CONTOURS & DESIGNING WITH

CONTOURS

Introduction
Building on a sloping site offers many advantages. These advantages include opportunities for
views and the capture of prevailing breezes. However building on a sloping site may require more
site planning and design consideration to minimise the environmental, visual and amenity impact on
neighbouring properties and surrounding landscape.

The key to minimising construction costs on a sloping site is to reduce the amount of earthworks
required to level the site through cut and fill and to minimise the number of engineered retaining
walls. This can be achieved by adopting a house design that suits your sloping site. Some cut and fill
on sloping sites may be unavoidable, but the visual, structural and drainage impacts can be
mitigated by designing the house to step with the landscape and minimise the need for extensive
excavation.

An analysis of the site should identify important physical characteristics to take into consideration
in the building design. This includes the degree of the slope, the type of slope, solar orientation,
direction of prevailing breezes and the best vantage and viewpoints.

Designing With Contours: Characteristics of Contour lines

 All points on a contour line have the same elevation.

 Every contour closes on itself either within or beyond the limits of the map. If it closes
beyond the limits of the map it will run to the map edge
 A contour which closes on itself within the limits of a map is either a summit or a depression.
They can be distinguished by marked spot elevations at the low point (LP) or High point (HP).
 Contours which are equally spaced indicate a uniform sloping surface.
 Generally contours that are close together indicate a steep slope while contours spaced far
apart indicate a shallow slope.
 On a convex slope the higher contours are spaced farther apart than the lower contours.
 On a concave slope contours the lower contours are spaced farther apart than the higher
contours
 Valleys are indicated by contours pointing uphill. In crossing a valley with a stream at the
bottom, the contours run up the valley on one side, turn at the stream and run back down
the other side.
 Contours never split; however, occassionally you will see two contours numbered the same
side by side. This indicates a high or low point.
 Water flows along slope perpendcular to the contour and along the shortest disctance
between contour lines (steepest area)
 Contour lines are labeled with the elevation on the high side of the line.
 Design For Sloping Sites
 Slope Stability
 • Development will not normally be permitted on slopes steeper than 1:5 (20%).
 • Above slopes of 1:10 (10%), and in areas of poor bearing capacity, the ground conditions
should be checked and proposed structures certified by a qualified engineer.
 Site Location and Visual Impact
 • Building profiles should not visually break the ridge line of the slope, especially when seen
from important vantage points and buildings should not be built on the crest of slopes. The
hillside should act as a backdrop to the buildings.


 Development should not project above significant ridgelines

 • Buildings and structures should be set back far enough from ridges and cliff edges so that
the structure does not appear to be perched on the edge
 • The mountain or slope should act as the backdrop to the building. This is far more
preferable to having the building project into a blue sky background. If the building or
structure does break the plane of the natural backdrop, it should be designed to mimic the
natural lines of the mountains and hillsides



 Existing vegetation should be used to soften structural mass and blend buildings into natural
settings
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 Architectural Form
 • Roofs should be orientated in the direction of the slope and large gable ends should be
avoided.
 • Contrasting and varied horizontal and vertical building planes should be used to create
various light, shade, and shadow patterns to reduce perceived bulk. Large expanses of wall
in a single plane on downhill elevations should be avoided.
 • The height of the lowest finished floor(s) of a structure, excluding basements, should not
be more than 1.2m above existing grade to ensure buildings follow slopes.

 • Retaining walls and structures should be planned in a curvilinear manner that reflects the
natural contours of the landscape, and materials and finishes should harmonise both with
the terrain and the buildings on the site.
 • Long unbroken rooflines should be avoided. Instead, roofs should be broken into smaller
components to reflect the irregular natural hillside patterns. The roof should be orientated
in the same direction of the slope contour and large gable ends on downhill elevations
should be avoided.
 • Dark or earthtone colours should be used to make the building less conspicuous as seen
from off site. White or light colours should be avoided. The colours used for buildings should
harmonise with the natural colours of the hillside.

 Infrastructure
 • Roads should be laid out to avoid steep grades and should normally not exceed 1:8
 • Stormwater should be disposed of within the plot boundary or to a centralised stormwater
soakaway system and should not be allowed to flow to adjacent plots or into road reserves.
 • Special care is needed to control surface water drainage and engineering studies should be
provided to show the effect that drainage might have on other properties. Inadequate
drainage may trigger land slips .
DRAINAGE
The lowest floor of the house should be designed above the seasonal high water table. If a basement
is built below the water table, input should be sought from a geotechnical engineer for dewatering
techniques. A hydraulic plan should be prepared by a registered engineer identifying how all
stormwater is managed across the site and connected to a legal point of discharge. Drainage needs
to be provided behind retaining walls.

Roads should be laid out to avoid steep grades and should normally not exceed 1:8 (12.5%))

• Stormwater should be disposed of within the plot boundary or to a centralised stormwater

soakaway system and should not be allowed to flow to adjacent plots or into road reserves

• Special care is needed to control surface water drainage and engineering studies should be
provided to show the effect that drainage might have on other properties. Inadequate drainage may
trigger land slips

• On-site sewage and waste water disposal systems must take account of soil characteristics. The
use of septic tanks may not be possible, or special designs might be required, because of the risk of
effluent appearing at the surface in land/properties below the site being developed

• Underground utility services and poles should not be placed in made-up ground

• Water pressure from Central Water Authority facilities should be adequate to reach the upper
limits of development on a high slope. A minimum residual pressure of 10 metres at property
boundary is recommended.