This document discusses factors to consider for site selection. There are two main methods of site selection: 1) selecting from a list of potential sites the one that best meets the project's needs, and 2) selecting the best possible use for a given site. Important criteria include accessibility, visibility, population and demographic patterns served, site capacity, neighborhood compatibility, availability of utilities, and physical characteristics. Additional criteria are discussed for different types of buildings like libraries, museums, and schools. Cost considerations and feasibility factors are also important to evaluate for site selection.

1. ARCDES09
2ST TERM 2021-2022
DR. MARIBEL C. TUBERA, PHD
*FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
SITE SELECTION

2. SITE SELECTION
•For every site there is an ideal use
•For every use there is an ideal site.

3. THERE ARE 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 .

4. SITE SELECTION
Describes the process of identifying the optimal location for
the project.
Selection process:
1. needs to be rigorous
2. needs professional advice
3. needs to balance the numerous opportunities and
risks associated with each site and/or building
looked at.

5. • One of the most important decisions required within
the development process.
• Selection must be based not only on current needs
but also on projected needs.
• Selecting the right site for a institutional, leisure,
entertainment or recreation project is critical to its
success.
• A poor site lasts forever; will permanently
handicap the project's revenues and profits; or
worse, can result in its failure.
SITE SELECTION

6. THERE ARE A LARGE NUMBER OF FACTORS
THAT ARE IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS TO
SITE SELECTION. SOME ARE:
o Population of the Region
o Climate
o Accessibility
o Visibility
o Traffic counts/congestions
o Physical barriers
o Psychological barriers
o Character of surrounding
properties
o Character of surrounding
community
o Site Size and Shape
o Topography
o Infrastructure
improvements
o Drainage
o Site orientation
o Environmental
requirements
o Competition
o Zoning
o Patterns of Travel
o Cost and Time Frame

7. SITE SELECTION CRITERIA
based on other building types
http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/docs/Facility/Site_Selection.pdf

8. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
1. Accessibility
2. Image/Visual Quality
3. Visibility
4. Demographic Patterns 5. Site Capacity
5. Neighborhood Compatibility
6. Legal Matters
7. Utilities Availability
8. Physiography
9. Tie breaker criteria/Site related cost
http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/docs/Facility/Site_Selection.pdf

9. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
1. ACCESSIBILITY - should be easily accessible by
transportation and pedestrians.
http://watertown.propsearch.com.sg/about-watertown/site-plan/

11. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)

12. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
2. IMAGE/VISUAL QUALITY – quality of the existing neighborhood
surrounding the project needs to complement rather than detract
from it.
• should be located in an area with a strong positive identity
and image.
• should also be compatible with surrounding land uses, both
existing and proposed.

13. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
3. VISIBILITY – a prominent location is required to attract a large
number of people to the proposed building.
• high visibility along a major street with easy accessibility is
ideal.
• if the site (or surrounding sites) involves other buildings, the
building project should be able to be oriented in the portion
of the site with highest visibility.
http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/docs/Facility/Site_Selection.pdf

14. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
4. DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS – site should be
located where people can easily reach it and conduct
other activities during the same trip.
http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/docs/Facility/Site_Selection.pdf
• place where people
naturally converge.
• should be where the
largest percentage of
all people to be
served will have
access frequently in
the normal pursuit of
their activities.

15. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
5. SITE CAPACITY - the site should be large enough to
provide sufficient area “footprint” required for the
following:
• parking for users (transient and permanent)
• future expansion
• necessary allowances for setbacks and other
zoning requirements
• suitable landscaping
The resulting building should look as if it belongs on
the site, not forced on a plot of ground that is too
small.
Ex. Library – 4 times larger than the building
http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/docs/Facility/Site_Selection.pdf

17. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
6. NEIGHBORHOOD COMPATIBILITY

18. SITE SELECTION FACTORS
(CRITERIA)
7. UTILITIES
AVAILABILITY
- To avoid extra costs, the
presence of electrical,
water, gas, sewer, and
other services should be
in place now, or by the
time construction is
scheduled to start.

19. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
8. PHYSIOGRAPHY
http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/docs/Facility/Site_Selection.pdf
- suitability of the
soil, the
topography of
the site and
orientation. are
considered.

20. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
10. TIE-BREAKER CRITERIA:
SITE-RELATED COSTS
If several sites are ranked equally, or nearly
so, in all of the criteria, then site-related costs
should serve as a “tie-breaker” to finalize the
selection of the proposed building site.
http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/docs/Facility/Site_Selection.pdf

22. SITE SELECTION FACTORS (CRITERIA)
10. SITE-RELATED COSTS should be compared on the basis
of the following factors:
• Acquisition costs
• Demolition costs of any existing facilities on the site.
• Relocation costs of any existing business or residents currently
on the site
• Any unusual site development costs that may occur - such as
from a site with underground utilities and/or water, extra
construction costs that will occur due to such things as poor soil
conditions, limitations of the site such as underground versus
above grade parking, or site configuration resulting in a more
expensive building solution.
• Cost of providing sufficient utility service to the site
http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/docs/Facility/Site_Selection.pdf

