ESSENTIALS OF SITE

ANALYSIS
(UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ömer EREM
March, 2021
WE PERCEIVE THE ENVIRONMENT WITH OUR FIVE SENSES !

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-five-senses.html
 Components we perceive with 5 senses

Textures Sounds
Buildings/volumes
Buildings/volumes

Vehicles

Pedestrians Pedestrians Odours

Mobile

Textures Streets/connectors
 What are the What are we
components? looking for?
• Immobile components: • Existence of: • Background:
• Buildings • Immobile components • Location,
• Green space • Mobile components • Culture,
• Nature • Sensory components • Social structure,
• Water • Natural components • History,
• Streets/roads/stairs/ramps • Functions
• Infrastructure (Street lights, pavements and etc) • Relation among components: • Image:
• Mobile components: • Cognitive maps
• Pedestrians • Mind maps
• Motor Vehicles (car, motorcycle etc.) • Concept maps
Mobile
• Non-motor vehicles (bicycle, peddlers etc.)
• Animals (cats, dogs, etc.)
• Sensory components:
• Odour / smell
• Sounds / hear
Immobile Sensory
• Vista / sight
• Colours / sight
• Ground texture/touch/haptic
• Natural components:
• Climate (Wind, sun, rain etc.)
Natural
• Green space
• Water
• Topography
 WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR ANALYSIS?
Camera:
• Take pictures
• Take panoramic pictures of
your surrounding from
streets
Notebook: write down
observations, draw sketches
and take notes
Tape measure: may need to
measure your site
Understand: interview with
people to understand life
WHAT DO WE SEARCH ON SITE?
Important 5 main topics to be searched in site analysis process.

1. Buildings and Vacant areas (Figure-ground, height) - mapping

2. Natural (Climate, Landscape & Topography) - sensing
3. Circulation (vehicle, pedestrian, cycling etc) – Accessibility analysis
4. Locational, Cultural, social, historical, functional - communicating
5. Environmental Elements – understanding
6. Life in between buildings - living
1. Buildings and Vacant areas (Figure-ground, height)
2. Natural (Climate, Landscape & Topography)
3. Transportation / circulation (vehicle, pedestrian, cycling etc)
4. Locational, Cultural, social, historical, functional
5. Environmental Elements
6. Life in between buildings
BUILDINGS and VACANT AREAS / morphological mapping

• Density of buildings
• Height of buildings
• Building facades of
neighbouring buildings
• Entrances to buildings
• Public, semi-private and
private usage
 BUILDINGS and VACANT AREAS / morphological mapping
FIGURE GROUND
ANALYSIS
• Figure=Buildings,
• Ground=Vacant areas
• Blank=roads (optional)
BUILDINGS and VACANT AREAS / morphological mapping
BUILDINGS and VACANT AREAS/mapping
ACCESSIBILTY ANALYSIS (NOLLI PLAN)

White = Public access,

Black = Private access
1. BUILDINGS and VACANT AREAS/mapping

Sample student works

BUILDINGS and VACANT AREAS / morphological mapping
BUILDINGS and VACANT AREAS / morphological mapping

Building height map for Toronto, Canada (height is in metric unit)

http://jonathancritchley.ca/height_full.html
BUILDINGS and VACANT AREAS / morphological mapping

Sample student works

BUILDINGS AND VACANT AREAS / eye level
BUILDINGS AND VACANT AREAS / eye level
BUILDINGS AND VACANT AREAS / eye level
BUILDINGS AND VACANT AREAS
BUILDINGS AND VACANT AREAS / map & eye level
BUILDINGS AND VACANT AREAS / eye level

Silhouettes: Student work samples

BUILDINGS AND VACANT AREAS / eye level

Silhouettes: Student work samples

SOURCES FOR MAPS and BUILDINGS
https://sehirharitasi.ibb.gov.tr/ - İstanbul Municipality
www.googlemaps.com – Google maps
Yerel ilçe belediyesi web siteleri
http://www.paftabulucu.com/ - Bağımsız girişim
Pervetich maps,
Alman mavileri haritaları,
1. Buildings and Vacant areas (Figure-ground, height)
2. Natural (Climate, Landscape & Topography)
3. Transportation / circulation (vehicle, pedestrian, cycling etc)
4. Locational, Cultural, social, historical, functional
5. Environmental Elements
6. Life in between buildings
Natural (Climate, Landscape & Topography)
Climate
• Prevailing wind (hakim rüzgar yönü)
• Sun directions – solar radiation, solar angles
• Temperatures, humidity, shadow analysis
• Precipitation
• Energy conservation (wind, solar etc)
Landscape
Green space, vistas on site, topography (sections)
Climate conditions
Climate conditions
Green spaces
Vegetation
Green spaces
Green spaces
Green spaces
Vegetation / sections / 3D
Sample student work
 Topography
• Topography is one of the major
determinants of human behavious in
the outdoor spaces. In due course, it
is one of the most important factors
which is affecting the outdoor space
design considerations. At this stage
information related to level
differences in the site, existing
stairs, ramps, and other similar
features which may give information
related to the topography must be
indicated.
Topography
TOPOGRAPHY ANALYSIS WITH MODEL
Topography / Buildings
TOPOGRAPHY ANALYSIS WITH SECTIONS
Topography
TOPOGRAPHY ANALYSIS WITH SECTIONS
Topography
SHADOW AND SOLAR ANALYSIS

