PLANNING 1 – SITE

PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECTURE
Presented and compiled by: Ar. DIANE A. JOSE
 COURSE DESCRIPTION
 The artistic and functional arrangement of buildings,
open spaces, service areas, circulation and other
external areas; techniques in the enhancement and
design of exterior environments.

 No. of units per lecture/studio: 3 units - Lecture

 No. of contact hours per week: 3 hours - Lecture
 COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Explain the art of site planning & landscape
architecture, exposition on their principles and methods of
construction.
2. Describe the ecological, social, psychological, aesthetic
& functional basis of site planning.
3. Relate the social Issues & implications of site planning.
4. To relate history & planning theories to ecology and
sustainable development.
 COURSE OUTLINE
1.0 Introduction to Site Planning and Landscape Architecture
2.0 Parameters of Site Selection and Analysis
3.0 Ecological Considerations of Site:
3.1 Ground form
3.2 Soil and geology
3.3 Water Resources
3.4 Microclimate
3.5 Orientation
 COURSE OUTLINE
4.0 Social and Psychological Considerations
4.1 Site Values/Social Impact
4.2 Behavior Settings
4.3 User requirements
4.4 Cultural/Historical Significance
4.5 Activity/Communication Linkages
4.6 Pertinent Laws
4.6.1 Local government ordinances
4.6.2 Land use and zoning
4.6.3 Others
 COURSE OUTLINE
5.0 Aesthetic and Physical Considerations
5.1 Site Context
5.2 Image/Symbols
5.3 Sensuous Qualities
5.4 Vocabulary of space
5.4.1 Sensuous Forms
6.0 Movement Systems:
6.1 Pedestrian
6.2 Vehicular
6.3 Road layouts
 COURSE OUTLINE
7.0 Site Development
8.0 Landscape Design
9.0 Concepts and Principles of Green Architecture as
applied in site planning and landscape design
10.0 Cost Factors
 GRADING SYSTEM
PERFORMANCE-BASED OUTCOMES
(70% Passing Grade)

 Class Requirements (CR): 60%

Quizzes, Drawings, Project
 Major Examinations (ME): 40%

SEMESTRAL GRADE COMPUTATION:

Midterm Grade (40% SG) = CR + ME
Final Grade (60% SG) = CR + FE
SEMESTRAL GRADE (SG) = MG (40%) + FG (60%)
 CLASS MGT AND POLICY
 30mins leeway (will start at 1:31PM)
 NO MAKE-UP TESTS FOR LATE COMERS AND
ABSENT STUDENTS except for students with valid
reasons according to EARIST STUDENT HANDBOOK:
 FORCE MAJEURE
 DEATH OF IMMEDIATE FAMILY
 SICKNESS (with MEDICAL CERTIFICATE)

 Arrange and clean the room before the class starts

 Multimedia Projector Payment = Php100.00 per
hour
FUNDAMENTALS OF SITE
PLANNING
SITE PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Presented and compiled by: Ar. DIANE A. JOSE
SITE PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
Sustainability and Site Design
FACTS:
 Humans have a significant impact on the world environment.
 60 percent of the earth’s land surface is under the management of
people but that 100 percent of the world is affected by the
practices of that management.
 Relationship of people, per capita rate of consumption, and the
economic efficiency of consumption.
I = PAT (Impact = Population × Affluence × Technology)

Definition of Terms:
Population – total of individuals occupying an area or making up a
whole
Affluence – abundant of flow or supply or property.

Source: Site Planning and Landscape Architecture. Copyright © 2009, 2002 by The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc.
CASE STUDY:
 Although the United States has more efficient and
cleaner technologies than some nations, these benefits
may be offset by the rate of consumption afforded by
its relative affluence. Even though China has many more
people, their relative affluence and level of technology
were low historically, but China’s affluence and
technology level have been increasing rapidly in recent
years. In either case the environmental footprint is
significant.

Source: Site Planning and Landscape Architecture. Copyright © 2009, 2002 by The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc.
Action:
 To avoid or at least minimize the environmental
impacts of human behaviour it is necessary for
society to adopt a sustainable approach to
development. Sustainability was defined as “meeting
the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.”

Source: Site Planning and Landscape Architecture. Copyright © 2009, 2002 by The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc.
WHAT IS SITE PLANNING?
Description, Site Elements, Site Selection and Site Analysis
 Definition
16

 Site planning is the art and science of arranging the

structures on the land and shaping the spaces
between, an arts of arranging USES of land linked
to architecture, engineering, landscape architecture,
and city planning. Site plans locate objects and
activities in SPACE and TIME. These plans may
concern a small cluster of houses, a single building
and its grounds, or something as extensive as a
small community built in a single operation.

