Reso 2001-021 RDA 2001-003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Grain The "grain" of the downtown refers to its level of detail. This detailing can be considered as the size of the spaces or buildings, the relationship of elements to each other, or the amount of detail of any particular element. For example, the Best Building, built in 1910, demonstrates a fine grain. It has many pedestrian scale openings (windows and doors) along the sidewalk, the building itself is richly detailed and ornamented with carvings and hand- wrought fixtures. The .more modern Wells Fargo Bank building, on the other hand, demonstrates a coarse grain. The building presents a large blank wall to the sidewalk, with very few windows or doors. The building itself is a smooth surface with little detailing or ornamentation. This trend towards coarser grain is also reflected in the selection of urban infrastructure elements. Older street lamps were cast iron, scaled to the pe- destrian experience, and ornamented with detail that reflects ahand-touch. Modern fixtures are usually machined aluminum, scaled for automotive speeds, and lacking detail. This trend towards larger, less finely grained urban patterns is evident when comparing early photos of the downtown with more recent ones. The grain of a street or a downtown is a critical element in the overall experience of moving through a space. These details, such as ornamentation on a building, street facades created by a series of small individual buildings, a decorative lightpost, and street trees all contribute to a rhythm that is experienced as a sense of urban richness. A recommitment to a finer grain does not necessarily mandate a return to traditional designs or copying historical buildings. Modern materials and forms can be richly detailed. The essence of a return to a finer grain is a recognition of the importance of the human, pedestrian scale, and attention to the relationships between materials. A commitment to quality of materi- als, quality of construction and an understanding of human scale will all contribute to restoring the grain of the downtown. ~~ ~ ~~~~~ San Leandro Downtown Plan & Urban Design Guidelines October 2000 page 39 A fine grained street. Awnings, articulated buildings, variety of heights and windows, frequent doors, and well-detailed street furnishings. A coarsely grained street. Flat facades, long, unbroken building heights, limited windows and doors, utilitarian street furnishings.