12-16-2022, 09:10 AM
Site Analysis
Diagramming Information for Architectural Design
by Edward T. White
It is important not to do the analysis "at long range" but to actually go to the site and feel it.
See the views, listen to the sounds, look at the activity. Walk or drive the site to get a sense of the time-distance factor between boundaries and to feel how the contours change. It is important to judge first hand the value of on site amenities such as trees.
look at the next contextual layer of issues beyond the ones we are addressing.
Our contextual analysis should record what information is "hard" (nonnegotiable)
and what is "soft."
Soft data is that which deals with site conditions that can be changed or that do not
absolutely have to be addressed or responded to in design. Hard data involves
things like site boundary, legal description, site area and utility locations. Some things that we might classify as hard data are actually changeable such as contours, zoning, setbacks and trees.
Soft data may involve some value judgments on our part in conducting the contextual analysis. These deal primarily with the sensory and human aspects of the site that are not quantitative and which require an opinion about the existence and positive or negative characteristics of certain site qualities. Typical examples include good and bad views from the site, best approach directions to the site in terms of view, existence of odours and extent to which they are annoying, presence of existing on site human activities and their value
(informal playground, gathering spot for unemployed workers, neighborhood fairs
and festivals) and types of noises and the extent to which they are disruptive.
LOCATION May include state map and city map showing location of site in relation
to city as a whole. City map may also show distances and travel times to related
functions in other parts of the city.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT Presents the immediate surroundings of the
site for perhaps three to four blocks beyond the site boundary. This may be extended
further to include an important factor or because of the scale of the project. Map
may show existing and projected uses, buildings, zoning and any other conditions
that may have an impact on our project.
SIZE AND ZONING Documents all the dimensional aspects of the site including
boundaries, location and dimension of easements and present zoning classification
with all its dimensional implications (setbacks, height restrictions, parking formulas,
allowed uses, etc.) and buildable area (land available for the project after all
setbacks and easements have been subtracted).
Analysis should also document the present and projected zoning trends, plans by the city transportation department to widen roads (change rights of way) and any other trend that might affect our project in the future.
LEGAL
This category presents the legal description of the property, covenants and
restrictions, present ownership, present governmental jurisdiction (Bye laws)
and any future projections that may influence the project (such as the fact that the
site is in a future city urban renewal area or within the boundaries of eventual university
expansion).
NATURAL PHYSICAL FEATURES
Includes contours, drainage patterns, soil type and bearing capacity, trees, rocks, ridges, peaks, valleys, pools and ponds.
MAN-MADE FEATURES Documents on site conditions such as buildings, walls,
drives, curb cuts, hydrants, power poles and paving patterns. Off site features may include characteristics of surrounding development such as scale, roof forms, fenestration patterns, setbacks, materials, colors, open spaces, visual axes, paving patterns, landscaping materials and patterns, porosity and assertiveness of wall forms and accessories and details.
CIRCULATION Presents all vehicular and pedestrian movement patterns on and around the site. Data includes duration and peak loads for surrounding vehicular traffic and pedestrian movement, bus stops, site access edges, traffic generators, service truck access and intermittent traffic (parades, fire truck routes, concerts at nearby auditorium). Traffic analysis should
include future projections insofar as they can be made.
UTILITIES/ SERVICES
This category deals with the type, capacity and location of all utilities on, adjacent to and near the site. Typical utility types include electricity, gas, sewer, water and telephone. Where utilities are some distance from the site, those dimensions should be given. It is useful to document the depths of utilities when they are underground as well as the pipe material
and diameter.
SENSORY
Documents the visual, audible, tactile and olfactory aspects of the site,
Typical issues are views to and from the site and noise generated around the site. It is of value to record the type, duration, intensity and quality (positive or negative) of sensory issues. As discussed earlier, this often involves making some judgments the relative desirability of the different sensory conditions on and around the site
HUMAN AND CULTURAL
Includes an analysis of the surrounding neighborhood in terms of cultural, psychological, behavioural and sociological aspects. This category is different from "Neighborhood the Context" listed earlier in that the latter addresses the physical while this category deals with the activities, human relationships and patterns of human characteristics. Issues here might involve population site. age, ethnic patterns, density, employment
patterns, values, income and family structure.
Also of importance are any scheduled or informal activities in the neighborhood
such as festivals, parades or crafts fairs. Vandalism and crime patterns, although not pleasant, are of value to designers when conceptualizing site zoning and building design.
CLIMATE
Presents all the pertinent climate conditions such as rainfall, snowfall, humidity and temperature variations over the months of the year. Also included are
prevailing wind directions, sun-path and vertical sun angles as they change over the
year and potential natural catastrophes such as tornados, hurricanes and earthquakes.
It is helpful to know not only how climate conditions vary over a typical year
but also what the critical conditions might be (maximum daily rainfall, peak wind
velocity).
IMPLICATIONS FOR DESIGN
It is useful in discussing the influence of contextual analysis on design to differentiate between function and context as forces which locate building spaces and activities on the site. Function tends to locate building spaces in an introverted way in that they are primarily looking inward to each other for the rationale behind their positions
in the scheme. Context, on the other hand, wants the spaces to migrate to different positions on the site in response to conditions outside the building. In function, the attraction is between spaces. In context, the attraction
is between spaces and external site conditions. Usually in a design problem these two (and all the other)
project issues pull and push the spaces to determine their final placement in the scheme. They are in a very real
sense competing with each other to determine the building form.
Example of Site Analysis
Contextual Analysis for a New Office Building, Tallahassee, Florida
Contextual Analysis for a New Office Building, Tallahassee, Florida s.pdf Size: 4.3 MB Downloads: 13
for more detail download
for education purpose only taken from Site Analysis Diagramming Information for Architectural Design by Edward T. White.