Source: Kevin Lynch, Gary Hack; Site Planning, MIT press, Cambridge 1996
 SITE ELEMENTS
17

 Foreground
 Building area
 Service area
 Play area
 Private area
 entourage
 No matter sites are large or small,
Scope of work they must be viewed as part of the
total environment.
18

 Site Planners designate

the uses of land in
detail by selecting and
analyzing sites, forming
land use plans,
organizing vehicular
and pedestrian
circulation, designing
visual form and
materials concepts,
readjusting the existing
landforms by design
grading, providing
proper drainage, and
finally developing the
construction details
necessary to carry out
their projects.
 Related Profession
19

 Site planning is
professionally exercised
directly by landscape
architects, but there are Urban
related profession Planning
involved which are
architects, urban and
regional planners,
engineers. Site Landscape
Architecture
 On larger commissions Planning Architecture
the landscape architect
often serve as a member
of a closely coordinated Civil
professional team, which Engineering
includes architects,
engineers, planners, and
scientist-advisors.
 Environment and quality of life
20

 Site planning is the organization of the external

physical environment to accommodate human
behavior. It deals with the qualities and locations
of structures, land, activities and living things. It
creates a pattern of those elements in space and
time, which will be subject to continuous future
management and change.

 Spirit of place
 Character of the place
 Nature of the project
 Behavioral studies
 Brief History
21

 Four basic models

of site planning in
history
Defining the enclosure
1.Fixing the place Fixing the space

2.Defining the
enclosure
3.Sense of order
4.Form of axial Sense of order The form of axial
 Brief History
22

 The image and form of

the object building are
capable of fixing a place

Fixing the space

 Brief History
23 Defining the enclosure

 A collection of independent
structures, which although
unattached, create a coherent
image of place
 Brief History
24

 The form of a building can

be such that a place may be
fixed by the enclosure of
the facades

Sense of order

/Apinya/KMUTTarc354intro to site planning 9/3/2004

 Brief History
25

 Although the kinetic implications of the word

“path” are somewhat contradictory, paths are
nonetheless capable of forming coherent,
meaningful images.

The form of axial

Where to start?
From SITE ANALYSIS onwards
“Site Planning” by Kevin Lynch and Gary Hack
 Site Analysis
 is the analysis of the building site which includes the assessment
of its better features as well as its constraints and liabilities
 is a vital step in the design process. It involves the evaluation of
an existing or potential site in relation to the development
program, environmental impact, impacts on the community and
adjacent properties, project budget, and schedule.
 identifies environmental, program, and development constraints
and opportunities. A well-executed site analysis forms the
essential foundation for a cost-effective, environmentally sensitive,
and rational approach to project development.
 SITE APPRECIATION AND ANALYSIS CAN BE EARNED
OUT IN EITHER OF THE FOLLOWING TWO
SITUATIONS:

 SITE FACTORS – those relating to the characteristics of the site

 USE FACTORS – those relating to the proposed use of the site, i.e. the building
program.

 Where the proposed use of the site is predetermined, and site analysis and site planning
are concerned with determining, how best the proposed use can be fitted to the site.
 In particularly large scale regional situations site appreciation and analysis may be
carried out to determine what the land is best suited for.
 Whereas the first type of situation relates to the architectural scale (e.g. site planning of
housing. campuses etc.) the second is concerned with decisions at the town planning and
landscape planning scale.
 Whenever a site is to be developed for a particular building program, two sets of
factors have to be considered.
How to start?
PLANNING PROCESS
 John Simond’s
PLANNING - DESIGN PROCESS
 Synthesis Gap
SYNTHESIS - combining of various components into
whole: the process of combining different ideas,
influences, or objects into a new whole.
Synthesis Gap
Synthesis Gap
 3 General Activities of the
Planning-Design Process
1. Research
 Program Development
 Site Inventory

2. Analysis
 Site Analysis
3. Synthesis
 Conceptual Design
 Preliminary Design
 Site Plan/Master Plan
Getting started…
SURVEY
 Methods of Survey

 A survey is a checklist of information or data

pertaining to a site. Such a list would be drawn up
after an initial analysis of the problem. To guide the
first survey, information would be gathered
continuously as the problem develops.
 Examples of Physical Attributes
Sub-Category Attribute
Soils Bearing Capacity
Stability
Erodability
Fertility
Topography Elevation
Slope
Hydrology Surface Drainage
Aquifer recharge areas
Depth to seasonal water table
Geology Seismic hazards
Depth to bedrock
Climate winds
Solar access
 Examples of Biological Attributes
Sub-Category Attribute
Vegetation Plant communities
Specimen trees
Exotic invasive species
Wildlife Endangered of threatened species habitats
Examples of Cultural Attributes
Sub-Category Attribute
Land Use Prior land use
Land use on adjoining properties
Legal Land ownership
Land use regulations
Easements and deed restrictions
Utilities Water
Electric
Sanitary sewer
Circulation Traffic volume
Street function (e.g. arterial, collector)

Historic Archeological sites

Sensory Noise
Visual quality
Odors
 Survey
 Steps that could be followed in conducting a
survey:
Initial Personal Reconnaissance
 Notes

