Site Planning and Landscape Architecture

Site Planning and Landscape Architecture

• Site Planning is the art of arranging structures on the land and shaping the spaces between, linked to architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and city planning.
• It involves the organization of the external physical environment to accommodate human behavior, dealing with the qualities of structures, land, activities, and living things.

Professionals Involved in Site Planning

• Architects
• Landscape Architects
• Engineers
• Environmental Planners (for large-scale projects)

Sequence of Site Planning

• Preliminary site investigation and analysis
• Data analysis and establishment of site parameters
• Site planning and design

Landscape Architecture

• Deals with the planning, designing, specifying, supervising, and giving general administration and responsible direction to the functional, orderly, and aesthetic arrangement of natural scenery and land areas.
• Aim is to produce the most desirable effect for human use and enjoyment of various outdoor spaces.

Survey

• A checklist of information or data about a site.
• Includes:
  • Master plans and studies
  • Zoning ordinances
  • Base and aerial maps
  • Surveys
  • Topographic data
  • Geological information
  • Hydrographic data
  • Soil classification
  • Vegetation
  • Existing easements

Preliminary Site Investigation and Analysis

• Data should be analyzed to establish site parameters, including:
  • Physical data
  • Hydrology
  • Topography
  • Climate
  • Ecology
  • Man-made structures
  • Geology

Site Analysis

• Physical data:
  • Geology and soil
  • Hydrology
  • Topography
  • Climate
• Hydrology:
  • Natural and man-made drainage channels
  • Flow capacity
  • Purity
  • Surface drainage pattern
  • Water supply
• Topography:
  • Pattern of landforms
  • Slope analysis
  • Visibility analysis
  • Circulation analysis
• Climate:
  • Regional data on temperature, precipitation, humidity, solar angle, cloudiness, wind direction, and force
  • Local microclimates
• Ecology:
  • Dominant plant/animal communities
  • Location and relative stability
  • Dependence on existing factors, self-regulation, and sensitivity to change
• Man-made structures:
  • Existing buildings
  • Circulation facilities
  • Utilities

Geology

• The natural science that studies the Earth's composition, processes, and history.
• Types of rocks:
  • Igneous
  • Sedimentary
  • Metamorphosed

Geophysics and Geomorphology

• Geophysics: studies the Earth's internal structure and composition.
• Geomorphology: deals with the origin, nature, and distribution of landforms.
• Physiography: refers to the description of landforms.

Soil Properties

• Soil profile
• Drainage
• Topography and slopes
• Soil erosion
• Soil texture
• Soil engineering properties
• Soil stability
• Shear strength
• Permeability
• Infiltration
• Percolation

Critical Subsurface Problems

• Geologic fault lines

• High or fluctuating water table

• Presence of peat or other organic soils

• Rock close to the surface

• New, unconsolidated fill or land previously used as a dump

• Evidence of slides, floods, or subsidence

• Soil liquefaction

• Presence of underground caverns

• Landslips### Soil and Building Construction

• Soil settlement can cause damage to buildings due to the weight of the structure.

• Topsoil is a critical medium for plants, with features such as:

  • Excellent drainage
  • Content of humus
  • Relative acidity (pH)
  • Presence of available nutrients (potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen)

• Soil drainage is critical, with good drainage referring to the soil's ability to transfer gravity water downward.

Building Layouts

• Level sites are economical in site development but have limitations, such as:
  • Surfaces or recreation areas require some pitch for discharging water to surface inlets.
• Sloping sites offer:
  • Variety of building types and groupings
  • Simpler drainage problems
  • Adaptable to various street patterns
• Rolling terrain:
  • More difficult to manage but creates a more interesting land development
  • Advantages: more interesting land development, economies of first cost in sewer and drainage lines, practice of building parallel to contours reduces costly construction, grading, and filling.

Slope Analysis

• Slope analysis is useful for deciding on land use distribution.
• Slope and land use:
  • 0-4%: do not drain well, usable for all kinds of activities
  • 4-10%: suitable for movement and informal activity
  • >10%: can be actively used only for hill sports or free play
  • 17%: approaches the limit that an ordinary loaded vehicle can climb
  • 20-25%: normal limit of climb for pedestrians without resorting to stairs
  • >50%: may require terracing or cribbing

Hydrology

• Watershed: a geographic area of land bounded by topographic features that captures precipitation, filters, and stores water, and drains water to a shared destination.
• Aquifers: underground "reservoirs" of water that can be contaminated by normal events such as oil spills, fertilizers, waste disposal, etc.
• Water table: the upper boundary of the zone of groundwater, critical for water supply and flood control.

