PLAN REV

MODULE 1

Site Planning

• Kevin Lynch as “the art of arranging structures on the land and shaping the spaces between; an
art linked to architecture, engineering, landscape architecture and city planning.” (Site
Planning).
• Harvey M. Rubenstein defines it as “the art and science of arranging the uses of portions of
land.” These uses are designated in detail by selecting and analyzing sites, forming land use
plans organizing vehicular and pedestrian circulation, developing visual form and materials
concepts, readjusting the existing landforms byDesign grading, providing proper drainage, and
developing the construction details necessary to carry out the projects”. (A Guide to Site and
Environmental Planning, 1980).

Site planning in landscape architecture and architecture

• Refers to the organizational stage of the landscape design process. It involves the organization
of land use zoning, access, circulation, privacy, security, shelter, land drainage, and other
factors. This is done by arranging the compositional elements of landform, planting, water,
buildings and paving in site plans.

SITE PLANNER - is the profession that designates the uses of portions of land in detail by:

▪ Selecting and analyzing sites.

▪ Forming land use plan.

▪ Organizing vehicular and pedestrian circulations.

▪ Developing visual form and material concepts.

▪ Re-adjusting the existing landforms by design grading.

▪ Providing proper drainage.

▪ Developing the construction details necessary to carry out the projects.

Landscape architecture

• It is a profession which applies artistic and scientific principles to the research, planning, design
and management of both natural and built environments.
• Practitioners of this profession apply creative and technical skill and scientific, cultural and
political knowledge in the planned management of natural and constructed elements on the
land with a concern for the stewardship and conservation of natural, constructed and human
resources.
• The resulting environments shall serve useful, aesthetic, safe and enjoyable purposes.
PARAMETERS

• any factor that defines a system and determines (or limits) its performance.
• a reference or value that is passed to a function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program.
• a variable quantity determining outcome.

SITE SELECTION

• It is a process for identifying suitable parcels of land for specific purposes.

• It involves the collection and analysis of awide array of site and contextual data.

TWO METHODS OF ESTABLISHING A SITE:

1. SITE SELECTION PROCESS - This process selects from a list of potential sites one that suits best the
given use and requirements of the project.

2. DEVELOPMENT SUITABILITY PROCESS - This process selects the best possible use and development
suited for a given site.

Two Methods of Site Selection:

• Ideal sites - sites with least modification, best

meets the project requirements

• Alternative sites - possible sites

Site location is chosen by a client before the establishment of a program or even before a use for the
site has been determined.

Sites are considered within a general location and a choice is made of the one best meeting the
preliminary objectives.

PARAMETERS OF SITE SELECTION

Program development is based on the following factors:

1. Site requirements

2. Sizes

3. Types of building and site construction

4. Uses of materials
SWOT analysis

• meaning in Architecture is to find strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the site
and surroundings with respect to the project which we are going to construct on the site. The
swot analysis process includes understanding the site and its surroundings in every aspect
whether it is positive or negative to the project.
• SWOT analysis can be done by going on the site or can be done online with SWOT analysis tools
online available. There are not specifically made tools for SWOT analysis in architecture but
tools such as google earth can help in doing SWOT analysis online.
• SWOT site Analysis in architecture is important because it helps in making the design more
responsive to the site and its surroundings.

Strengths - are the things on site that are in favor of our project. For example, if our site is in direct
connection with the main road and we must design a shopping mall then it is considered a strength of
our project. But if the project was to design a meditation and yoga building on this site then this directly
connected main road will create noise and it cannot be considered a strength for our project.

Weaknesses - are the things on site that are not in favor of our project. These weaknesses are present
on the site and can be overcome with design solutions. For example, there can be a fish market near to
site which can create a bad odors issue for the project or there can be a busy road adjacent to the site
which can cause noise issues. These can be overcome in design by creating tree barriers etc.

Opportunities - are the things on site that can be used to enhance the design and usability of the
building that will be constructed on the site. For example, if there is a lake near the site, and the project
is to build a resort then this lake can be used for views. This is an opportunity for the site with respect to
the project.

Threats - are the things on site that can cause problems for the project in the future. For example, if the
adjacent plot to the site is for a high-rise building, then in the future when high rise building will be
constructed, it will cause a blocking of sunlight and wind on our site. This is a future problem for our
project on this site, so this is considered a threat.
 MODULE 2

Site Planning and Landscape Architecture

• The artistic and functional arrangement of buildings, open spaces, service areas, circulation and
other external areas; techniques in the enhancement and design of exterior environments.
• Factors may include, but are not limited to, environmental compliance, pollution prevention,
conservation, protection of historical and cultural sites, and protection of flora and fauna.

