Design Ideas and Considerations for Urban Spaces

A city is a complex network of interconnected spaces; some private, some public; some highly designed, others spontaneous; some indoors, and others outdoors. Exterior spaces are often associated with leisure and sport, breaks from work, well-being, and the opportunity to bring much-needed nature into the city and our daily lives. As the population of cities increases and the city itself densifies, these outdoor spaces will be called on to work harder than ever. It is up to designers to be curious about the opportunities to use liminal spaces and to find creative ways to multiply the potential uses of space.  

In this article, we will be taking a look at common archetypes of outdoor spaces found in cities, as well as ideas to maximize their potential.

Urban Rooftops

Rooftops are an underutilized resource in the urban context. Without requiring additional land — a rare commodity in dense areas — they offer the possibility to create a quiet, more isolated haven for the building’s users, away from the hustle and bustle of busy streets below. They’re an excellent place for plants, wildlife, and people to enjoy sunlight and fresh air. This is true for all kinds of buildings, from private homes to apartment complexes, to schools and hospitals. Of course, this particular type of space comes with its specific constraints. Weight is an issue; there is little soil depth in which to grow plants, and sunlight is overly abundant. These constraints influence the plants and materials that can be used. Plants must tolerate sunlight and wind, shallow soil, and wide temperature ranges. Stonecrop (sedum), thyme, common yarrow, and chive are great options for rooftops, depending on where your project is located. A lot of rooftop-appropriate plants also make for great pollinator gardens.

Much like the plant selection, the materials used in the construction of rooftop patios must be particularly hardy. Concrete slabs offer a durable solution that will withstand the relentless sun exposure of rooftop patios. These are installed on a pedestal system and are held in place by their weight. This makes them easy to remove and put back into place should the roof require maintenance, unlike planted areas or screwed-in decks. Planning for the upkeep of the building will increase the longevity of your design. This is particularly important when designing a rooftop space, as these are hard to access and renovations may prove costly. We offer a Roof deck material calculator to make figuring out pedestal type and required quantities easy. To know which slabs are appropriate for pedestal applications, you can consult the “Typical application usage” chart in our TechoSpec. Note that the Blu Grande, the Industria 600x600x60, and the Para 500x750 slabs are all manufactured with our HD2 finish for increased resistance and durability.

Outdoor Eating Areas

What do all office building employees presumably have in common? The need to eat lunch. Lunchtime is a much-needed break for workers, during which they can socialize, relax, and re-energize themselves. Outdoor employee spaces offer the opportunity to step outside for some mind-clearing fresh air and sunshine. For these spaces to work, they must be carefully crafted with user comfort in mind. They must offer options: a sunny spot to soak up some sun in during colder days, as well as some shade to stay fresh under during the summer. Employees must be able to sit alone if they so desire, or to share their break with a group. Movable furniture is highly appreciated, as it gives the user control over how they use the space. It is also important for the users of the space to feel protected. This type of space should be thought of as an outdoor room, or as a series of outdoor rooms. Breaking up paved areas using vegetation is a useful trick to create privacy barriers, make the space more intimate, and increase the psychological comfort of users. In this scheme, each seating area essentially becomes a paved island nestled in vegetation. Small pavers, such as Westmount or Squadra, have the potential to make these paved zones feel even more intimate by providing them with an intricate hardscape carpet. Choosing pavers with slim, minimalistic joints will ensure that movable furniture does not wobble. 

Flexible Outdoor Space

Recent years have seen the rise of the “programmed” outdoor event space. These large paved plazas are designed with large-scale events in mind, and so are kept free of obstruction. They are used during festivals and light installations, and sometimes as skating rinks in the winter. To accommodate a broad range of temporary uses, these places tend to be flat, open, and equipped with lighting rigs and access to electrical systems. Multi-functionality and adaptability are the main design goal here.

So how can we adapt these large event spaces to not uniquely serve the city center, but also smaller commercial, residential or institutional buildings? Well, for one, these spaces share a lot of characteristics with the common parking lot. By designing attractive parking lots, we can also turn them into temporary event spaces. An office building’s paved parking could host the company’s barbeque, with its rented chairs, tables, and tents, for example. Winter parking in front of a restaurant could become patio space during summer, increasing the restaurant’s capacity. Of course, for these propositions to work, the space must be rendered attractive. Without a lot of planting or permanent street furniture to rely on, pavers are center stage. Diamond, Hexa, and Industria are some of our favorite pavers for this context, as they are both great for creating custom mosaics and can support vehicular traffic.

These same spaces can also be put to ecological use. By designing them with permeable pavers in mind, for example, a university’s central event space could also serve as a large infiltration channel for stormwater from the surrounding streets and sidewalks. To quickly find out which of our pavers work best for permeable or vehicular applications, you can rely on the “Typical application usage” table in our spec book. 

Terraced Landscapes

Born out of the necessity to manage grade changes, terraced landscapes offer the opportunity to create truly unique spaces. When designed as a series of plateaus instead of a single, extra-large retaining wall, terraced landscapes can become optimal seating and socializing areas. Steps and retaining walls serve as impromptu benches and the sloping grade creates an amphitheater perfect for people watching or soaking up some sun. If it is impossible to devote the space to people, native plantings and pollinator gardens are good candidates for these liminal spaces. In the spirit of maximizing usable outdoor space in cities, these necessary works of engineering can be embraced and reimagined to become part of the urban experience.

The Raffinato step module allows you to create elegant retaining walls without the need to pour concrete on site. These monoliths are heavy enough to retain soil, while also being wide enough to sit on. They can also be used in combination with the rest of the Raffinato collection (wall blocks, a wall cap/slab, and edges) to create a cohesive, modern look for your landscape project. Using this strategy will ensure that you have the same color and chamfer details across all hardscape elements. You may also want to consider creating a curved tiered retaining wall. These can help soften up the landscape, and allow more room for creative expression. A series of curved retaining walls will give your landscape a more natural look, similar to the terraced rice farms of China or topographical lines on a plan. A variety of Techo-Bloc’s retaining wall blocks allow you to create curves with different radiuses, without requiring cutting. For more information on segmental retaining wall systems (including load calculation and minimum and maximum wall radiuses), you can consult our Spec Book, or contact your local sales representative to find out about our engineering services.

These are just a few of the possibilities worth considering when designing spaces within the dense fabric of the city. By taking into account the human experience and applying a little extra creativity, we can capitalize on the opportunities offered by liminal spaces. We can make flexible spaces that enrich user’s lives while taking into account future, unknown possibilities. To get a better look at the building blocks for your vision and what you could do with them, feel free to explore our commercial catalog.