Material Selections for Traditional Neighborhood Designs – Understanding that Less is More

By Don Browne

As New Urbanism continues to gain popularity, architects can find abundant opportunities for design excellence in crafting traditional neighborhoods that call for less materials and creative detailing with trims and embellishments.

In Chapter 3 of Architectural Design for Traditional Neighborhoods (by architects Korkut Onaran, Fernando Pagés Ruiz, Ronnie Pelusio and Tom Lyon), the authors emphasize limiting the number of materials and using trims for “visually appealing building facades” (p. 44) and “playful character” (p. 43) for the homes.

Key Tips on Selecting Materials for Traditional Neighborhoods

This section of Architectural Design contains some helpful guidelines for creating winning designs for your New Urbanism neighborhood project. Here are a few to consider:

• The material scope should complement the region’s architectural styles, natural setting and climate.
• Avoid locating heavy materials above lighter materials that cannot bear the weight. This may sound obvious, but many municipalities often require heavy materials like masonry to raise a building or home’s perceived value. In these cases, follow traditional design principles to maintain structural integrity, balance and a harmonious design.
• If there are no local aesthetic mandates, select emulated masonry styles, including stone, brick and stucco made from vinyl siding. This will ensure balance and have a much lower carbon footprint, greater cost efficiencies (including a longer performance life) and result in a beautiful, eye-catching design.
• Select trims and embellishments in different colors and complementing styles, like tapered trim for windows and doors, brackets beneath large roof overhangs and the multitude of ornate options for porches. If you are using vinyl siding, you can choose from a wide range of polymeric materials, trims and adornments to give each home its own unique identity while maintaining a consistent block face to your traditional neighborhood design.

It’s been argued that modern home architecture calls for too many materials - even for the most innovative designs, causing some critics to dismiss these projects as “material showrooms.”

However, traditional neighborhood projects allow architects to integrate beautiful design with history and sustainability by specifying vinyl siding and other polymeric exteriors – with a minimal number of materials.

With polymeric materials and traditional neighborhoods, less really is more! To learn more about our member companies’ polymeric exterior products, click here.

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Don Browne is a writer, entrepreneur and local legislator who believes that the power of words can change the world. He provides unique writing services for clients in the construction, health care, IT and hospitality sectors. He has a passion for small business and start-ups, as well as writing about Irish history, family and corporate biographies. As a homeowner and father of four who is passionate about community development, Don looks forward to writing more about the exciting possibilities of creating traditional neighborhoods and more sustainable communities using modern materials.