Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide

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This is our updated (Oct 2018), revised site analysis guide for
architecture. You can download this as a handy pdf by clicking the link

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

below.

Click here
Click here to download!
to download!

Why do you carry out an architectural site

analysis?
Prior to starting any design, your client will want to know whether
construction on the site is viable. Carrying out an extensive site
analysis [or context analysis] will assess wether development is
financially feasible, and establish parameters to implement the best
design that responds to the physical and environmental features of the
site.

A contextual analysis is a research activity that looks at the existing

conditions of a project site, along with any imminent or potential future
conditions. The purpose is to inform us about a site prior to the start of
our design process so that our initial design thinking about a site can
incorporate considered responses to the external conditions.

An architectural site analysis will look at issues such as site location,

size, topography, zoning, traffic conditions and climate. The analysis
also needs to consider any future developments, or changes to the
sites surroundings, such as a change of roads designations, changing
cultural patterns, or other significant building developments within the
area.

Understanding the context of a site is key to enabling the designer to

weave the new design in with the existing fabric of the site. It allows us
to understand the existing opportunities, or problems in a site, and
make informed decisions on how to respond to our findings. This

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

response could be that the designed building reflects the surrounding

context and is designed to be in sympathy, or perhaps to turn away or
eliminate certain unwanted site conditions.

Making sure the analysis is thorough

It is important when carrying out a site analysis, that we endeavour to
research as much as possible and collect all available data that relates
to the site and our design. A poorly executed site analysis can lead to
a sub standard design due to the designer not having all available
information to respond to and develop solutions for. You can never
know too much about the site.

To help with collecting information, I have made a checklist that is a

starting point for analysing the site and gathering data. The checklist is
not exhaustive, which means you can add to the checklist every time
you come across new issue or factor relating to a site.

What kind of information are we collecting?

Our analysis data can be split into two main categories. Hard data and

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

soft data.

Soft data looks at site conditions that can be changed. Hard data looks
at more concrete elements such as site boundaries, site areas, utility
locations, contours, dimensions, site features, climate, legal
information. Early site investigations should look at hard data. From
this, we are able to establish which elements we consider to have a
negative impact on the site or proposed design and which conditions
have a more positive influence. This allows us to create a hierarchy
and gives a more systematic approach to understanding our data and
developing the design.

The general categories of data we will be looking at as we carry out our

architectural site analysis are:

Location – where the site is situated

Neighbourhood context – the immediate surrounding of the site
including data on zoning and buildings and other impacts on our
project.
Zoning and size – dimensional considerations such as boundaries,
easements, height restrictions, site area, access along with any
further plans.
Legal information – ownership, restrictions or covenants, council
related information, future urban development plans.
Natural physical features – actual features of the site such as trees,
rocks, topography, rivers, ponds, drainage patterns.
Man made features – existing buildings, walls, surrounding
vernacular, setbacks, materials, landscaping, scale.
Circulation – Vehicle and pedestrian movements in, through and
around the site. Consider the timing of these movements, and
duration of heavier patterns. Future traffic and road developments
should also be considered.
Utilities – Any electricity, gas, water, sewer and telephone services
that are situated in or near the site, along with distances, depths and

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

materials.
Climate – all climatic information such as rainfall, snowfall, wind
directions, temperatures, sun path, all considered during the
different times of the year.
Sensory – this addresses the visual, audible and tactile aspects of
the site, such as views, noise, and so on. These again should be
considered in time frames and a positive or negative factor can be
attributed to the condition.
Human and cultural – the cultural, psychological, behavioural and
sociological aspects of the surrounding neighbourhood. Activities
and patterns, density, population ethnic patterns, employment,
income, values and so on.

Desktop Study

Before you visit the site, there is a lot of information you can gain from
a desktop study. By carrying out thorough research prior to your visit

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

to site, you will arrive well informed, and possibly have identified
specific things that you want to check or look out for on your site visit.

Prior to your site visit it may be necessary to obtain an OS map of the

site. From this, and from client information you can clarify the location
of site boundaries.

Things to look into before you go to site:

Location:
Geological maps to discover predominant type of soil or rock on the
site.
Aerial photographs and maps (google and bing have really useful
and quite different aerial
images). Historical maps can also be interesting.
Distances and travel times between the site and other locations of
importance

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

Legal Information:
Rights of way, rights of access, Town and Country Planning
restrictions, is the site in a green belt?
History of the site – anything you can use to inform your design. Any
tunnels, disused mines, archaeological interests under the site could
curtail development.
Historical use of the site – could industrial processes have
contaminated the land?
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.
Developmental controls – is the site subject to any specific planning
controls, building control or health and safety?

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

Are there any trees on the site? Do they have Tree Preservation
Orders on them?

Utilities:
Determine whether water, electricity, gas, telephone, sewerage and
other services are connected to the land.

Climate:
Climate conditions of the site/area.
Sun path and angles.
Is the area susceptible to flooding, is it considered a flood risk area?

Some information is not freely available, but a client or their legal

representative should be able to clarify any issues regarding rights of
way, rights of light, legal easements and any rights of tenants.

There are many 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 visit. In the next section we will look at visiting the site, and
some of the items on the checklist according to the categories that you
should look out for.

Visiting The Site

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

What to take with you

Depending on the project 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 likely you will require PPE (personal
protection equipment) so make sure you have all the necessary items
before heading to site.

