Creating effective communal spaces in housing developments involves balancing resident needs, aesthetics and functionality. Hard landscaping elements – such as Tobermore’s paving slabs, permeable paving, retaining walls and kerb edging – are crucial in designing impactful and sustainable spaces that benefit everyone.
Understanding resident needs
The people who will call the development home should influence the design of communal spaces. Access to the outdoors is crucial for mental and physical health and helps to create a sense of community.
With the Future Homes Standard coming into force next year, housebuilders are expected to create places that will last for generations. Gone are the days of “Keep off the grass” and “No ball games” signs. Residents want safe places where children can play and where people can gather together.
Accessibility is another critical issue. Wheelchairs and pushchairs should be able to navigate the spaces easily, meaning wide paving, off-road parking and dropped kerbs are essential for access. Tactile paving, which features raised patterns, provides aid to pedestrians with visual impairments, warning them of crossing points, drop kerbs and stairs.
There’s also the question of sustainability in hard landscaping. Residents want external communal spaces that benefit the natural environment and minimise carbon footprints. Planting schemes and hard landscaping should support biodiversity and harmonise with the local area.
Balancing form and function
Successful communal spaces combine form and function, bringing together aesthetics and usability. Hard landscaping elements like retaining walls, block paving, kerb edging, paving slabs, facing bricks and permeable paving prevent soil erosion, control drainage, and define areas.
In high-traffic areas, durable, hard-wearing surfaces are a must. Tobermore’s concrete block paving products create a fresh and contemporary look that is easy to maintain and perfect for communal areas in residential developments.
When choosing paving slabs, developers should consider the difference between bound and unbound paving. Unbound paving, laid on sharp sand, costs less, is quick to install and easy to repair. Bound paving is primed, bedded and joined with a cementitious mortar. It offers longevity and helps prevent weed growth, but installation and maintenance can be more complicated.
Transforming challenging sites
On sloped sites, retaining walls are essential. Modern hard landscaping options, such as Tobermore’s modular mortarless retaining walls, provide housebuilders with a cost-effective and stylish solution. Installation is quick and easy and requires no specialist skills or mortar drying time.
Tobermore’s permeable paving can be used as part of a sustainable drainage system (SuDS), allowing rainfall to infiltrate the ground naturally and reducing the risk of flooding in communal areas. This is important for resident satisfaction and the reputation of developers.
Comprehensive design support from Tobermore
At Tobermore, we provide complimentary design support for housebuilders through our Hard Landscape Proposal service. Our services include mood boards, concept images, backfill calculations and virtual project fly-throughs. Contact us today to discuss your project requirements and request a Hard Landscaping Proposal.
