design elements - San Jacinto Texas Historic District

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
The San Jacinto Texas Historic District Corridor Standards are structured to be a tool to assist in the design,
construction, and maintenance of culturally relevant, sustainable, and restorative landscapes, public
amenities and furnishings, and other features throughout the District. This standards document includes a
succinct set of design elements and best practices that cover planting/vegetation, pavement, lighting,
and site amenities. Public and private landowners can turn to these standards to select specifi c vegetation
and furnishings that will help maintain a consistent ‘look and feel’ throughout the Historic District, or they can
use the standards to get a general idea of the desired character and identify similar design elements.
The Corridor Standards are articulated in the three components of the
document mentioned in the overview: Design Scenarios, Design Elements,
and Best Practices. A user of this document can look at the Scenarios to see
an example of the application of these standards in a similar context. For
example, if one is designing a community main street enhancement, they
can look at the Main Streets scenario for an idea of how Design Elements
can be integrated into a Main Street design concept. The user can look to
the Design Elements to see the list of proposed materials and elements,
and choose those that are relevant for that particular project. The user can
also refer to the Best Practices for a particular element to bett er understand
how to best integrate the elements, and what benefi ts they off er.
Once a particular project has been conceived, the design process includes
a number of steps that generally include site assessment, programming,
conceptual design, budgeting, detailed design and engineering, bidding,
construction, and post-construction maintenance. In order to achieve
the qualities, performance, and value envisioned by these standards, the
design process should include the following.
12 │ INTRODUCTION
Gateway proposal for Morgan’s Point.
IMAGE: KNUDSON LP