Diagramming Information for Architectural Design
by Edward T. White
It is important not to do the analysis "at long range" but to actually go to the site and feel it.
See the views, listen to the sounds, look at the activity. Walk or drive the site to get a sense of the time-distance factor between boundaries and to feel how the contours change. It is important to judge first hand the value of on site amenities such as trees.
look at the next contextual layer of issues beyond the ones we are addressing.
Our contextual analysis should record what information is "hard" (nonnegotiable)
and what is "soft."
Soft data is that which deals with site conditions that can be changed or that do not
absolutely have to be addressed or responded to in design. Hard data involves
things like site boundary, legal description, site area and utility locations. Some things that we might classify as hard data are actually changeable such as contours, zoning, setbacks and trees.
Soft data may involve some value judgments on our part in conducting the contextual analysis. These deal primarily with the sensory and human aspects of the site that are not quantitative and which require an opinion about the existence and positive or negative characteristics of certain site qualities. Typical examples include good and bad views from the site, best approach directions to the site in terms of view, existence of odours and extent to which they are annoying, presence of existing on site human activities and their value
(informal playground, gathering spot for unemployed workers, neighborhood fairs
and festivals) and types of noises and the extent to which they are disruptive.
LOCATION May include state map and city map showing location of site in relation
to city as a whole. City map may also show distances and travel times to related
functions in other parts of the city.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT Presents the immediate surroundings of the
site for perhaps three to four blocks beyond the site boundary. This may be extended
further to include an important factor or because of the scale of the project. Map
may show existing and projected uses, buildings, zoning and any other conditions
that may have an impact on our project.
SIZE AND ZONING Documents all the dimensional aspects of the site including
boundaries, location and dimension of easements and present zoning classification
with all its dimensional implications (setbacks, height restrictions, parking formulas,
allowed uses, etc.) and buildable area (land available for the project after all
setbacks and easements have been subtracted).
Analysis should also document the present and projected zoning trends, plans by the city transportation department to widen roads (change rights of way) and any other trend that might affect our project in the future.
LEGAL
This category presents the legal description of the property, covenants and
restrictions, present ownership, present governmental jurisdiction (Bye laws)
and any future projections that may influence the project (such as the fact that the
site is in a future city urban renewal area or within the boundaries of eventual university
expansion).
NATURAL PHYSICAL FEATURES
Includes contours, drainage patterns, soil type and bearing capacity, trees, rocks, ridges, peaks, valleys, pools and ponds.
MAN-MADE FEATURES Documents on site conditions such as buildings, walls,
drives, curb cuts, hydrants, power poles and paving patterns. Off site features may include characteristics of surrounding development such as scale, roof forms, fenestration patterns, setbacks, materials, colors, open spaces, visual axes, paving patterns, landscaping materials and patterns, porosity and assertiveness of wall forms and accessories and details.
CIRCULATION Presents all vehicular and pedestrian movement patterns on and around the site. Data includes duration and peak loads for surrounding vehicular traffic and pedestrian movement, bus stops, site access edges, traffic generators, service truck access and intermittent traffic (parades, fire truck routes, concerts at nearby auditorium). Traffic analysis should
include future projections insofar as they can be made.
UTILITIES/ SERVICES
This category deals with the type, capacity and location of all utilities on, adjacent to and near the site. Typical utility types include electricity, gas, sewer, water and telephone. Where utilities are some distance from the site, those dimensions should be given. It is useful to document the depths of utilities when they are underground as well as the pipe material
and diameter.
SENSORY
Documents the visual, audible, tactile and olfactory aspects of the site,
Typical issues are views to and from the site and noise generated around the site. It is of value to record the type, duration, intensity and quality (positive or negative) of sensory issues. As discussed earlier, this often involves making some judgments the relative desirability of the different sensory conditions on and around the site
HUMAN AND CULTURAL
Includes an analysis of the surrounding neighborhood in terms of cultural, psychological, behavioural and sociological aspects. This category is different from "Neighborhood the Context" listed earlier in that the latter addresses the physical while this category deals with the activities, human relationships and patterns of human characteristics. Issues here might involve population site. age, ethnic patterns, density, employment
patterns, values, income and family structure.
Also of importance are any scheduled or informal activities in the neighborhood
such as festivals, parades or crafts fairs. Vandalism and crime patterns, although not pleasant, are of value to designers when conceptualizing site zoning and building design.
CLIMATE
Presents all the pertinent climate conditions such as rainfall, snowfall, humidity and temperature variations over the months of the year. Also included are
prevailing wind directions, sun-path and vertical sun angles as they change over the
year and potential natural catastrophes such as tornados, hurricanes and earthquakes.
It is helpful to know not only how climate conditions vary over a typical year
but also what the critical conditions might be (maximum daily rainfall, peak wind
velocity).
IMPLICATIONS FOR DESIGN
It is useful in discussing the influence of contextual analysis on design to differentiate between function and context as forces which locate building spaces and activities on the site. Function tends to locate building spaces in an introverted way in that they are primarily looking inward to each other for the rationale behind their positions
in the scheme. Context, on the other hand, wants the spaces to migrate to different positions on the site in response to conditions outside the building. In function, the attraction is between spaces. In context, the attraction
is between spaces and external site conditions. Usually in a design problem these two (and all the other)
project issues pull and push the spaces to determine their final placement in the scheme. They are in a very real
sense competing with each other to determine the building form.
Example of Site Analysis
Contextual Analysis for a New Office Building, Tallahassee, Florida
Contextual Analysis for a New Office Building, Tallahassee, Florida s.pdf Size: 4.3 MB Downloads: 13
for more detail download
for education purpose only taken from Site Analysis Diagramming Information for Architectural Design by Edward T. White.