SITE ANALYSIS INVOLVES THE STUDY OF THE SITE INTERMS OF THE FF.

1. NATURAL FACTORS

2. CULTURAL FACTORS

3. AESTHETIC FACTORS

Ecosystem - is a complex system with many parts, both living and non-living. All parts of the system are
important. If one part of the system is removed, lots of other parts can be affected.

NATURAL FACTORS
1. Geology
2. Geomorphology – physiography, landforms, soils, drainage, topography and slopes, and soil erosion
3. Hydrology – surface and ground water
4. Vegetation – plant ecology
5. Wildlife – habitats
6. Climate – solar orientation, wind, and humidity.

GEOMORPHOLOGY
• The branch of Geology, deals with the origin, nature and distribution of landforms.
Geomorphology is the science concerned with the form of Earth's surface and the processes
that create it.
• Origin of the term (from Greek): Geo = Earth; morphos = form; -ology = science.
• When designing a piece of property for architectural, landscape architectural and engineering
usage, it is essential for the designer to first confront the nature of the land, particularly its
form, its slopes, and its inherent capabilities for surface and subsurface discharge of water, for
supporting vertical and horizontal structures, and for resisting erosion.

4 Basic Geomorphologic Information

•Soil Properties – Composition and Soil Texture

•Drainage
•Topography and Slopes
•Soil Erosion

SOIL PROPERTIES

COMPOSITION - refers to the material that makes up soil: mineral particles, organic matter, water, and
air.
• Mineral Particles - comprise 50% to 80% of the volume of the soil and form all skeletal structure
of the soil.
o Sand and gravel particles - provide for the greatest stability, usually yield a relatively
high bearing capacity.
o Bearing capacity - is a soil’s resistance to penetration from a weighted object such as a
building foundation.
• Organic Matter - varies radically in soils and usually imposes a limitation to any building
structure, is important only for soil fertility, moisture absorption and retention and for
landscaping.
• Water - content varies with particle sizes, local drainage, topography and climate. Most water
occupies the spaces between particles; only in organic soils do the particles themselves absorb
measurable amounts of water.
• Air - is what occupying the remaining space that is not occupied by water. In layers where
groundwater is formed by gravity water in the subsoil and underlying rock, there is absence of
air.

DRAINAGE

GOOD DRAINAGE

• refers to the soil’s ability to transfer gravity water downward.

Permeability

• the rate at which water within the soil moves through a given volume of material (also
measured in cm or inches per hour).

POOR DRAINAGE

• means that gravity water is not readily transmitted by the soil and soil is frequently or
permanently saturated and may have water standing on it caused by :

1. The local accumulation of water

2. A rise in the level of groundwater within the soil column.

3. The size of the particles in the soil being too small to transmit infiltration water.
 TOPOGRAPHY AND SLOPES

SLOPE ANALYSIS

• Understanding slope forms for site design requires understanding of local geologic, soil,
hydrologic, and vegetative conditions.

SLOPE FORM

• is expressed graphically in terms of a slope profile, a silhouette of a slope drawn to known

proportions with distance on the horizontal axis and elevation on the vertical axis.

FOUR BASIC SLOPE FORMS ARE DETECTABLE ON CONTOUR MAPS:

• STRAIGHT
• S-SHAPED
• CONCAVE
• CONVEX

TOPOGRAPHIC MAP

• a map of a portion of the earth that describes the shape of the earth’s surface by contour lines.

Contours

• are imaginary lines that join points of equal elevation on the surface of the land above or below
a reference surface such as the main sea level.
• make it possible to measure the height of mountains, depth of the ocean bottoms, and
steepness of slopes.

SLOPE ANALYSIS

• is an important analytical process made on a topographic map that makes a proper match
between land uses and slopes and produces an overall pattern of slopes which helps the site
planner in determining the buildable portions of the site.
• The process involves breaking down of topography into grades which will establish the desired
patterns for a given land use as in the following example:
• In the analysis of the slopes, the distances for each Slope Pattern are computed from the given
topographic map, for use on the Slope Map.

DESIRABLE SLOPES
 • when slopes are selected according to building type and the activities associated with it.

Flat or gently sloping sites

• are preferred for industrial and commercial buildings.

Hilly sites

• are preferred for fashionable suburban residences.

Slopes

• influence the alignment of modern roads according to class of roads; the higher the class, the
lower the maximum grades allowable.

SOIL EROSION

SOIL EROSION

• when rocks are broken down (weathered) into small fragments, and carried by wind, water, ice
and gravity. The energy for this process is solar and gravitational.

PREVENTION

Four factors to consider in forecasting erosion rates:

• Vegetation
• Soil Type
• Slope Size and Inclination
• Frequency and Intensity of Rainfall.

