is typically more expensive to build on than flatter land.
THINK ABOUT WHERE THE SERVICES ARE AND WHERE THEY WILL CONNECT TO YOUR ARCHITECTURE. These include stormwater, sewer, water, power, communications and the like. The further they have to travel to connect to your architecture or the longer the service, or the more modifications you have to make it happen, the more expensive it will be.
THINK ABOUT WHERE THE SEASONS WILL FALL. Where will the sun shine, where will the wind blow and where will the water run across your land? Will that suit how you wish to live?
THINK ABOUT ACCESS TO YOUR PLACE. How will you access your place? How will a truck deliver material for your build?
And lastly, if you are considering purchasing an ‘off-the-plan’ design from a project home builder, or any other design ‘off-the-plan’, keep in mind that because their designs are attempting to suit a one size fits all, they are not suitable for every place. So have an idea of who you would like to work with to build your architecture and check their requirements before committing to a piece of land.
For example, some land can be too steep for a project home builder to work on. If you are keen to purchase an a design ‘off-the-plan’ check their requirements before you start looking for your place.
Regardless of where the information comes from, spend some time at your place with your thoughts and imagine the future moments you will experience there.
a little Template for you
If you would like a guide to help you find or get to know your place, I have made two little Templates for you!
place Find Your Place | The Story of Your Location
place Property Information | The Story of Your Land
Find them HERE.
This is your place
You have learnt about your place! Great – now you can use your Property Information document to refer to for the duration of the Process and to communicate the information you have gathered about your place to others.
The next step in the Process is to learn about yourself and the people who will share your architecture.
THE PROCESS.
This is the second step in the process to design and build architecture.
If you would like to see how this part fits within the process, you may be interested in a little book I have written that sets out each step in the Process in one place. It is a guide and workbook to help you through each step in your architectural journey.
The process is summarised in this little Blog post - era | the Process to Design + Build Architecture.
Each step in the process will also be broken down into its individual steps right here in this little Blog - so keep checking in to see the whole set!
Til next time!
Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.
Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.