Lecture 9 Spatial Development And Site Planning

LECTURE 9 SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT AND SITE PLANNING:

SITE ANALYSIS AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

For every site there is an ideal use, for every use there is an ideal site. ………..IAN Mc HARG

SITE ANALYSIS
 Any land that is intended to be developed for a certain purpose is termed as “SITE”.

 Every Landscape design process begins with a thorough site evaluation and analysis of existing
conditions.

 Site is composed of many factors- above, below and on the ground and all these are interrelated
and have achieved some approximate balance with each other.

 A design always tends to intervene with this natural balance of site factors….thus site analysis is
crucial step in design process.

Why is Site Analysis so crucial?

So that the designer can confidently move earth, move trees, create focal points, frame views
and make an outdoors “place”.

A site is an ever changing living community of plants and animals.

Site Analysis thus needs to be done in a deeper way:

--- Fitness of the site for our purpose and interest

--- Consideration to the existing occupants.

Aim to make the site better than what it was before…

• Conscious analysis also reveals hidden potentialities where a design can clarify character, form new
connections and develop deeper meanings.

• It is thus a prelude to successful evolution of site.

• Based on the findings of site analysis, a landscape architect can make preliminary decisions about
features that will be incorporated into the site plan and those that will be modified or deleted.

DESIGN WITH NATURE

 Ian Mc Harg, a landscape architect, planner and teacher whose passion for interconnecting
communities and ecology is a proponent of design with nature. In his book Design with Nature
(1969) he has very clearly stated that:

- if we understand the nature and the site, it helps us to design better.

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- Until and unless we have the pulse feeling of the sites we cannot design a site for any particular
purpose in a meaningful way.

- Landscape planners must conform to ecology, not compete with it.

- It is very essential to know the site and its attributes completely and in a comprehensive way.

 When we talk about the attributes of the site we mean the site factors which consist of :

topography, vegetation, hydrology, geology, soil condition, artifacts, visual qualities within and
without the site, plant materials, the site slopes and gradient, opportunities and constraints of the
site.

 The site is thus a total of its physical, social, historical, and biological attributes.

 So once we have an understanding of these we can analyze the site in a deeper/ meaningful way.

To analyze the site data, he employed the OVERLAY TECHNIQUE:

 Thematic maps are prepared for each of the site attributes, such as soil, topography, vegetation,
visual quality, etc.

 Transparent sheets of the site for each theme are prepared.

 By having certain weightage system he devised a way of giving importance to a certain theme to
be incorporated in the composite map.

 Analysis ….

 It is qualitative as well as quantitative analysis to come to a viable solution.

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SITE ANALYSIS: Site Factors and Use Factors

SITE FACTORS:

• Location and context

• Basic dimensions and shape of the site to be developed. Tip: transfer that information onto a grid
paper.

• Existing Features including buildings, trees, hardscapes, fences and infrastructure. Note what can
be reused or recycled as well as which features are liabilities and need to be changed.

• Topography the high and low points. Note distinctive features that will affect what you can do with
an area – steep slopes, swales, berms, peaks…

• Hydrozones How does water behave in the site? Analyze the drainage patterns and test the soil for
moisture in various locations around the yard to determine where you can group together plants
according to their water needs.

• Site Lines and Views One way to figure out what you need outside is to take a look at the site from
the inside of the building …..

What's blocking the view?

What would you rather be looking at?
Do you have enough privacy?

• Hazards or Concerns

• Nuisances While not exactly dangerous, annoying facts of life such as street noise, animals, or a
neighbor's tree that sheds its leaves in your site

• Shade and Sun. The sun and shade patterns of the site have a significant impact on its unique
microclimate throughout the year.

Spend time in the site and become familiar with the patterns of sun and shade at different times of the
day and season. Note the extent of shadows and their density, and where you might want to add or
delete shade.

• Wind Analyze the typical wind speeds and direction at different times of year.

Implication in design:

Strategic plantations can block wind or funnel it for cooling breezes.

As with water, wind settles and pools in low-lying areas. This can create frost pockets in the depressions
of the site.

If it's blocked too much, as by a fence or dense trees, pressure can build up, creating turbulence on the
leeward side, which can be destructive.

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USE/R FACTOR OF SITE

Access, Human Behavior

• Circulation – Vehicle and pedestrian movements in, through and around the site.

Locations of best access to site for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Consideration of the timing of these movements, and duration of heavier patterns. Future traffic and
road developments should also be considered.

Current provisions of disabled access to the site/ need to consider same in future.

How do visitors/pedestrians/traffic to or near the site flow around or within it? Travel time to walk across
the site?

Does the existing pedestrian movement need to be preserved?

 Human and cultural – the cultural, psychological, behavioral and sociological aspects of the
surrounding neighborhood. Activities and patterns, density, population ethnic patterns,
employment, income, family structure and so on.

• Scheduled or informal activities in the neighborhood such as festivals, parades or crafts fairs.

• Negative neighborhood issues such as vandalism and crime.

• Attitudes towards the site and the potential build?

What is the cultural, psychological, behavioral and sociological aspects of the surrounding area?

SITE ANALYSIS PROCESS

1. Thorough research and data collection

Gather information you can gain from a desktop study prior to your visit to site. You will be informed
and may have identified specific things that you want to check or look out for on your site visit.

2. Collection and Analysis of Site and Use Factors (details mentioned earlier)

3. Presentation of Data and findings

The best way to present the data collected is through diagrams: There are varying approaches to
expressing the features of the site: much information on one diagram or a number of smaller diagrams
to show particular site conditions or features.

4. Analysis of the Data

5. Schematic Layout

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SITE PLANNING
• Site planning is the organizational stage of the landscape design process.

• It involves the organization of land use zoning, access, circulation, privacy, security, shelter, land
drainage, and other factors.

• This is done by composing the elements of landform, planting, water, buildings and paving in site
plan.

• Site planning aims to modify visible features of an area to improve aesthetics and functionality
confirming to the Design Concept.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
• Conceptual & Schematic Design….where the previous steps in the process come together to inform
and create a basic concept design.

• Concept design focuses on the basic layout, function and circulation of a site.

(communicated through bubbles, plans, sections and views)

• Schematic design takes the basic concept a step further, locating site materials and more specific
functional aspects of the design.

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FUNCTIONAL CONCEPT

THEMATIC CONCEPT
Common themes include:

Geometric shapes: Irregular, Organic

Prevalent styles: French, Oriental, Classical
Nature: Tropical, desert (Eg: Qatar Botanical Oasis… Concept from “Sidra Tree”),
Meadow, Woodland

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PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPT
• Designing with nature

• Dynamism

• Holistic

Landscape as a system

Interconnection of biotic and abiotic components/ site features

• Responsive

To cultural / natural processes

To local character of the place (vernacular touch)

• Intuitive

Integrating emotions and imaginations

User/ observer as a participant in design

Knowledge blended with creativity

• Sense of place

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