ACH 121

Materials and Methods of Construction 1

Fall 2007

The Building Site

Professor Richard Luxenburg, AIA

Department of Architectureand Interior Design
AnneArundel Community College
 The Building Site

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

built by the Ancestral Puebloans (previously known as the Anasazi) in the late 12th and 13th centuries
www.360parks.com/ancient_dwellings_virtual_tour.shtml
 Site Analysis is the process of surveying or
studying the existing environment and howit will
influence the structure’
s design and layout on the site.

www.arkleg.state.ar.us/data/SustainDesignBuildingPractice/GreenBldgInit_files/frame.htm#slide0235.htm
A n a ly s is a n d S it e P la n s ( r e n d e r e d )

Nowyou knowwhy I asked you to purchase

somebasiccolored markersand colored pencils
for theAch 111 class!
 •Topography
•Geographic location
•Plant material
•Water
•Climate
•Solar orientation
•Prevailing winds
•Soil

Site Analysis
•Regulatory factors
Zoning Ordinances
Codes
Covenants
Historical Requirements
•Sensory Factors
Views
Sounds
Smells
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA
B u ild in g S e c t io n

www.tetonscience.org/campus_buildings.shtml&h
www.360parks.com/ancient_dwellings_virtual_tour.shtml
www.360parks.com/ancient_dwellings_virtual_tour.shtml
The A n g le o f t h e S u n varies during the
seasons,
this is due to the tilting of the earth’s axis as it rotates around the sun.
Actually, the earth is closer to the sun in winter but the northern
hemisphere is tilting away from the sun.
Therefore… . one could assume that a design that works
well for a flat plot of land may not do as well for a sloped
topography and visa versa.

http://www.cce.ufl.edu/current/green_building/passive.html
The Affects of a Slope
Affects of Slope on Building Design
The re fo re a S ITE ANALYS IS mus t be c o mple te d
firs t be fo re de s ig n de ve lo pme nt c an c o mme nc e .
 Solar radiation
Exte rio r de vic e s are be tte r than inte rio r de vic e s , be c aus e the y inte rc e pt the s un ’s
radiatio n be fo re it c an re ac h the s urfac e s o f the building .
Relationship between 2-D and 3-D representation of site topography (contour lines)
 Topography
Contour lines are imaginary lines in plan view that connect points of
equal height above a datum or bench mark.
 Each contour line represents the form in which the site acquires
over a specified elevation that is why we have surveyors and
topographic surveys vs. metes and bounds surveys
 Contour lines are continuous and never intersect each other.

They change in shape, but never in elevation.

o u n d s h a p e s a s r e p r e s e n t e d b y c o n t o u r lin e s a n d s it

• contour lines spaced far apart indicate a flat surface

• contour lines spaced evenly describe a constant slope
• contour lines spaced close together designate a steep rise/fall in elevation
 C o n t o u r lin e s & T o p o g r a p h y

Without the elevation numbers you could not tell these forms apart!
Contours must match existing grades at property lines.

•Each contour line is placed with an elevation marker.

states the height of the contour relative to the
site.

•Elevation markers are documented in intervals

depending on the size of the plat.

•Smaller sites or sites having gradual slopes may

show 1, 2 or 5 feet markers,

•Larger or steeper sites may show markers in

10’, 20 or 50 feet markers.

e x is t in g
ne w
 Geographic factors
All buildingsrely on soil for their ultimatesupport.
Theunderlyingfoundation iseffectedby thesoil’ sstrength.

SOIL
 The soil type affects:
 the type and size of a building’s foundation
system
 the drainage of ground and surface water

 the types of plant material able to grow on a site

 Geographic factors
VEGETATION
 The types and locations of plant materials affect:
 the site’s micro-climate
 Solar radiation, wind, humidity, air temperature
 the definition or visual screening or exterior spaces
 the absorption or dispersion of sound
Plant Material
Plant Material
Plant Material
Plant Material
Climatic Factors
 The light shelf is an extremely useful tool.
This mechanism, a horizontal surface at or above eye level,
serves to reflect light falling above the vision window up
onto the ceiling and therefore deeper into the room. At the
same time, it reduces illumination immediately adjacent to
the window, where illumination levels are typically too great
to work comfortably.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/ldg/s01LandscapeDesign/graphics