Gabions

• are cages filled with rocks, concrete, or sand with soil that has been used in civil engineering
dating back to the 14th century. Mostly gabions have been used for temporary flood walls, silt
filtration from runoff, and stabilizing shorelines.

EASEMENT RELATING TO WATERS

• Art. 638. The banks of rivers and streams, even in case they are of private ownership, are
subject throughout their entire length and within zone of 3 meters along their margins, to the
easement of public use in the general interest of navigation, floatage, fishing, and salvage.
Vegetation

• is one of the greatest assets of the site for a natural, energy-efficient design. Not only is the
existing vegetation useful, but it can be added to, transplanted, or eliminated. Even though it
might take time to mature, the landscape is flexible.

The relevance of Plant Materials in site planning is in their role in:

• Climatic control
• Environmental Engineering
• Architectural and Aesthetic Uses

TREES

• Natural defense for flooding. Absorb excess water and make the soil permeable.
• Acts as sound buffer, reducing noise pollution.

TREE LEAVES

• Decompose into natural fertiliser, boosting soil fertility.

Climatic control

• Solar Radiation
• Wind
• Precipitation

Environmental Engineering Air Purification

Environmental Engineering Noise

130 dBA (Decibel) – threshold of pain

Environmental Engineering Glare and Reflection

• Heatherwick Studio has released their latest images for the 1,000 Trees Development in
Shanghai. Dating back to August 2019, the images showcase the construction progress of the
300,000-square-meter project, with the near completion of one of two mountains, set to open
in 2020.

3. Architectural and Aesthetic Uses

• SPACE DEFINITION
 • VIEW CONTROL
• MOOD

Climate

• means the usual condition of the temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall,
and other Meteorology, meteorological weather, elements in an area of the Earth's surface for a
long time. In simple terms climate is the average condition for about thirty years.

The Philippines

• is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, increased
frequency of extreme weather events, rising temperatures and extreme rainfall. ... The
Philippines lies in the world's most cyclone-prone region, averaging 19–20 cyclones each year, of
which 7–9 make landfall.

5 main climate types on Earth:

• Tropical
• Dry
• Temperate
• Continental
• Polar

tropical and maritime

• The Climate of the Philippines. It is characterized by relatively high temperatures, high humidity
and abundant rainfall.
• The coolest months fall in January with a mean temperature of 25.5oC.
• The warmest month occurs in May with a mean temperature of 28.3oC.

In each, a site should be investigated in terms of:

• Solar orientation for buildings

• The best facing slopes
• Wind flows for breezes.

PASSIVE COOLING

• The technology of cooling spaces through proper sitting of structure and use of energy- efficient
materials, with the overall objective of energy conservation.
 MODULE 3

MOVEMENT SYSTEMS

• PEDESTRIAN
• VEHICULAR
• ROAD LAYOUTS

MOVEMENT

• an act of changing physical location or position or of having this changed.

Circulation

• refers to the way people move through and interact with a building. In public buildings,
circulation is of high importance; Structures such as elevators, escalators, and staircases are
often referred to as circulation elements, as they are positioned and designed to optimize the
flow of people through a building, sometimes by a core.

Circulation access includes:

• Pedestrian
• Vehicular
• Public Transit Movement Systems (Road layouts)

MOVEMENT CIRCULATION
INSIDE OUTSIDE
HALLWAY / CORRIDOR ROADS / STREETS
PARTITION SIDEWALK
LOBBY WALKWAY / PATHWAY
AISLE RAMP
STAIRS STAIRS
RAMPS
5 key principles define mobility-friendly circulation:

• Connectivity: Create interconnected street networks with frequently spaced intersections, and
interconnected pedestrian pathways and bicycle networks.
• Multi-use Streets: Design “complete streets” and intersections that serve pedestrians, persons
with disabilities, bicyclists, transit vehicles, and trucks as well as motorists.
• Legibility: Provide a legible environment that helps users orient themselves, navigate, and
understand their surroundings.
• Safety by Design: Encourage safe and predictable behavior by all road users. Road features
should enforce desired speeds, accommodate safe use by senior drivers and encourage shared
use by motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
• Sensitivity to Surroundings: Design roads and bridges in context, with respect for the
surrounding environment.

Streets

• must be designed to serve different modes and provide multiple mobility options for its users.

Multimodal streets

• offer people options for safe, attractive, and convenient travel by foot, by cycle, on transit, as
well as in motorized vehicles. Multimodal streets help to make cities more efficient.

General Site Design Guidelines for Pedestrians

• It remains the responsibility of the design professional to select and specify the materials
appropriate for the site.
• A working knowledge of human dimensions and behavior is necessary.

