The term "ensemble" characterizes a compositionally unified group of urban buildings and civic spaces. An ensemble has a collective identity, eliciting a palpable sense of place and sense of community. Ensembles are greater than the sum of their architectural parts. Visible and accessible, they become public destinations as well as desirable residential neighborhoods.
An ensemble is not created piecemeal. Rather, a form-based, three-dimensional master plan governs site layout and deployment of functions; determines placement and massing of new buildings; shapes civic spaces and streetscapes; and denotes existing structures — and infrastructure — worth preserving. Ensemble master plans, while somewhat prescriptive about design, nevertheless enable diverse architectural expression.
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