Buildings

Site Analysis

What Is It?

When undertaking site analysis, you carefully consider a site in terms of site access, and the building program to determine the site's capacity to support the program without degrading vital systems or requiring extraordinary development expenditures. This is fundamental to civil engineers and landscape architects, and certainly seems like an obvious statement. Understanding a site's characteristics and history is fundamental to locating the project within it. Siting a building is a different scenario than siting roadway infrastructure, but the fundamentals of knowing what is going on under the soil, are the same. Architects and MEP designers should also consider microclimate analysis.

The designer should document site factors such as orientation, latitude and longitude, solar angles, prevailing wind direction and velocity, existing vegetation and soil conditions, heating and cooling degree days, utility rates, and any other relevant data that documents physical site conditions.

The ecosystems in which we insert the built environment can co-exist with those ecosystems, or they can fundamentally disrupt and harm them. Human beings, even urban human beings, enjoy the benefits of healthy functioning ecosystems daily. Any landscape, no matter how small a scrap, has the potential to improve and to regenerate the natural benefits and services provided by ecosystems in their undeveloped state. (from Sustainable Sites)

How to

So what makes it a sustainable design element?

• Determine the level to which the design can be ecologically responsive
• Evaluate the ecological history of the site
• Inventory the sites ecosystem and establish an ecological baseline
• Establish a boundary or extent for biodiversity
• Determining the level to which the design can be ecologically responsive
• Evaluate the ecological history of the site
• Inventory the sites ecosystem and establish an ecological baseline
• Establish a boundary or extent for biodiversity

Checklist of Standard Site Analysis Elements:

General

• Adjacent Land-use patterns; circulation systems
• Population characteristics
• Ecological and hydrographic systems of region
• Area economy nearby projects and their effects

Physical Data of Site and Adjacent Land

• Geology and Soil: underlying geology, rock character, soil types and depth, areas of fill or ledge, aquifer recharge areas
• Water: water bodies, drainage pattern, water table, water supply flood plains
• Topography: pattern of land forms, unique features, slope
• Climate: regional patterns of temperature, humidity, precipitation, sun angles, cloudiness, wind direction and speed; site microclimate; snowfall ands now drifting patterns, ambient air quality; sound levels
• Ecology: plant and animal communities; pattern of plant cover; wooded areas; specimen trees
• Man-made structures: existing buildings; road and path networks; location and condition of utilities, fences, walls and other structures
• Sensory qualities: character and relationship of visual spaces; viewpoints, vistas focal points, quality and variation of light, sound smell.

Cultural Data, Site and Adjacent Land

• Resident population: number composition; social structure; economic status; organization, political participation
• Use of Site: nature, location, participants
• Site values and restrictions: ownerships, easements; zoning, subdivision and other regulations; economic value; political jurisdictions
• Past and Future: history of site; plans for future use (if any)
• Site Character and images: feelings that groups or individuals have about the site

Correlation of Data:

• Areas of consistent structure and areas where site can be subdivided-character and problems
• Identification of key points, views, areas best left undeveloped, areas best developed
• Ongoing changes of site, its dynamic aspects
• Areas where present uses to be preserved
• Summary of significant problems and potentials; key positive and negative impacts of development proposals.