INTRODUCTION TO SITE

ANALYSIS AND SURVAYING

Mrs . Noshaba Maryam
Chapter 1
Field study in interior Design

Second semester 2015-16

 Why We Need To Study?
Interior or architectural designs cannot exist
without a physicall entity.
Applied arts – art which are interact and link
with human activities.
any type of art done with a practical
application; the application of design and
aesthetics to objects of function and everyday
use.
Fine Arts
creative art, especially visual art whose
products are to be appreciated primarily or
solely for their imaginative, aesthetic, or
intellectual content.
 What Is Site
• Any physical space, position or location of a
building, town or country.

i. Context
ii. Content
iii. Character
iv. Canvas
 Context
The circumstances that form the setting for an
event, statement, or idea, and in terms of
which it can be fully understood.
 Content
Aggregates, elements of place
 Character
The aggregate of features and traits that form
the individual nature of some person or thing
or a place
 CANVAS
Site evolved through time
 WHAT IS SITE ANALYSIS
• Inventory of site elements
• Information about the properties of the site,
from topography to climate to wind pattern
and vegetation
• Analyze the features and incorporate them
into the design
Site Analysis is the process of surveying or studying
the existing environment and how it will influence the
structure’s design and layout on the site.
 •Topography
•Geographic location
•Plant material
•Water
•Climate
•Solar orientation
•Prevailing winds
•Soil

Site Analysis
•Regulatory factors
Zoning Ordinances
Codes
Covenants
Historical Requirements
•Sensory Factors
Views
Sounds
Smells
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA
 Location
• Where is the site located?
• How is the site approached?
• What is the name of the street, the road etc
on which the site is located?
• How far away is the major junction?
• How far is the nearest city or other points of
interests
 Orientation

• Sun orientation
• Wind Direction
• The placement of the building on the site and
arrangement of spaces and openings – should
consider sun path and wind direction
• Large openings should not facing directly the
East and West as to avoid direct sunlight and
concentration of heat. The lesser surface area
/ or building facade exposed to the sun, lesser
will be the conductive heating
• Placing openings parallel to the wind
orientation creates cool interior
 Wind Orientation
• To design a climatologically responsive building, it
is important to consider the direction of the wind
so that it can be channelized through the interiors
• Consider the placement & size of openings for
optimum ventilation
• The wind direction may vary from place to place
inside the site itself, thus check the direction from
a few different places especially if it is a large site
 Soil Type and Condition
• Sandy soil, clayey soil etc, all have different
properties, which affect the design of the
building.
• Soil type and conditions determine the
building structure, types of column, sizes and
types of foundation
 Topography

• Topography refers to the slope and level of the

land – whether the land is flat and plain, or
whether it is sloping?
• The exact slope can be interpreted from a
detailed Contour map.
• The placement of of the building should
consider contour locations and spacing of
contours
• Buildings designed or placed along with the
contours reduce unnecessary cutting and
filling of soil.
• Also, during the site visit, it is important to
check out the stability of the slopes – whether
the slopes are solid enough to permit
construction on it.
 Vegetation and natural features
• Good design integrates vegetation and natural features into
the design
• The vegetation - consist of trees, flora and fauna present
on the site
• Vegetation and natural features should me marked onto
the site plan so that it will assist during the design stage:
i. Location of trees
ii. Type of trees
iii. Size of the trees - diameter or spread of the branches
iv. Heights of the trees
• Vegetation and natural features should me
marked onto the site plan so that it will assist
during the design stage:
i. Location of trees
ii. Type of trees
iii. Size of the trees - diameter or spread of
the branches
iv. Heights of the trees
 Natural features
i. rock formations
ii. swamps
iii. River, pond etc
 Precipitation & Hydrology
• The amount of rainfall the time period during
which the rainfall occurs
• The average annual rainfall, often measured in
mm, gives the idea about the precipitation
throughout the year
• Identify if the site is flooded during rainy
season
• identify ponds, lakes, rivers etc in or around
the site. The location and size of these water
elements should be studied so that they can
be integrated into the design scheme.
• The presence of water elements will reduce
the overall temperatures
 Hidrology
• The water table refers to the level below the
soil at which water is present.
• The water table may be very shallow for areas
close to water bodies (lake, pond, river).
• A shallow water table will affect the stability
of foundations and additional precautions will
have to be taken.
 Facilities
• Important facilities to be considered while
planning the zoning in the site:
i. water supply
ii. drainage connection
iii. waste disposal
lv. electricity supply
 Site Context
• The surrounding land use
• Existing buildings around the site
• The incompatible land use - may lead to creation
of issues in the design. For example, if there is a
school right next to the site, the noise
disturbance will have to be factored in while
designing.
• The height and setbacks of adjacent buildings are
important in affecting the flow of air and also
sunlight.
 Prominent Vision lines / Visual
linkages
• Views:
i. The views to the site
ii. The views from the site
• Views are important factors to be considered –
important spaces such as living room, dining
Should be facing nice views
• If views are incompatible, creations of views should be
considered – such as gardens, ponds etc
 Locally available resources
• Sustainable design – consider materials
available in and around the site that can be
used in the design
• Reducing the transportation energy & costs.
 Complex of site analysis
• 1. Dimensions – length, area, volume
• 2. Climate study
• 3. Demographic study
• 4. Historical evaluation study
• 5. Activity study
• 6. Color study
• 7. Material study
• 8. Construction details, component study
• 9. Furniture, utility and accessories study
• 10. Services study
Dimensions
Climate study
Demographic study
Historical evaluation study
Activity Study
Color study
Material study
Construction details, component
study
Furniture, utility and accessories study
Services study