Designing in Westhill
Welcome to the beautiful “Lowcountry” of South Carolina.
Located in Summerville, SC, Westhill is a new community nestled within a historic landscape, rich with timeless natural, cultural and architectural features.
The design language within Westhill, like all Lowcountry architecture, will draw on the influences from the historic city of Charleston, the quintessential small town of Summerville, and the rural vernacular of South Carolina. These localities provide suitable responses to local conditions: hot, humid summers, cool and comfortable winters, heavy rainfall, and availability of wood and brick as construction materials.
These architectural influences and responses can be seen in the local context: the use of generous porches that bring the outside in, deep roof overhangs, functional shutters that provide shade from the hot coastal climate, welcoming landscapes and streetscapes that promote a walkable lifestyle, and attention to the rhythms found both in the architectural and natural landscape. Shading buildings and people is crucial.
The Westhill Master Plan has been designed to ensure its success as a convenient, walkable, and enjoyable place to live, visit, and explore. Special attention must be paid to how each project addresses the streetscape, neighboring buildings, open spaces, and roadways by creating inviting entryways, clear sightlines, and visual landmarks. Gradual and thoughtful transitions between the indoors and outdoors are a standard of Lowcountry architecture.
The massing and siting of every building should be made appropriate for a town-and-country setting by creating outdoor “rooms,” garden-like pathways and shade. The Westhill community is centered on the pedestrian experience by promoting outdoor circulation, recreation, rest, and gathering. The stages of approach to a building should be considered, revealing increasing levels of detail, from massing scale and proportions, to landscaping, railings, brackets, exposed rafters and structure, and roof accents. Each face of a building provides a backdrop to a different aspect of the shared community experience, so “blank” facades should be avoided.
Design innovation is encouraged to further these Lowcountry principles, combining them with contemporary design strategies to create a unique vision for Westhill. Westhill’s Design Assist Team (DAT) will review each proposal for building siting, overall massing, and architecture as well as material and color selections. Proposals of all sizes and scope should be human-scale and appropriate for the context. Overall plan and massing should not be overly complex, but simple with intentional relief and accents at key locations. Contemporary design expressions of lowcountry architecture are expected as a new response to local conditions, while being strongly informed by the traditional local vernacular. Prototypical designs are discouraged.
The material palette of the Lowcountry is typically local and sustainable: wood, brick, stucco, tabby and metal, now combined with contemporary building treatments. Throughout the region, the use of color mimics the natural hues of land, sea and sky.
For detailed design requirements and guidelines see:
“Westhill Commercial Design Principles and Standards”; “Design Typologies”; “Thoroughfare Design Guidelines”; and “Westhill Site Design Guidelines”