Site Planning Process

SITE PLANNING DEFINITION

  • Site Planning: The process of setting buildings and other structures in order to achieve balance and harmony for the benefit of mankind in a particular environment.

    • It is described as the art and science of positioning structures and designing both internal and external spaces in a given site.

    • It involves the arrangement of structures on land and shaping spaces between them.

    • Site planning connects with various fields: architecture, engineering, landscaping, and city planning.

(Kevin Lynch, Site Planning 1984)

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF SITE PLANNING

  • Relation between Key Components:

    • Mass, Space, Zoning, Services & Maintenance

    • There exists a compromise between the site and building program, taking into account features of the site.

    • This discipline embodies the art and science of harmoniously blending site requirements with minimal disruption to the land and surroundings.

    • Site planning integrates natural and man-made elements, utilizing cultural and scientific knowledge, focusing on resource conservation.

APPROACH TO SITE PLANNING

  1. Determine Project Brief & Programming

  2. Sitting the Building

  3. Respond to Regulations

  4. Respond to Climate

  5. Determine Building Orientation

    • Relate to climate, surroundings, and circulation.

  6. Determine Entry and Exit Points to the site.

  7. Integrate with Existing/Future Land Use & Building Surrounding

  8. Minimize Negative Environmental Impact

  9. Focus on Green Site & Building Design

SITE DESIGN ELEMENTS

  • Buildings:

    • Main Buildings, Service Buildings

    • Private, Services, VIP areas

  • Transportation Access:

    • Cars, Pedestrian access, Emergency services, Public vehicles

  • Landscape Features:

    • Softscape (plants, trees) & Hardscape (paving, walls)

  • Utility Services:

    • Water supply, Sewerage, Stormwater drainage, Electricity

SITE PLANNING PRINCIPLES

Client Vision/Program

  • Concerns of Community

  • Interests of Users

Physical Aspects

  • Requirements & Regulations

  • Neighborhood Character

  • Physical Characteristics of the Site:

    • Shape, Dimension, Orientation

    • Contours (Elevation, Slope, Aspect)

    • Existing buildings and setbacks for safety (noise sealing, green spaces)

  • Air Circulation & Natural Light:

    • Importance for building ventilation and energy efficiency.

  • Design with Contour Lines:

    • Align building designs with ridge lines and minimize cuts and fills.

DESIGNING WITH NATURE AND CULTURE

  • Decisions should be responsive to economic, environmental, and cultural conditions.

  • Aims to minimize environmental damage and preserve, conserve, and regenerate the existing ecological features.

    • Emphasizes sustainable practices and resources conservation in site planning.

SITE ASSESSMENT PROCESS

Site Selection

  • Process: Identifying and evaluating alternative sites to select the most suitable location for a proposed program.

    • Clients may have an existing site or need assistance in finding one based on their intended use.

Site Inventory

  • Elements Involved in Site Assessment:

    • Collecting attribute data related to physical, biological, and cultural characteristics of the site and its surroundings.

  • Mapping:

    • Physical, Biological, Social, or Cultural Attributes

    • Utilization of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for large projects.

  • Expert Involvement:

    • Ecologists, hydrologists, anthropologists, etc., may collect, map, and analyze data.

EXAMPLES OF ATTRIBUTES IN SITE INVENTORY

  • Cultural Attributes:

    • Land use, prior land use

  • Physical Attributes:

    • Soils (bearing capacity, stability, porosity)

    • Topography (elevation, slope, hydrology)

    • Geology and climate characteristics

  • Biological Attributes:

    • Vegetation types, wildlife, habitats for endangered species

  • Utilities:

    • Sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water supply, telecommunication infrastructure

SITE ANALYSIS PHASE

Conceptual Design

  • Adapting the project program to the site based on site analysis results.

  • Concept plans spatially organize proposed elements and on-site improvements.

  • Architectural concepts serve as responses to design situations and solutions to identified problems.

DESIGN PHASE AND IMPLEMENTATION

  • Design Development:

    • Refining design concepts into actionable specifications.

  • Construction Documentation:

    • Creating detailed drawings and instructions for building.

REFERENCES

  • Lagro, J. (2013). Site analysis: informing context-sensitive and sustainable site planning, 3rd edition, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey.

  • Edward T. White (1983). Diagram Information for Architectural Design, Architectural Media Ltd., Florida.