Site selection and justification

1. Site Selection and Justification
1) Introduction
● Discuss the area requirements from your case studies. Are their sites adequate or inadequate? What
would be the area you require for your design?
● What is appropriate with respect to climate and orientation for your design?
2) Site Location
● What is the broad location under your consideration?
● Is the site already allocated for the same purpose? Or is it hypothetical/ assumed for your purpose?
● Show maps here. Show drawings only. No google maps allowed.
● Show development plan.
● Explain the physicalities of your site with respect to the following. Use a drawing as well :
i) Area
ii) Dimensions
iii) Length of site touching road
iv) Contours /Levels
v) Geology:
- Soil Conditions
- Whether reclaimed
- Vegetation
- Rock outcrop
- Water Table
- Any other features
vi) Surrounding conditions
vii) Accessibility
viii) Existing Conditions (vacant / Partially built / etc.)
ix) Adoption of local regulations, FSI, etc. for your design
x) Any Other
3) Site Justification
● Explain how your selected site is appropriate for your design with respect to the following factors:
i) Climate
ii) Accessiblity
- Road to site
- Width of existing roads
- Proximity of public transport
- Need for modification to existing access
- Any other
iii) Geology
iv) Suitability to your own design brief. Some of the points you can discuss here are:
- Edges of site
- Shape
- Design Aspects
- Views of surroundings
View due to levels
Nearness of water- pond / lake / etc.
Vegetation
Site conditions
Contours
Surrounding buildings/ population
Directions and orientation
Climate
Any other
4) Proposed enhancement to the Site
Give a broad idea of the interventions/ alterations you will need to make in order to suit your design.
Some of these could be :
Artificial conditions to be created
Water body
Cut & fill
Contour alterations
Landscape elements
Tree plantation in specific manner

2. A. PHYSICAL DATA
1. Geology and soil
• Underlying geology, rock character and depth
• Soil type and depth, value as engineering material and as plant medium
• Fill, ledge, slide and subsidence
2. Water
• Existing water bodies - variation and purity
• Natural and man-made drainage channels - flow, capacity, purity
• Surface drainage patterns, amounts, blockages, undrained depressions
• Water table - elevation and fluctuation, springs
• Water supply - quantity and quality
3. Topography
• Pattern of landforms
• Contours
• Slope analysis
• Visibility analysis
• Circulation analysis
• Unique features
4. Climate
• Regional data on variation of temperature, precipitation, humidity, solar
angle, cloudiness, wind direction and force
• Local microclimates: warm and cool slopes, air drainage, wind deflection
and local breeze, shade,heat reflection and storage, plant indicators
• Sound level, atmospheric quality, smells
5. Ecology
• Dominant plant/animal communities - location and relative stability
• Their dependence on existing factors,self-regulation, sensitivity to
change
• Mapping of general plant cover, including wooded areas
Architecture Thesis Manual EMCVillanueva.GRLajom
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• Specimen trees to be retained: their location, spread, species and
elevation at base
6. Man-made structures
• Existing buildings: outline, location, floor elevations, type, condition, us
• Circulation facilities (roads, paths, rails, transit, etc.): location, capacity,
condition
• Utilities (storm and sanitary sewers,water,gas,electricity, telephone,
steam, etc.):location, elevation, capacity
7. SensuousQualities
• Character and relation of visual spaces
• Viewpoints, vistas and visual focal points
• Character and rhythm of visual sequences
• Quality and variation of light, sound, smell and feel
B. CULTURAL DATA
1. Resident and using population
• Number and composition
• Social structures and institution
• Economic structure
• Political structure
• Current changes and problems
2. On-site and adjacent behavior settings: nature, location, rhythm, stability,
participants, conflicts
3. Site values, rightsand restraints
• Ownerships, easements, and other rights
• Legal controls:zoning and other regulations
• Economic values
• Accepted “territories”

3. • Political jurisdictions
4. Past and future
• Site history and its traces
• Public and private intentions for future use of site, conflicts
5. Images
• Group and individual identification and organization of site
• Meanings attached to the site, symbolic expression
• Hopes, fears,wishes, preferences
C. DATA CORRELATION
1. Classification of site by areas of similar structure, quality, and problems
2. Identification of key points, lines and areas
3. Analysis of current and likely future changes - the dynamic aspect of the
site
4. Identification of significant problems and possibilities