 Sketches

 Photographs

 Apparent character
 Possibilities
 Survey
 Collection of existing data based on available
 Contour maps
 Aerial photographs
 Geologic info. and maps
– soil and water survey
 Climatological records
 Ecological studies
 Market reports
 Traffic studies
 Legal and public controlled
documents
 Official proposals
 Historical records
 Current controversies
Survey
 Summary description of the off-site
context and its changes:
 Geographic location
 Surrounding population
 Social and political structure
 General economy, i.e., agricultural, industrial, trade,
etc.
 Ecological and hydrographic systems, i.e., streams,
rivers, plant life
 Land use pattern, i.e., zoning, industrial, residential, etc.
 Access systems. i.e., road networks, transit networks,
etc.
 Principal off-site estimation of facilities
Survey

 Data on the site and its

immediate context:
Personal data
 Geology and Soil Data
 Underlying geology, rock
characteristics and depth
 Soil type and depth value as
an engineering medium and
as plant medium
 Hills, ledges, land or rock
slides
Survey
 Water
 Existingwater bodies; its purity and variation
 Natural and man made drainages, channel-flows; its
capacity and purity
 Surface drainage systems/patterns; its amount of
blockages, undrained depressions
 Water table, its elevation and fluctuation

 Water supply, quality and quantity

 Survey
 Topography
 Pattern of landform, i.e.,
rocky, ridges, ledges, sandy,
etc.
 Contour, i.e., sloping, rolling,
level terrain
 Slope analysis

 Visibility analysis

 Circulation analysis

 Unique features, i.e,, bodies of

water, water falls, view, etc.
Survey

 Climate
Regional data and variations of:
 Temperature and precipitation
 Humidity

 Solarangle
 Cloud cover

 Wind direction and force

Survey

 Local micro-climates:
 Warm and cold
 Slope, i.e., rise and fall of various climates
 Air
 Drainage
 Wind deflection, i.e., breeze direction
 Shade
 Heat reflection
 Storage plant indications, i.e., plant cover
 Atmospheric quality, i.e., smell, sound
Survey
 Ecology
 Dominant plant/animal
communities, location and
relative stability
 Dependence on existing
factors, self-regulation
and sensitivity to change
 Tapping of general plant
cover including wooded
areas
 Survey

 Man-made structures
 Existing buildings, i.e., building outline, location, floor area,
height, elevation,, type, condition, use
 Circulation facilities, i.e., roads, paths, rail links, transit
points
 Utilities, i.e., storm sewers, sanitary sewers, water lines,
electricity, telephone, etc., location, elevation, capacity
 Survey
 Sensuous qualities
 Character and relation of
visual spaces
 Viewpoints, vistas, visual focal
points
 Character and rhythm of visual
sequences
 Quality and variation of light
and sound, smell and feel
 Survey

 Cultural Data
Residents and using population
 No. and composition, i.e., male and female, age group, etc.
 Social structures and institutions: tribal community, church-based
org., cultural compositions, etc.
 Economic structure: depressed areas, slum, affluent, etc.

 Political structure: gov’t. agencies, mayor, gang leader, radical

groups/MILF, MNLF, etc.
 Current changes and problems
 Survey
 On-site and adjacent behavior
 Settings

 Nature

 Location

 Rhythm

 Stability

 Participants

 Conflicts
Survey
 Site-values, rights and
restraints:
 Ownership, easements and
other rights
 Economic values

 Accepted “territories”, i.e.,

gang lands
 Political jurisdictions, i.e.,
boundaries
 Survey
 Past and future
 Site history and its traces
 Public and private intentions for future use of the site,
conflicts
 Images
 Group and industrial identification and organization
of the site
 Markings attached to the site, symbolic expressions

 Hopes, fears, wishes, preferences

Use of Correlation
Data Correlation
 Data correlation
 Classification of site by areas of similar structures, quality
and problems
 Identification of significant key-points, lines and areas
 Data correlation
 Analysis of current and likely future changes in the
dynamic aspect of the site
 Identification of significant problems and possibilities
 Data correlation

 When selecting a site it should be noted that future

considerations and expansions should be met. Never
select a site for its immediate application.
Comprehensive Definition
Site planning, then, is the organization of the external
physical environment to accommodate human behavior. It
deals with the qualities and locations of structures, land,
activities and living things. It creates a pattern of those
elements in space and time, which will be subject to
continuous future management and change. The technical
output - the grading plans, utility layouts, survey
locations, planting plans, sketches, diagrams, and
specifications - are simply a conventional way of
specifying this complex organization.
 NEW DOCTRINE OF SITE DETERMINISM

“A place has an inherent right to its proper

form, a “carrying capacity,” a “best use.”
References:
 A Guide to Site and Environmental Planning by Harvey
M. Rubenstein
 Site Planning by Kevin Lynch, Gary Hack
 Site Planning and Design by Thomas Russ