DELA PEÑA, JUNIL E.

BS ARCHITECTURE 3-1

INSIGHT 3:

Last meeting we discussed all about HYDROLOGY. Hydrology comes from the word
Hydro which means “water” and latin logus which means to “study”, so the Hydrology is the
study of water. Hydrology is one of the important study case in site planning, because we need
to learn about the circulation and distribution of water, also the chemical and physical
properties of water, and their reaction to the living environment including their relation to all
living things. And also some importance of hydrology is to provide guidance for undergoing
proper planning and management of water resources. We need to calculate rainfall, surface
runoff, and precipitation. And it determines the water balance for a particular region. And last is
to mitigates and predicts flood, landslide and droughts risk in the region especially in the
Philippines. Water have cycle and it’s called Hydrologic Cycle meaning it’s described the
movement of water from the oceans to the atmosphere to the continents and back to sea. And
also we discussed about Aquifier which means a permeable formation of water which function
is to both store and transmit groundwater in significant areas. And last the watershed,
watershed is important for you to know the desired place or site of the building is located. And
we also need to know why we need to study the water, because for example if you have a lot
and that lot is going to a construct a structure or building, you need to know the location
because if the ground or land is so softy and moisture the building might be failed to construct.
And also we discussed about the relevance of plant materials in site planning in their
role, first one is Climate Control, Climate Control have three categories the first one is Solar
Radiation, Trees are very importance to solar radiation because it blocks or filter out the
sunlight reflection and they cool the air under their canopies providing natural air conditioning.
Second is Wind, Wind is help to control the temperature of the area or location. They may be
pleasant, but when velocity increases, may cause discomfort or damage. And trees also have
important in wind factor because it helps to buffer winds in urban areas caused by convection
and venturi effects. And the factor of climate control is Precipitation, precipitation are the
particles in the sky that are going down, like for example is rain, storm water and snow. The
importance of this is to help the soil retain water by providing shade, or protection from the
wind or from the tree’s roots. Second one in the relevance of plant materials in site planning is
Environmental Engineering, this factor focuses to the sustainability and eco-friendly to the
ecosystem or environmental matters, also the protection of plants, animals, people and
nature’s beneficial ecosystems and improve environmental related enhancement of the quality
of the human being or life and also to maintain and improve the human health. Air purification,
Noise, Glare and Reflection, and Erosion Control are part of Environmental Engineering. And the
last one of the relevance in site planning is Architectural and Aesthetic Uses, this focuses on the
design of the building that is related to the concept of the location or area, and the design must
be comfy and elegant in design. Architectural and Aesthetic Uses have Space definition, which
the plant can help in the form of outdoor spaces, and provide color and texture on the base
plane. And there is also a View Control, this helps to provide filtered views of spaces or building
and last is Mood, Plants must control the mood of the people or affects the mood of the
people, like for relaxation and comfy viewing.
And after the hydrology, we discussed also the Wildlife. Wildlife classified into three
groups the Open land wildlife, Wood land wildlife and Wet land wildlife. This are most focusing
to the habitats provided by the plant communities. And we discussed about the climate and it’s
classified to 4 types, the COLD, TEEMPERATE, HOT ARID and HOT HUMID. In each, a site should
be investigated in terms of Solar Orientation, this is where the sun is located or rotate. The
rotation of sun is East to West. It is important to know the sun orientation for avoid the solar
radiation and heat reflection from the sun to the building or structure. Second is Best facing
slopes, the more the perpendicular a slope is to the rays of the sun, the warmer the surface
temperature. And last is the wind flow. And we discussed also the Passive Cooling, this is where
you don’t need to use electrical appliance or mechanical to cooling or freeze the area of your
house, passive cooling is help your house to use energy efficient materials and technology for
cooling spaces for the energy conservation.
And the last topic we discussed is all about The Cultural Factors. First is the Existing Land
Use, these are the Existing structure located in you are or lot and to determine the areas for
commercial, institutional, residential and open space uses. Each site must conform to the land
use plan like for example residential cannot be developed in a site designated as industrial,
because it can affect the health of the people and have a risk in their life. Like for example the
factory is located near in the residential houses. Second is the Traffic and Transit Systems, this
factor is need to accessibility or accessible of the people that are must considered like for the
pedestrian, side walks and pavements. And last is Utilities / Services, this includes the Sanitary
system, Electric power supply, Water supply and Drainage, most water systems will supply
domestic, industrial, and fire stand-by supply from a distribution system. Storm drains collect
surface water and conduct it to rivers, creeks, or other bodies of water.
The Aesthetic Factors which includes the Natural Features that are characterized of
earth, rocks, water or plant material and these may be incorporated in the site development as
natural assets of the land. Also Spatial Patterns, this are the arrangement of spaces or areas
that evoke activity or flow, both physically or visually. And last is Visual Resources, this is more
about the visual or view or a scene from a vantage point. A view can be a theme that may
suggest and give added meaning to buildings and the full view is not always the best view. And
in last slide there is a picture of bubble diagram, which describes or represent the flow of the
areas, circulation of the areas or space that is easily accessible and functional to the site. And
also to help you translate the program into a strategy or form.