Architecture Site

Analysis
Prepared by
Asst.Prof.Dr. Mubarak Mohammed Osman
Why do you carry out an architectural site
analysis?
• Prior to starting any design, your client will want to know
whether construction on the site is viable. Carrying out an
extensive site analysis [or context analysis] will assess
whether development is financially feasible, and establish
parameters to implement the best design that responds to
the physical and environmental features of the site.
• An architectural site analysis will look at issues such as
site location, size, topography, zoning, traffic conditions
and climate. The analysis also needs to consider any future
developments, or changes to the sites surroundings, such
as a change of roads designations, changing cultural
patterns, or other significant building developments within
the area.
 Making sure the analysis is thorough

• It is important when carrying out a site

analysis, that we endeavour to research as
much as possible and collect all available data
that relates to the site and our design. A
poorly executed site analysis can lead to a
sub standard design due to the designer not
having all available information to respond to
and develop solutions for. You can never know
too much about the site.
What kind of information are we collecting?

Our analysis data can be split into two main categories.

Hard data and soft data.
Soft data looks at site conditions that can be changed.
Hard data looks at more concrete elements such as site
boundaries, site areas, utility locations, contours,
dimensions, site features, climate, legal information.
Early site investigations should look at hard data.
From this, we are able to establish which elements we
consider to have a negative impact on the site or proposed
design and which conditions have a more positive influence
The general categories of data we will be looking at as
we carry out our architectural site analysis are:
Location – where the site is situated
Neighbourhood context – the immediate surrounding of the site
including data on zoning and buildings and other impacts on our
project.
Zoning and size – dimensional considerations such as boundaries,
easements, height restrictions, site area, access along with any
further plans.
Legal information – ownership, restrictions or covenants, council
related information, future urban development plans.
Natural physical features – actual features of the site such as trees,
rocks, topography, rivers, ponds, drainage patterns.
Man made features – existing buildings, walls, surrounding vernacular,
setbacks, materials, landscaping, scale.
Circulation – Vehicle and pedestrian movements in, through and around
the site. Consider the timing of these movements, and duration of heavier
patterns. Future traffic and road developments should also be considered.
Utilities – Any electricity, gas, water, sewer and telephone services that are
situated in or near the site, along with distances, depths and materials.
Climate – all climatic information such as rainfall, snowfall, wind
directions, temperatures, sun path, all considered during the different
times of the year.
Sensory – this addresses the visual, audible and tactile aspects of the site,
such as views, noise, and so on. These again should be considered in time
frames and a positive or negative factor can be attributed to the condition.
Human and cultural – the cultural, psychological, behavioural and
sociological aspects of the surrounding neighbourhood. Activities and
patterns, density, population ethnic patterns, employment, income, values
and so on
 Things to look into before you go to site:
• Location:
Geological maps to discover predominant
type of soil or rock on the site.
Aerial photographs and maps (google and
bing have really useful and quite different
aerial
images). Historical maps can also be
interesting.
Distances and travel times between the site
and other locations of importance
Legal Information:

• Rights of way, rights of access, Town and Country Planning restrictions, is the site in a
green belt?
• History of the site – anything you can use to inform your design. Any tunnels, disused
mines, archaeological interests under the site could curtail development.
• Historical use of the site – could industrial processes have contaminated the land?
• If the site sits in a conservation area or close to listed buildings you may need to go
into more detail regarding cultural significance, historic significance, etc.
• Developmental controls – is the site subject to any specific planning controls, building
control or health and safety?
• Are there any trees on the site? Do they have Tree Preservation Orders on them?
Utilities:

• Determine whether water, electricity, gas, telephone,

sewerage and other services are connected to the land
Climate:

• Climate conditions of the site/area.

