Design Services

Jnauary 2008

The Commission's planning staff have expertise in a range of design related disciplines including site design, architecture and landscape architecture. The Commission provides design assistance in a number of ways, including:

Technical assistance in the design of buildings that are reviewed by the Commission as Developments of Regional Impact to ensure their consistency with the Commission's design manual, Designing the Future to Honor the Past (33.9MB PDF file; see also a notice seeking public comment by February 22, 2008, on a new draft addendum to the design manual).
Landscape design services include assistance in plant material selection, site layout and planting design, and development of guidelines for proper maintenance of plant materials. Reference materials include Plants Recommended for Low Impact Design (in Excel format and in PDF format).
Assistance to towns in the preparation of design standards or guidelines for use in the local review process.
Preparation of computer visualizations of proposed development or potential zoning changes to assist in the understanding of design-related issues. These visualizations can range from photo-simulations to three-dimensional models and could be used to illustrate the massing and scale of proposed developments, the effect of potential zoning changes on a specific area, or choices between alternate development scenarios. Click on the samples below to see larger images:

The above visualization shows how the Cape Cod Commission can create three-dimensional (3D), photo-real illustrations and models that could be used in evaluating development proposals or in the public outreach efforts for proposed planning initiatives. This approach permits the re-creation of places in 3D to provide a more "real," contextual view of specific locations. The example shows the Barnstable Superior Courthouse, Barnstable Village, Massachusetts.

The above visualization is being used in the Cape Cod Commission's Design Manual Addendum to illustrate strategies for addressing the massing of buildings. Simple illustrations of this kind have many applications; for instance, they could be used to illustrate bylaws and design guidelines or to help decide between alternative development scenarios.

The above short animation shows some alternative design options for a remodel of an historic residence. This three-dimensional massing model was used during the Cape Cod Commission's review of the project and helped inform the discussion of the appropriateness of the proposed addition.

Note: The resolution of the above movie file is purposefully lower than the original to save file size and download time.

The Cape Cod Commission's planning staff created the above 3D computer massing model to illustrate the effectiveness of screening for a proposed self-storage and business-incubator project in Truro.

Note: The resolution of the above movie file is purposefully lower than the original to save file size and download time.

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