Vegetation

• Relevant in site planning due to its role in:
  • Climatic control
  • Erosion control
  • Architectural and aesthetic uses
• Vegetation helps to:
  • Control temperature
  • Filter sunlight
  • Reduce soil erosion
  • Provide shade and moisture retention
  • Affect people's moods

Wildlife

• Habitat elements essential for wildlife include:
  • Open land wildlife: grain and seed crops, grasses and legumes, hardwood woody plants
  • Woodland wildlife: wild herbaceous upland plants, cone-bearing shrubs, hardwood woody plants
  • Wetland wildlife: wetland food plants, wild herbaceous plants of moist sites, shallow water development, streams

Microclimatology

• Study of climatic conditions within a limited area.
• Purpose: to discover facts and principles to improve the human condition.
• Factors to consider:
  • Altitude and latitude
  • Humidity and its effects on bodily comfort
  • Wind and air circulation
  • Sun and radiation### Microclimatic Principles
• Eliminate extremes of heat, cold, humidity, air movement, and exposure through site selection, plan layout, building orientation, and climate-responsive spaces.
• Provide direct structural protection against solar radiation, precipitation, wind, storm, and cold.
• Respond to seasonal changes by adjusting community site and building plans to the sun's movement.

Ideal Climate for Human Comfort

• Clear air
• Temperature between 50-80°F (10-27°C)
• Humidity between 40-75%
• Air that is neither stagnant nor subject to severe prevailing winds
• Body temperature: 37°C (98.6°F)

Sun Orientation

• Orientation of buildings to sun, wind, and vista is a basic consideration.
• Orientation affects the amount of sunlight admitted to the interior and can be controlled by layout, screening, and overhang.

Plant Materials and Microclimate

• Plant materials (trees and shrubs) serve as aesthetic elements, buffer strips, screens, and dividers.
• Plants affect microclimate by influencing humidity, temperature, and air flow.
• Different types of soil affect temperature and humidity.

Wind Orientation

• Wind orientation affects wind speed and direction.
• Plants can control wind by obstruction, guidance, deflection, and filtration.
• Windbreaks and shelterbelts reduce wind speed by absorbing energy, frictional drag, deflecting wind, and creating turbulence.

Factors Affecting Building Location and Orientation

• Location of buildings on a site affects harmony with topography, livability, drainage, and functional efficiency.
• Orientation of buildings to sun, wind, and vista is a basic consideration.
• Proper siting and orientation reduce noise pollution, drainage problems, and construction costs.

Noise Control

• Noise control can be achieved by evaluating site exposure to roadway noise, adjusting for stop-and-go traffic, and using barriers.
• Effective barriers block line-of-sight exposure to roads and do not have gaps.
• Landscape barriers can provide noise control within the site.

Human Behavior and Environment

• The interaction between human behavior and the environment is a two-way process.
• Behavior is influenced by physical, physiological, and psychological factors.
• Design considers physical, physiological, and psychological factors.

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs

• Physiological needs (food, water, air, warmth)
• Safety and security needs (psychological and physiological)
• Belonging needs (need for affiliation and membership)
• Esteem needs (need to be held in esteem by oneself and others)
• Cognitive needs (need to learn)
• Aesthetic needs (need for beauty)
• Self-transcendence needs (need for spirituality)

Site Planning and Human Environmental Preference

• Complexity and diversity
• Mystery
• Legibility
• Influence of past experience
• Visual qualities
• Variety of environmental settings

Socio-Economic Factors

• Study of the community and its social and economic structures
• Determine whether there is a need, interest, or objections to the project
• Compatibility with the economy of the community

Historic Factors

• Historical buildings
• Historic landmarks
• Archeology
• Social structure of the community

Pertinent Laws and Utilities

• Determine the existing availability of utilities on site (water supply, etc.)
• Ensure compatibility with the economy of the community and existing laws and regulations.

This quiz covers the basics of site planning, including determining land suitability and analyzing site parameters for architectural purposes.