23. I. ECONOMIC CRITERIA
• determined by a feasibility and market study.
1. Accessible location
2. Acceptable land costs
3. Manageable development costs
4. Ability to support all project components (i.e.
- development, recreation, regulatory
constraints, circulation and infrastructure)

24. II. PHYSIOGRAPHICAL CRITERIA
• includes study of the natural opportunities and/or
constraints of the site.
1. Topography
2. Soils
3. Water
4. Vegetation
5. Wildlife
6. Site drainage

26. III. SITE GOVERNANCE CRITERIA:
1. Regulatory restrictions
2. Property size and shape
3. Existing utilities and structures
http://www.asgca.org/site-selection

27. IV. OFF-SITE ISSUES CRITERIA:
• factors into an acceptable site as well.
1. Air traffic 3. Views
2. Noise 4. Odors

28. DESIGN FEASIBILITY
• What are the implications of the development on
adjacent sites or properties, and visa versa?
• Is the existing building Listed, or is the site within a
Conservation area?
• Are there any protected wildlife species – bats, great
crested newts for example?
• Is the site likely to have any contamination, or be of
archaeological value?

29. DESIGN FEASIBILITY
• How sustainable is the site, and / or how sustainable
could it be made to be?
• What traffic impact will the project have, and how will
people journey to and from it?
• Are there any noise issues associated with the site
and its context?
• How supportive will the community be to the
proposals?
•

30. DESIGN FEASIBILITY
• Does the site or building generate the right amount of
accommodation (net area)?
• Does the site provide easy access – vehicular,
servicing, pedestrian, disabled?
• Does it possess enough character, drama, charm, or
if not could it easily be designed in?

31. DESIGN FEASIBILITY
• Does the site allow future flexibility (adaptation,
extension, etc)?
•
Planning Assessment:
• Does the site have any major Planning Policy
issues that may prevent or delay the project?
• Does the site have the same Use Classification
as the project?
• Is the site within a Flood Risk area?

32. DESIGN FEASIBILITY
Legal assessment:
• Does the site have any legal issues that may
prevent or restrict the proposed development?
• Are there any restrictive covenants?
• Are there any Rights of Access, and can access
from the Highway be guaranteed?

33. DESIGN FEASIBILITY
Legal assessment:
• Is there any wider regeneration benefits to be gained from
the site; social, economic?
• Are there any major services that cross the site?
• Are there any invasive plant species (e.g. Japanese
Knotweed) that require expensive remediation?
• Is there any topographical and / or geological information?
• What is the quality of the existing landscape, and are
there any Tree Preservation Orders?

34. SITE CRITERIA FOR MUSEUMS
• Availability
• Timeliness
• Cost of acquisition
1. Size
2. Disincentives to success
3. Concerns of major funders
4. Strong physical constraints – flooded area, polluted areas, unsafe
location
5. Other threats to collection care
• Museological Issues:
1. Security
2. Environment
3. Conservation
4. Room for expansion
5. Loading area
6. Outdoor space
Manual of Museum Planning, Gail Dexter Lord and Barry Lord

35. 1. Location of a library will be determined by its service area, the
zone a majority of patrons most likely will come from. (This concept
is similar to the retailers’ “catchment area.”
Example: Site Criteria for Libraries

36. Catchment area is the area and population from which a shopping center, store,
hospital, school or other premises attracts/draws its customers, patrons, or visitors. For
example, a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are
eligible to attend a local school.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catchment_area_(human_geography)
localplan.westoxon.gov.uk/document.aspx
http://www.rrh.org.au/articles/subviewaust.asp?ArticleID=1318
http://www.wbs.eu.com/catchment-map.php

37. • Central library should be in close proximity to other civic institutions such as a
city hall, cultural centers, major open spaces (plazas and parks), and
educational facilities (high schools, a college or university).
• This type of clustering creates a density of public and civic activity and
enhances the relative status of each institution.
• Together, these buildings and uses create a central place and can serve as a
city’s core.

38. Factors determining centrality differ by criteria of measurement
• Centrality can be measured by distance, by accessibility (the hub of a
regional transportation system), by relative density, by population
distribution, or by proximity to other land uses such as schools.
• Siting libraries close to schools can provide students enhanced access
to books, computers, and special learning programs.
• But centrality is also perceptual and there may not be an overwhelming
consensus on where the center is in a large city or metropolitan

39. Library infrastructure needs
• Infrastructure refers to the provision of services including but not limited
to power for equipment, heating and cooling, water, data and telephone
lines and the elimination of waste and storm runoff from the site.
• Ideally, a potential site will have basic services provided up to the edge
of the property line or along a public right-of-way.

40. Each site is unique. When comparing different parcels in a given area, it
is important to keep in mind that soil conditions can vary dramatically
across adjacent or proximate sites.
A general rule of thumb is that a hillside site requires more expensive
footings than a site with a more level grade. However, the cost of site
engineering and footings should not be the sole determinant for site
selection since a sloping site might afford views or may provide desired
adjacency to complimentary land uses

41. Site Topography

42. Building program areas and potential building footprints

43. Land utilization and parking alternatives for a site

44. Setbacks, easements and dedications

45. Height restriction and building envelope

46. Parking in front yard vs. rear yard

47. Site orientation factors

48. http://watertown.propsearch.com.sg/about-watertown/site-plan
Reference: