MODULE 1

3. Aesthetic and Physical

A. Site Planning - is a process that consists of site analysis that a. Site context – “context” refers to the environment in
determines existing and proposed conditions of the land and other which the development is located.
relevant details on the plot. b. Image / Symbol – standardized visual elements that
help convey the design intent and site feature of a site
IMPORTANCE OF SITE PLANNING:
plan.
1. Site Analysis – a thorough understanding of the site’s topography, c. Sensuous Qualities – it gives pleasure to mind or body
climate, soil, conditions, and the surrounding context is through the senses.
fundamental.
2. Functional Requirements – aligning the design with the intended 1. Visual – visual receptors located in the eye.
purpose and functionality of the space. 2. Auditory – receptors are located to the inner ear
3. Aesthetic Harmony – ensuring that the design resonates with the that identifies loud near and far noises in the
intended architectural style and user experience. environment.
4. Regulatory Compliance – adhering to local building codes. 3. Tactile – identifying touch.
5. Sustainability – sustainable practices, renewable energy sources 4. Olfactory - it distinguishes between a range of
to minimize the ecological footprint. smell.
6. User Experience – user needs, accessibility, and human centric
Site Plan – it illustrates the existing natural and built feature of a site.
design to create spaces that resonate with occupants on a personal
level. B. Landscape Architecture – Study and practice of preserving indoor
and outdoor environments. It maintains healthy balance of
ARCHITECTURAL SITE PLANNING PROCESS:
surrounding and air quality.
Research Phase - defining the problem and its definition.
IMPORTANCE OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
 Survey
 Data Collection 1. Preservation of Mother Nature – value of environmental
protection.
Analysis Phase - method of studying the nature. 2. Air Purification – Plants and trees purify the air by both removing
pollutants and bringing temperatures down.
Synthesis Phase – it deals with schematic design of a Site Plan.
a. Reduce Air Pollution – it reduces air pollution by creating
ARCHITECTURAL SITE PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS: green spaces.
b. Help Improved Biodiversity – by utilizing native species.
1. Ecological – to make a successful project, you have to work with 3. Can Reduce Energy Use – it reduces energy use by 30% or more.
the surrounding, not against it. Building by creating areas with trees.
a. Geology – the field of the study of the solid earth. 4. Storm Water Management – sustainable solution for water
b. Soil - it determines the difficulty of construction and grading scarcity.
c. Topography – form of land.
d. Hydrology – scientific study of the movement, distribution of a. Green Roofs – also known as “vegetated roofs or living
water on earth and other planet, including the water cycle, water roofs.”
resources and drainage basin sustainability. b. Rain Gardens – depressed area that collects rainwater from
e. Microclimate – climate of a very small of restricted area. The the roofs.
effect of soil type on microclimates is considerable. c. Permeable Pavements – it catches precipitation and surface
runoff.
2. Social and psychological 5. Soil Cleaning – amount of soil and water that is contaminated
a. Site Values/Social Impact – refer to various factor such as quality needs to be cleaned up one manner to do this phytoremediation.
of housing. 6. Regeneration of Polluted Areas
b. Behavior Settings – effects of physical environment with the 7. Weather/Temperature Control
behavior patterns of people using the space. 8. Help combat Toxicity and Environmental issues - unaware of
people the fact that the majority of products used at home like
Behavioral Components: furniture’s.
9. Innovative trouble shooting of natural environments – vertical
1. Proxemics – it describes how people use a space based on garden, wall garden and other innovative ways of bringing natures
cultural aspects. into our homes.
2. Territorial – a means of nonverbal communication in 10. Outdoor Public Recreations – it offers urban leisure zone.
claiming ownership of a space. 11. Psycho–Social Benefits of humans – it reduces the risk of
depression by 19%
c. User Requirement – it provide information that serves as the basis 12. Can Increase property value – it enhances the aesthetic appeal to
further specification. make it more attractive to potential buyers.
13. Offers customizable and sustainable development avenues.
d. Cultural and Historical Significance

1. Cultural – it means aesthetic, historical, scientific, social, or

spiritual value for past, present and future generations.
2. Historical – without history, a society shares no common
memory of where it has been.

e. Activity / Communication linkages – it gives access to wide

ranging sources.
f. Pertinent Law – refers to ta statues, ordinance, regulation, and
other laws.
 2. Organic sedimentary rocks – accumulation of plant or
animal remains.
MODULE 2 3. Clastic sedimentary rock - deterioration of massive
igneous rock.
Geology – the field of the study of solid earth.

Geo - Earth 2. Metamorphic rock – has undergone a change in structure, texture,

or composition due to natural agencies.
Ology - study of
Metamorphism - means to change form.
Geological considerations – very important when it comes to site planning
process. Examples:
a. Marble – used principally for buildings and monuments.
Rocks – common material used in construction of foundation.
Color and appearance are their most important qualities.
STONE TEST b. Verd Antique – dark green
c. Slate – perfect roofing solution for homes located in hotter
1. Acid Test – resistance to acid and chemicals. climates.
2. Attrition Test – rate of wear of stones. d. Quartzite – granular metamorphic rock.
3. Crushing Test – compressive strength. e. Gneiss – foliated metamorphic rock.
4. Crystallization – structure.
5. Freezing and Thawing Test – effect of wind, sun rays, rain. 3. Igneous rock – formed by the crystallization of molten magma,
6. Hardness test – to determine hardness. such as granite.
7. Impact Test – to determine toughness. - Also called “Fire born” means they are formed
8. Microscopic Test – grain size, texture, mineral constitutions. from the cooling and solidification of melted
9. Smith’s Test – presence of soluble matter. rock.

Stone – piece of rock quarried and worked into a specific size and shape in Igneous – Ignis, the latin word for “fire”.
particular purpose.
2 BROAD TYPES OF IGNEOUS ROCK
a. Grain – granular texture of appearance of stone.
b. Bedding Plane – separate one stratum of layer. a. Intrusive (Plutonic) rocks – magma is trapped deep inside the
c. Cleavage Plane – smooth surface along which certain rocks will earth.
tend to split. b. Extrusive (Volcanic) rocks – erupted onto the surface or into the
d. Carved Work – hand cut ornamental features in brick or stone atmosphere.
masonry.
Igneous rock examples:
e. Cast Stone – hardened mix of concrete with a fine stone aggregate.
1. Granite – coarse grained
1. Building Stone – suitable for any building construction. 2. Diorite – it contains large interlooking
2. Fieldstone – unfinished stone found on the surface or in the soil. 3. Gabbro – it composed mainly of the mineral’s plagioclase and
3. Dimension stone – quarried and squared stone that specified augite.
thickness. 4. Obsidian – volcanic glass
4. Freestone – any fine-grained stone. 5. Andesite
5. Dressed stone – shaping, smoothing, and finishing the surfaces of 6. Basalt – iron rich
natural stone blocks.
The difference between basalt and gabbaro is the basalt is a fine grained
Tools Required for Dressing Stone: while gabbaro is a coarse grained rock.
a. Hammers
b. Chisels TYPES OF ROCK based on general structure

a. Stratified rocks – it is made up of different layers, easily split

6. Cut Stone – building stone cut or machined to a relatively fine
along these planes.
finish.
b. Unstratified rock – cannot be split into thin sheets.
Rock – solid mineral matter, naturally formed by the action of heat or water c. Foliated rocks – has the tendency to split along the particular
occurring in fragments or large masses. direction.

3 MAIN TYPES: TYPES OF ROCKS based on chemical composition

1. Sedimentary rock – formed by the decomposition of sediment. a. Silicon rocks – very hard and also durable.
b. Argillaceous rocks – “argil” means clay, these rocks cannot
Examples: withstand shock.
a. Limestone – shells and coral. c. Calcareous rocks – it contains carbonates of lime.
b. Travertine – deposited by spring waters.
NATURAL STONE SURFACE FINISHES
c. Sandstone – consist of sand, cemented together.
d. Bluestone – splits easily along bedding planes to form thin 1. POLISHED – the surface is brilliant and shiny with a mirror
slabs. effect.
e. Brownstone – reddish brown sandstone 2. Honed – most classic finishes of marble.
f. Soapstone – it contains high proportion of talc. 3. Leathered – less glossy.
4. Sandblasted – it renders it slip resistant.
Formation of sedimentary rocks: 5. Tumbled – pebbles and water to tumble the surface of the stone.
1. Chemical sedimentary rock – precipitation of salts in 6. Flamed – achieve by exposing the surface of the stone directly to a
drying water basin. high temperature.
 7. Brushed – made smoother by using abrasive brushes under high
pressure.
8. Split face – cut by guillotine.
9. Antiqued – resemble commercial washing machines.
10. Sawn – created by sawing stone with diamond disc teeth.

a. Chat sawn – pebbled stone finish produced by using slurry of

loose abrasive.
b. Shot sawn – produced by using a slurry of water hardened
steel pallets.

11. Acid washed – simply clean the surface of natural stone.

12. Chiseled – a diamond teeth mill grinder is applied perpendicularly.

a. Boasted surface – roughly parallel grooves.

b. Bated surface – made with mason’s chisel.
c. Quarry faced – dressed with a hammer. Also, rock-faced.

13. Bushed hammered – anti skip finished look.

14. Pitch faced – roughly dressed with a pick.

a. Draft – lone or border chiseled at the edge of a stone.

b. Drafted margin – uniform margin worked around a stone
face.
c. Sunk draft – margin of a stone below the rest of the face.

15. Natural – absence of treatment.

TYPES OF STONE MASONRY

1. RUBBLE – rough fragments of broken stone

a. Random rubble – discontinues but approximately level beds.
b. Course ruble – intervals to continuous levels of courses.
c. Squared rubble - built of squared stone.

2. Ashlar – permit very thin mortar joints.

a. Random ashlar – masonry built in discontinuous courses.
b. Coursed ashlar – each course varying in height.
c. Broken rangework – masonry laid in horizontal courses.

3. Cyclopean – irregular blocks of stone fitted closely together.

 5. Entisols - occur in dry or cold climate.
6. Oxisols – highly weathered soil of tropical or subtropical regions.

MODULE 3
TYPES OF SOIL
Soil – not all dirt is created equally.
1. Sandy Soil – usually formed by breakdown of fragmentation of
Topsoil - fertile layer of soil. rocks like granite, limestone and quarts.
2. Silt Soil – it is mainly found in the river, lakes and bodies of water.
Subsoil - bed/layer of earth.
3. Clay – it is tightly packed together with verry little or no space.
Permafrost - perennially frozen subsoil, also called pergelisol. 4. Loamy Soil – it is the fourth type of soil, has the ability to retain
moisture and nutrients.
Bedrock - unbroken solid rock that underlies all unconsolidated materials on
earth surface. TYPES OF SOIL MOISTURE

Soil Profile - diagram of a vertical section of soil. 1. Gravitational Water – not available to the plants.
2. Hygroscopic Water - not available to the plants, it is a tin film of
Soil Layers - layers of soil stacked one on top of the other. water.
3. Capillary Water – available to the plants for absorption.
1. O-horizon - upper layer of the topsoil that mainly composed 4. Atmospheric Humidity – hanging roots.
organic material. 5. Chemically Combined Water - chemical compound present in
2. A-Horizon or Topsoil – rich in organic material also called humus the soil.
layer.
3. E-Horizon – composed of nutrients leached. IMPORANCE OF SOIL IN CONSTRUCTION
4. B-Horizon – it is the subsurface horizon.
5. C-Horizon or Saprolite – devoid of any organic matter that is 1. Excavation – vital to conduct a true analysis and assess the soil
made up of broken bedrock. condition.
6. R-Horizon – it is a compacted and cemented layer. a. Cohesive Soil – has considerable strength when unconfined
and air dried.
Soil Analysis – process of determining the particle size of aggregates, soil or b. Cohesionless – has no strength and unconfined and air dried.
sediments.
Soil Classification
SOIL TYPES BASED ON PHYSICAL COMPOSITION AND
CHARACTERISTICS: a. Type A – cohesive and has a high unconfined compressive
strength.
Boulder – naturally rounded rock. b. Type B – it is cohesive and has often been cracked or
disturbed.
Cobble – Naturally rounded stone. c. Type C - soil is the least stable type of soil, example includes
gravel and sand.
1. Gravel – small pebbles and stone.
2. Erosion – earthen materials are worn away and transported by
natural forces such as wind and water.
A. Crushed Gravel – having one or more fractured faces.
a. Soil Erodibility – ability of soil to resist erosion.
B. Crushed Stone – well defined edges, also called crushed
b. Soil Structure – arrangement and aggregation of soil particles
rock.
in a soil mass
C. Pea Gravel – formed naturally and usually found near bodies
3. Bearing Capacity - it indicates the reaction of soil under the load.
of water.
4. Stability of Land
D. Pebble – rounded stone specially one worn smooth by the
a. Soil Stability - capacity of land to limit the loss of soil
action of water.
resources.
2. Sand – a loss granular material resulting from the disintegration of Soil stability based on soil movement:
rocks.
1. Slight – one land with little or no movement of soil.
A. Sand Clay – Often used as base or subbase, having about 2. Moderate – physical impact of vegetative cover.
10% clay. 3. Extreme – not stable and has active rill.

3. Silt - loose sedimentary material. b. Stable Soil – suitable for construction, has good engineering
and can support structural load.
4. Clay - it is earthy material that is plastic when moist but hard
when fired, used for making brick, tile and pottery. 5. Foundation – it determines how the foundation is built
A. Clay loam – soil containing 27% to 40% clay, 20% to 45%
6. Drainage – Factor involved in soil drainage.
sand.
B. Bentonite – formed by the decomposition of volcanic ash. 7. Plant Growth – poor soil drainage that creates standing water
C. Loam – rich soil containing a relative equal mixture of sand and essentially drown plants.
and silt.
D. Loess – loamy deposited by wind.

MAJOR SOIL TYPES IN THE PHILIPPINES

1. Ultisols – soils in humid areas.

2. Inceptsols – soils of semiarid to humid environments.
3. Alfisols – soils in semiarid to moist areas.
4. Vertsols – high content of expanding clay minerals.