Design Statements: More Than Pretty Pages

A design statement is not just a collection of attractive images, precedent photos, or a few paragraphs explaining façade colours... It is the story of the project. Design statement explains why the proposal looks the way it does, why the building sits where it sits, what constraints shaped the outcome, and how the design responds to the site, the neighbourhood, the planning framework and the potential environmental effects.

For architects, architectural designers and planners, projects' story can feel obvious. By the time a resource consent application is lodged, the project team may have spent weeks or months studying the site, reviewing district plan rules, analysing overlays, testing different options, physically walking the land while photographing surrounding buildings. They know why one option was abandoned, why the building was moved further from one boundary and why a particular infringement was inevitable . Project team knows why a roof form was designed in this particular way and why a windows were placed right there. On the other hand, the processing planners at council never share that same history with the project.

Territorial Authorities' planners usually see the proposal for the first time when the application is lodged. And often, that application arrives as a large package of drawings, reports, specialist assessments, planning rules, appendices and technical information. add to this, the fact that most councils are also working under significant pressure, where internal teams are often managing high workloads, statutory timeframes, internal KPIs, resourcing constraints, and applications of very different quality. A planner may receive hundreds of pages of information, yet have limited time to understand the design logic behind the proposal.

And this is exactly, where a good design statement can actually make a real difference. It is important to note, that a design statement does not replace the Assessment of Environmental Effects nor the planner’s assessment. But a well-written and well-organised design statement can bring the project together by organising the evidence, explaining the thinking, and guiding the reader through the proposal in a way that drawings alone often cannot do.

A well written design statement gives the planner a clear entry point into the project. It does not ask them to guess the design logic from drawings, or piece together the story from scattered consultant reports. Instead, it explains the proposal in a way that is visual, structured and easy to follow (below, you can download an example of a design statement that supported a successful resource consent application by clearly explaining the story behind the project.)

This tool becomes particularly important when a proposal is not perfectly compliant. And, in reality, many projects requiring Resource Consent are not perfectly compliant. A side yard infringement may be created because the building was deliberately pulled away from a more sensitive boundary. A height infringement may occur because the site slopes steeply and the building is trying to follow the natural landform. A garage may sit forward of the building line because vehicle access, manoeuvring, stormwater infrastructure or topography left very few practical alternatives. But without explanation, these decisions can look careless or unjustified. On the other hand, with proper explanation, they can be understood as part of a considered design response.

For example, if a building is close to a boundary, the design statement can explain what happens on the neighbouring site, whether there are windows facing the proposal, how privacy has been managed, whether landscaping or screening is proposed, and whether the location of the building actually reduces effects elsewhere on the site. If a proposal exceeds height in relation to boundary, the statement can explain the slope of the land, the building form, the roof geometry, the location of sunlight access, and whether the infringement creates any meaningful shading or dominance effects.

This does not mean trying to “sell” a poor design with nice words. A design statement should not be used to disguise weak decisions. It should do the opposite: it should make the design thinking transparent.

In my experience, a good design statement can change the tone of the consent process. It can reduce confusion, help planners understand why the project is designed the way it is before they form an initial negative view. It can also give the applicant a stronger and more organised position if further questions are raised.

Resource Consent is not only about whether a proposal meets a list of rules. It is also about understanding effects, context, intention and outcome. A design statement helps bring those things together.

33PEACH - Design Statement-.pdf

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