Architectural Site Analysis Architectural Design Arch Islam Alshafie

How to carry out the site analysis? Here you will find pretty much everything you need to think of when you are carrying out a site analysis for your university design project.

What to take with you? Depending on the assignment you will want to consider taking the following items with you when you go to look at a potential site, or proposed site for your design project. It is unlikely you will be sent to a site that will require PPE (personal protection equipment) without prior knowledge but it could be worth checking with your tutor that it is not required.

What to take with you? Camera – essential. Make sure you take pictures of everything. Also, make sure you get some shots of the site from a distance so you can use them. It is so frustrating when you go to the trouble of visiting a site and come back wishing you had taken more pictures. Don’t be embarrassed about taking pictures if it is in a built up area. No one cares what you are doing!

What to take with you? Note book. Really important to be able to jot down any observations. Tape measure. Some sites may be close to hazards or situations where you will need to measure the proximity.

What to take with you? Good weather! If you have a choice of when to visit the site try to pick a day when there is a bit of blue sky around. It will look better for your site photos, particularly if you are planning on using them in future presentations.

What to look out for? I would suggest you go with a list of items to look out for, and check off your list so that you don’t miss anything. My list would go something like this:

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Site location details (road names, address, major landmarks etc)

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Prevailing winds and sun. Orientation.

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Current context – existing buildings, car parking, roads.

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Access to the site – car parking, bus routes, train stations, cycle routes, pedestrian walkways.

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Accessibility – current provisions of disabled access to the site and how will this need to be considered.

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Circulation – how do visitors/pedestrians/traffic to or near the site flow around or within it.

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Building context – what style, period, state of repair are the surrounding buildings? It is a historical/heritage/conservation area? Will your design need to reflect the existing style?

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Vegetation – landscaping, greenery, shrubs and trees, open spaces.

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Views – where are the best views to and from the site. Which is the most likely feature aspect?

Views from the site

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Surfaces and materials around the site.

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Site levels - Topography. How will this affect your design process?

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Weather – how does the weather affect the site? Is it well shaded (Shadow Patterns), exposed?  Climatic Analysis

Shadows in summer are shorter than shadows in winter. The Altitude of the sun is different through out the year, for that reason the surroundings of the site cast different patterns of shadows. Which is something very important to consider before designing. Shadows in summer are shorter than shadows in winter. Shadows in the afternoon is shorter than shadows in the morning or evening.

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Site and Surroundings: Noise and pollution – is the site in a particularly noisy area? Or near industrial buildings that produce levels of pollution. Is it near a facility that creates smoke?

What to look out for? My list would go something like this: Hazards: Natural Hazards and Man made Hazards such as: Electricity lines. Drainage. Telephone lines. Sub-stations.

Things to look into when you get back to your computer History of the site – anything you can use to inform your design. If the site sits in a conservation area or close to listed buildings you may need to go into more detail regarding cultural significance, historic significance, etc.

Things to look into when you get back to your computer Climate conditions of the site/area - Sun path and angles, Temperature, Humidity.  Climatic Analysis

Things to look into when you get back to your computer Aerial photographs and maps (google, google earth and bing have really useful and quite different aerial images).

Things to look into when you get back to your computer Solid and Void.

SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats 1 2 … etc. What are the strong features of my site? What are the Weak features of my site? What opportunities does my site provide? What's threats does my site encounter now or in the future?

Site, Contexts and Topography Model The Site Model is very Important for your site analysis as it shows a real perspective of what's going on in and around your site. Its should be to scale for those purposes and It should include: The Site. The Surrounding sites and buildings. The Surrounding streets, water areas, pedestrian routs like bridges. The Vegetation in and around the site. The topography.

There are probably loads more things to look at, and each site is very different, but hopefully this will give you a starting point for getting the best out of your site analysis.