Pedestrian Walkways

• A fundamental element of design for the pedestrian is the pathway or Sidewalk.

• The peak time for walking is midday (countercyclical to vehicle traffic), and sidewalks should be
designed to account for this peak time.
• The sidewalk width must provide the level of service suited to the user.
• The parameters of sidewalk width are the anticipated volume of foot traffic, how quickly
pedestrians will be walking, and the desired density of traffic.

Batas Pambansa Blg. 344

• An Act to Enhance the Mobility of Disabled Persons by Requiring Certain Buildings, Institutions,
Establishments and Public Utilities to install Facilities and Other Devices.

Signage

• Designing signs is a specialty in itself, and many types of signs are available commercially.
 • For common signs identifying designated handicapped parking or restroom facilities, it is best to
rely on signs that are familiar and in common use.
• The key elements for signs are readability and effective reading distance.
• To determine readability, it is necessary to understand the purpose of the sign.

Pavements

• are a form of exterior surface covering, typically raised and used by pedestrians, running parallel
to, and on either side of a road.

CIRCULATION SYSTEMS

• They are the primary structuring element of a land use plan, often determining the location of
utilities and communication networks and pedestrian circulation systems.

Forms of Circulation

1) Grid layout- streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid.

Advantages of Grid pattern:

• Rectangular plots can be divided into small rectangular sections to from roads from front to
back.
• It has adopted the pattern for city roads.
• The roads in this pattern are relatively easy to construct and maintain.

Disadvantages of Grid pattern:

• This pattern is not very convenient because at intersections, vehicles face each other.

radial concentric city plan

• is formed by streets that extend outward from a defined center and reach the outer edge of the
city, together with concentrically arranged roads that connect the radial streets to the lots. This
pattern traces back to ancient times and continues even to this day.

2) Radial road pattern,

• the network of roads are in the form of circles originating from the center of the area.
• It is a mixture of radial and block patterns wherein a radial network of roads exits from the
middle with a block pattern network of roads in between the radial main roads.

Advantage of radial pattern:

 • It prevents traffic from reaching local flow routes in the direction of the event site that operates
in favor of the departure traffic flow.
• If one is blocked, then traffic can run on the other side.

Disadvantages of radial pattern:

• This roads proves particularly effective if two-lane ramp traffic is not to be merged on the
downstream end of the ramp.

3) Linear Pattern

• It consists of road grow linearly in one direction possibly due to the presence of some natural
sources such as sea or ocean at one side of the city.
• Some communities along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada,

developed as linear settlements, as is still clearly seen in Champlain, Quebec

4) Radial and Grid Pattern

• This pattern is a combination of radial and grid patterns through which the radial network of
roads originates externally from the center. The main radial roads are interconnected by
offering a grid pattern between the principal roads.

Advantages of Radial and grid pattern:

• This road protects the movement of vehicles with high ratios of 3-way intersections.
• It reduces cut-through traffic by similar or other means.
• Improvement of land-use efficiency and unit density.

Disadvantages of Radial and grid pattern:

• The separation of the islands and exit lane (splitter island) must be spread far enough apart.
• Traffic signals, pavement marking and lighting should be sufficient so that drivers should
understand reduce their travel speed.

5) The radial and the circular pattern

• is the road pattern in which the main roads originate from a central point and are connected
together by narrow roads that radiates outward.

Vehicle Parking Provisions & Layouts

• 90 degrees layout
• Parallel layout
 • 30/45/60 layout

CLEARWAYS AND ACCESS WAYS

• Gradient & Turning Radius

• Multi-lane Accessway Ramp
• Straight Lane Width

PARKING LOT DIMENSIONS

Streets

• must be designed to serve different modes and provide multiple mobility options for its users.

Multimodal streets

• Offer people options for safe, attractive, and convenient travel by foot, by cycle, on transit, as
well as in motorized vehicles.

MODULE 4

Aesthetics

• is the word concerned with the beauty or taste of thing or person. The word aesthetic is
primarily used for something that attracts our looks appealing to our senses. It is widely used to
express the outer beauty of an object or person.

Visual aesthetics are key elements.

• Colors
• Shapes
• Forms
• Patterns
• Line
• Symmetry
• Continuity

AESTHETIC FACTORS
1. NATURAL FEATURES

• When sites are characterized by outstanding natural features of earth, rock, water or plant
material, these may be incorporated in the site development as natural assets of the land.

2. SPATIAL PATTERN

• is defined as the way an open space of a given site is configured according to an arrangement of
elements that evoke activity or flow, both physically or visually.

3. VISUAL RESOURCES

• View – is a scene observed from a vantage point.

• Vista – is a confined view, usually directed toward a terminal or dominant feature. It has three
components: a viewing station, a view, and a foreground.