Site planning

The main goal in planning a site is to enhance the protection of life, property, and operations. Prior
to planning a thorough study an analysis should be conducted identifying threats and hazards to
support decision making on the measures to the reduction of vulnerability and risk.

Site planning is an aspect of the architectural process that involves the architect organizing the
gradients and drainage, access to the plot, privacy, and the layout of each structure. Keep in mind
that these plans aren’t the same as floor plans. A floor plan is able to provide the layout for one structure.

In comparison, site plans display the position of all structures that are situated on a parcel of land.
Additional components like drainage, slopes, and tree cover are also included. During the architectural
design process, site planning takes place almost at the beginning since it provides a better understanding
of what will be needed to complete the entire project.

What should a site layout plan include?

Site layout plans might include locations for and sizes of:

 Zones for particular activities.

 Cranes (including radii and capacities).
 Site offices.
 Welfare facilities.
 Off-loading, temporary storage and storage areas (laydown areas).
 Sub-contractor facilities.
 Car parking.
 Emergency routes and muster points.
 Access, entrances, security and access controls, temporary roads and separate pedestrian routes.
 Vehicle wheel washing facilities.
 Waste management and recycling areas.
 Site hoardings and existing boundaries.
 Protection for trees, existing buildings, neighbouring buildings, and so on.
 Signage.
 Temporary services (including electrical power, lighting, water distribution, drainage, information and
communications technology, site security systems, and so on)
 Temporary works (such as propping solutions for retained structures, sheet piling details, and so on).
 Areas for the construction of mock-ups for testing.
 Fabrication facilities.

HOUSE PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS

A plan of a house or any structure is also the designer’s prescription based on the requirements of
the client. A conceptual plan is a visual presentation of conceptual ideas supported by mathematical
calculations aimed at giving convenience and comfort to the users or occupants. A good plan is
judged based on its functionality and economy adhering to the principles of “Form Follow Functions”.

Distribution
Refers to the placement, location and arrangement of each room in relation with each other like
between kitchen and dining which primarily requires accessibility on food servicing. These areas are
interrelated and should not be far from each other.

Circulation
Like roads and highways, traffic is also present inside the building that must be considered in
planning. Circulation and movements of the occupants inside the building should not be hampered
by any obstacles nor be detoured as a result of poor planning.

Light and ventilation

There is no substitute for a good daylight and fresh natural air entering and circulating inside the
building. Artificial lighting and ventilation is very costly.

Sizes, areas and shapes

All design are intended for human use and therefore should be planned according to human scale.
Good design always provide ample areas to accommodate furniture, appliances, and other related
facilities including the most critical and important lanes or pathways for routinary movements inside
the house. The shape as to plan and elevations should be strictly functional, not fancy in character.

Orientation
Refers to the position and direction of the sunrise and sunset including the prevailing wind directions
in the area. A brief nap or rest at mid day or in the afternoon is normally done in the bedroom. Thus,
bedroom should not be oriented facing the afternoon sun. The kitchen, laundry and bathroom is
better oriented west for sunlight kills many types of bacteria.

Zoning Laws
The soning ordinance should be consulted first before deciding on the final site of the house or
building. You might be constructing your residential house on an industrial or commercial zone

Height
A moderate high ceiling allows fresh air circulations, comfortable atmosphere, ad preserved
aesthetic value of the room. Room with low ceiling has warm atmosphere that requires artificial
ventilation.

Electrical layout
The location of convenience outlet should be planned simultaneously with the appliances to be
placed on. The extension wire for appliances is the most unsightly obstacle in the room due to
improper location of convenience outlet. A satisfactory electrical layout and installation is when you
avail of its services without the need of an extension cord. The location and accessibility of light
switches is another thing of important consideration. It should be installed near the door of every
room for convenience in switching-in and switching-off when entering and leaving the room
respectively.

Location of doors
When a door becomes an obstacle creating inconveniences to the occupant that is the time we
realized the mistake of not analyzing its proper position from early stage of planning.

Superstition
Although superstition has no page in the book of contemporary architecture, if your client believes
and insist that his life success depends o luck brought about by his superstitious belief, then the
planner have no choice but to do what his client say.

THINGS TO CONSIDER
There are several additional items that you should think about adding to an
architectural site plan, which include everything from the natural factors
that could affect the site to the climatic factors that might pose a
problem. Identifying these factors before you finalize an architectural site
plan should keep any mistakes at bay.

Natural Factors
If you want to build a single-family home or commercial building that is
directly opposed to the surrounding nature, your development likely won’t be
successful, which is why it’s highly recommended that you discover and
record all of the natural factors that affect the area. These factors include
everything from inclement weather and wind to insect infestations. If you
want the project to be successful, you should plan a site that works in
conjunction with the surrounding nature.

Geology
Are you planning to develop on a property that’s
rocky? If you are, you should know the types of rocks
that are situated on the land, which will give you the
info required to understand how you can properly
develop the land. For instance, it’s possible that the
sheets of rock situated below the soil are practically
impenetrable. While this issue could be frustrating if
you had planned to dig deep into the ground, you
could instead choose to use the durable surface as a
solid foundation for your property.

Topography
You should know about all of the elements that are
already on the piece of land that you’d like to
develop. Make sure that these features are included
when you create a site plan. While these features
don’t need to remain in the plan that you finalize, it’s
essential that the topographical features are taken
into account during the site planning
process. Examples of topographical
features include everything from valleys and hills to
ridges and swamps.

Hydrography
When you survey a property’s surface, you may
identify a wide range of different surface water
features, which extend to:

 Lakes

 Streams

 Ponds

 Rivers

However, the hydrography that you focus on with

your site plan doesn’t stop there. You should also
determine if any subsurface water is located on the
property. The stability and depth of the water table
dictates what types of structures you can soundly
build. Make sure that you record details about how
water flows and drains on this property when a
significant rainstorm or flood occurs.

Soil
Find out what types of soil are located on your
property. Just like your property’s hydrography, you
should also understand how the composition of the
soil matters for the type of buildings you’d like to
develop and construct. The soil on a property
determines how difficult grading and construction
processes will be. Aerated dark soil is always going
to react much differently when compared to clay or
rocky soil.

Vegetation
What kinds of vegetation are currently being grown
on your property? Make a list of all naturally
occurring plants, which can be anything from
common weeds to existing trees. Once you’ve
obtained this information, you should be able
to identify what types of vegetation you’d like to
maintain in your finalized site plan. Any of the
vegetation you don’t want in your site plan can be
removed before development begins in earnest.
Climatic Factors
There are also some climatic factors that might alter
your architectural site plan, the primary of which is
weather. If it rains for much of the year on the site
you want to develop, heavy rainfalls would need to
be considered. If you happen to use the wrong soil or
building materials in an area that encounters high
rain totals, the project could lose its value entirely.
Any cases of extreme cold or heat should also be
noted. These factors can affect how structures are
designed and what types of HVAC units need to be
installed on the property.

Existing Land Use

Make sure that you take the use of nearby properties
as well as your property into account during the site
planning process. For instance, you could make the
mistake of building a large home for your family in an
area that’s just nearby a farm. If the farm routinely
sprays hazardous pesticides, it might not be safe for
you to live there any longer.

Architectural site planning is an important task for

any architect because of the need to understand the
functional, natural, and cultural aspects of the piece
of land that’s expected to be developed. Once the
site plan has been completed, however, the
construction and design teams should know how
structures will be arranged and what will happen to
the existing landscape features.

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