• Sun path and angles.
• Is the area susceptible to flooding, is it considered a flood risk
area?
• Some information is not freely available, but a client or their
legal representative should be able to clarify any issues
regarding rights of way, rights of light, legal easements and any
rights of tenants.
Visiting The Site

• What to look out for

• It is important to go with a list of items to look out for, and
check off your list so that you don’t miss anything.
• 1.Site and surroundings
• Location
• Site location details (road names, address, major landmarks
etc)
• Current context – existing buildings, car parking, roads.
 2.Neighbourhood context
 Look at existing and proposed building uses in the neighbourhood
 What condition are the buildings in?
 Are there exterior spaces and what are they used for?
 Are there activities in the neighbourhood that may create strong vehicle or pedestrian traffic?
 Existing vehicle movement patterns, major and minor roads, bus routes and stops.
 Street lighting
 Vernacular context, materials, architectural features, fenestration, landscaping, parking, building
heights
 Any nearby historical buildings, or buildings of particular significance
 Sun and shade patterns during the year
 Building context – what style, period, state of repair are the surrounding buildings? It is a
historical/heritage/conservation area? Will your design need to reflect the existing style?
 Is the site close to listed buildings?
 Surfaces and materials around the site.
3.Site and Zoning

Site boundary and dimensions

Any rights of way through the site and the dimensions
Any easements location and dimensions
Buildable area of the site
Any building height restrictions
Access to the site – car parking, bus routes, train stations, cycle routes, pedestrian
walkways.
Access to site for construction – will there be any obstacles or restrictions that could
affect the construction process?
 4.Natural Features
• Topography of the site, valleys, ridges, slopes etc.
• Vegetation – landscaping, greenery, shrubs and trees, open
spaces.
• Site levels. How will this affect your design process? How does the
site drainage work, would there be any potential problems with
drainage?
• Soil types on site
5.Man made features

What was the previous use of the site? Would there be any
contamination concerns?
Are there existing buildings on the site – what is their state of
repair? Is there any sign of subsidence or settlement damage?
Are the existing buildings part of the project?
Any walls, retaining walls on the site, or other built items
6.Circulation

• Circulation – how do visitors/pedestrians/traffic to or near the site

flow around or within it.
• Accessibility – current provisions of disabled access to the site and
how will this need to be considered.
• Does the existing pedestrian movement need to be preserved?
• What is the vehicle peak loads and when?
• Public transport close to the site
• Locations of best access to site for both vehicles and pedestrians
• Travel time to walk across the site
7.Utilities

• Location of all services: electricity, gas, water, sewer, telephone. This

includes both underground and above ground.
• Location of power poles.
• Drainage
• Sub-stations
8. Sensory

• Views – where are the best views to and from the site.
• What are the views of?
• Mark out the positive and negative views.
• Which is the most likely feature aspect?
• Look at views towards the site from different approaches to see how the site
would be seen when drawing near to the site. What are the best views of the site,
and would these change in the long term?
• Noise, odour and pollution – is the site in a particularly noisy area? Or near
industrial buildings that produce levels of pollution. Is it near a facility that creates
smoke?
9.Human and Cultural

• Negative neighbourhood issues such as vandalism and crime.

• What are the attitudes towards the site and the potential build?
• What are the general neighbourhood attitudes about the area?
• What is the cultural, psychological, behavioural and sociological
aspects of the surrounding area.
• What is the population, density, family size, ethnic patterns,
employment, recreation activities etc.
10. Climate

• Orientation of the site.

• Weather – how does the weather affect the site? Is it well shaded,
exposed?
• How does the temperature, rainfall etc vary throughout the year?
• What are the prevailing wind directions throughout the year?
• What is the sun path throughout the different times of the year, and day.
Diagramming your findings
 Evaluating Your Site Visit
When looking at your site and considering your design think about the
following:
Edge conditions, surfaces and materials
• The Site Natural and man made
• Street patterns Movement and circulation within and around
the site
• Street section
Vehicle vs. pedestrian
• Scale and the hierarchy/form/space Access
• Land use Public space vs. private space
• Typologies Open space
History
• Neighbourhood relationships, formal street
variation Climate – sun angles and sun shadows
Negative and positive spaces – we move
• Perspective relationships, views
through negative spaces and dwell in positive
spaces
 The Building

• Think about how your proposal is going to link in with the site, and how the site
will connect with the building. Make a few notes about each of the points below
about what you are looking to achieve.
Massing  Light quality
Structure  Rhythm and repetition
Circulation  Views
Axis  Geometry
Symmetry  Hierarchy
Scale and proportion  Enclosure
Balance  Space/void relationship
Regulating lines