Source: IBB Kent Kehberi

Source: IBB Kent Rehberi

SHADOW AND SOLAR ANALYSIS

Sample
student
work
1. Buildings and Vacant areas (Figure-ground, height)
2. Natural (Climate, Landscape & Topography)
3. Transportation / circulation (vehicle, pedestrian, cycling etc)
4. Locational, Cultural, social, historical, functional
5. Environmental Elements
6. Life in between buildings
Transportation / circulation (vehicle, pedestrian, cycling etc)
Transportation / circulation (sea transport, by bus, by walking, by car, cycling etc)
Transportation / Neighbourhood scale
Transportation / Neighbourhood scale
 3. Circulation (vehicle, pedestrian, cycling etc)
Pedestrian, cycling analysis
3. Circulation (vehicle, pedestrian,
cycling etc)
Pedestria
n, cycling
analysis
Sample student work
Sample student work
1. Buildings and Vacant areas (Figure-ground, height)
2. Natural (Climate, Landscape & Topography)
3. Transportation / circulation (vehicle, pedestrian, cycling etc)
4. Locational, Cultural, social, historical, functional information
5. Environmental Elements
6. Life in between buildings
 4. Locational Information
Locational
• Karaköy, the modern name for the ancient Galata, is a
commercial neighborhood in the Beyoğlu district of
Istanbul, located at the northern part of the Golden
Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus.
• Karaköy is one of the oldest and most historic districts of
the city, and is today an important commercial center and
transport hub. The location is connected with the
surrounding neighborhoods through streets originating
from Karaköy Square. The Galata Bridge links Karaköy
to Eminönü in the southwest, Tersane Street to Azapkapı in
the west, Voyvoda Street to Şişhane in the northwest, the
steeply sloping Yüksek Kaldırım Street to Beyoğlu in the
north, Kemeraltı Street and Necatibey Street to Tophane in
the northeast.
Historical Information / maps
Historical Information / maps
Historical Information / Historical Photos
SOURCES FOR MAPS, VENUES / SOCIAL MEDIA
• https://www.instantstreetview.com or Googlemaps web site or Google earth
SOURCES FOR MAPS, VENUES / IBB KENT REHBERİ
 Karaköy has been a port area since Byzantine times when the
4. Cultural, social, north shore of the Golden Horn wasa separate settlement, walled
across Golden Horn from the Old City. Around the year 1000, the
emperor of Byzantium granted to the merchants of Genoa the
historical permission to settle and do business at this location.
The district developed rapidly, and the Genoeses built sturdy
fortifications to protect themselves and their warehouses.
Historical Fragments of the Genoese walls are still visible, but the Galata
Tower, the highest and strongest point in the walls, is the most
& visible of all. In the 15th century, Galata looked just like an Italian
city.
Cultural In 1455, right after the conquest of Constantinople, the district
had three categories of inhabitants: temporarily
sojourning Genoese, Venezian and Catalan
merchants; Genoese of Ottoman citizenship;
and Greeks, Armenians and Jews.
Historical
Historical
&
Cultural
Historical Building Analysis
Historical
Historical
&
Cultural
4. Cultural, social,
historical
Historical
&
Cultural
HISTORY
HISTORICAL ANALYSIS / COGNITIVE COMPONENTS
 Functional Usage
Functional analysis (land-use)
• What are the functions of buildings
around?
 Functional Usage
Land-use
4. Cultural, social, historical, functional-usage
4. Cultural, social, historical, functional-usage
Functional Usage (Related to Living)
 4. Cultural, social, historical, functional (usage)
Cultural and social
• Who lives around the site?
• Which important people lived
around the site?
• Demography
• Population
• Gender
• Ages
• Culture
• Residence, commercial culture
• Sports
• Recreational
• Food
• Social
Sample student work
Sample student work
1. Buildings and Vacant areas (Figure-ground, height)
2. Natural (Climate, Landscape & Topography)
3. Transportation / circulation (vehicle, pedestrian, cycling etc)
4. Locational, Cultural, social, historical, functional
5. Environmental Elements / Cognitive Components
6. Life in between buildings
Environmental Elements
COGNITIVE MAPS (PERSONAL) – Image creating components
• Landmarks: Important components of the site (religious,
cultural, social buildings, statues, monuments, tower etc.)
• Routes: Important roads, path ways etc .
• Nodes: Junctions on intersecting roads with a social life and
movement
• Borders: Endpoints of regions
• Districts: regions defined cognitively
Environmental Elements

http://www.geziko.com/blog/kadikoyde-donusumun-adi-yeldegirmeni/
http://pr2013.aaschool.ac.uk
/INTER-02/oliver-pershav
Cognitive Analysis
HISTORICAL ANALYSIS / COGNITIVE COMPONENTS
• District analysis
https://jennisparks.com/Hand-Drawn-Map-of-Paris
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/decor/6-maps-to-change-how-you-look-at-the-world/article11948270/
Sample student work
1. Buildings and Vacant areas (Figure-ground, height)
2. Natural (Climate, Landscape & Topography)
3. Transportation / circulation (vehicle, pedestrian, cycling etc)
4. Locational, Cultural, social, historical, functional
5. Environmental Elements / Cognitive Components
6. Life in between buildings
6. LIFE IN BETWEEN BUILDINGS
• Street life / Culture
• Waterfront life
• Smell
• Sounds
• Lights and shadows
• Day & night life
• Repetetive and endemic components / Ex: Murals, grafittis
• Urban Memory Collages
• Textures
Culture
• POSTER EXAMPLES FOR SITE ANALYSIS
• Mind map
• POSTER EXAMPLES FOR SITE ANALYSIS ON MAPS