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 these in your final images, cgi’s and so on. Also take
pictures of what is opposite the site, so you can use these as
reflections in windows of your design. It is so frustrating when you
go to the trouble of visiting a site and come back wishing you had
taken more pictures.
Smart phone. If you have any apps that assist with taking panoramic
pictures, take a few of these too. You can do some interesting
stuff when you get to later design stages if you have a few
panoramics to play with.

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

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. If you have one, a
disto, or laser measure could also come in handy, but not essential.
I use this disto.
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 based on the categories we established earlier:
Site and surroundings

Location
Site location details (road names, address, major landmarks etc)
Current context – existing buildings, car parking, roads.

Neighbourhood context
Look at existing and proposed building uses in the neighbourhood
What condition are the buildings in?
Are there exterior spaces and what are they used for?
Are there activities in the neighbourhood that may create strong
vehicle or pedestrian traffic?
Existing vehicle movement patterns, major and minor roads, bus
routes and stops.
Street lighting
Vernacular context, materials, architectural features, fenestration,
landscaping, parking, building heights
Any nearby historical buildings, or buildings of particular significance
Sun and shade patterns during the year
Building context – what style, period, state of repair are the

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

surrounding buildings? It is a historical/heritage/conservation area?

Will your design need to reflect the existing style?
Is the site close to listed buildings?
Surfaces and materials around the site.

Site and Zoning

Site boundary and dimensions
Any rights of way through the site and the dimensions
Any easements location and dimensions
Buildable area of the site
Any building height restrictions
Access to the site – car parking, bus routes, train stations, cycle
routes, pedestrian walkways.
Access to site for construction – will there be any obstacles or
restrictions that could affect the construction process?

Natural Features
Topography of the site, valleys, ridges, slopes etc.
Vegetation – landscaping, greenery, shrubs and trees, open spaces.
Site levels. How will this affect your design process? How does the
site drainage work, would there be any potential problems with
drainage?
Soil types on site

Man made features

What was the previous use of the site? Would there be any
contamination concerns?
Are there existing buildings on the site – what is their state of repair?
Is there any sign of subsidence or settlement damage?
Are the existing buildings part of the project?
Any walls, retaining walls on the site, or other built items

Circulation
Circulation – how do visitors/pedestrians/traffic to or near the site
flow around or within it.
Accessibility – current provisions of disabled access to the site and
how will this need to be considered.

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

Does the existing pedestrian movement need to be preserved?

What is the vehicle peak loads and when?
Public transport close to the site
Locations of best access to site for both vehicles and pedestrians
Travel time to walk across the site

Utilities
Location of all services: electricity, gas, water, sewer, telephone.
This includes both underground and above ground.
Location of power poles.
Drainage
Sub-stations

Sensory
Views – where are the best views to and from the site.
What are the views of?
Mark out the positive and negative views.
Which is the most likely feature aspect?
Look at views towards the site from different approaches to see how
the site would be seen when drawing near to the site. What are the
best views of the site, and would these change in the long term?
Noise, odour 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?

Human and Cultural

Negative neighbourhood issues such as vandalism and crime.
What are the attitudes towards the site and the potential build?
What are the general neighbourhood attitudes about the area?
What is the cultural, psychological, behavioural and sociological
aspects of the surrounding area.
What is the population, density, family size, ethnic patterns,
employment, recreation activities etc.

Climate
Orientation of the site.
Weather – how does the weather affect the site? Is it well shaded,

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

exposed?
How does the temperature, rainfall etc vary throughout the year?
What are the prevailing wind directions throughout the year?
What is the sun path throughout the different times of the year, and
day.

Take some time to walk around the site as much as possible. Take
note of the general topography of the site, and any significant changes
in level. Also note any indications of what is underneath the surface,
for example, any marsh grasses could suggest that there is a high
water table, if the soil is sticky it could indicate the subsoil on the site
is clay. If there is any rubble on the site, it could suggest there has
been previous development, or possibly landfill on the land.

Many of these site issues (particularly services) would be picked up on

a topographical survey or other professional report, but for the benefit
of a student site analysis assignment I think it would be good
to demonstrate that you have considered the hazards that could be on
or around the site.

Diagramming your findings

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

The best way to present much of the data you have collected is
through diagrams. There are varying approaches to expressing the
features of the site, some prefer to include as much information as
possible on one diagram, while others will produce a number of
smaller diagrams to demonstrate particular site conditions or features.

Both options work, but if you decide to present all the data on one
drawing, it is important to make sure it doesn’t become muddled and
difficult to interpret the information. So a single diagram demonstrating
many of the site conditions will be a larger drawing than numerous
individual diagrams demonstrating one site factor. It is also important

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

that the hierarchy of the drawing is clear – using your pen thicknesses
to demonstrate the different aspects.

You can represent data from your site visit in plans, elevations and
sections, isometrics or perspectives. Be sure to choose the best option
for the date you are trying to explain. We want to make sure the
diagram is simple, and clear, with the data we are presenting
graphically bolder than the referent information. You want the
emphasis to be on the information you are communicating, for
example a path through the site, or the position of trees on the site. If
you choose to create a series of drawings, ensure that the site
drawing is always the same orientation, and preferably scale, so that
the reader can easily understand the drawings.

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

Evaluating Your Site Visit

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

So you have collected all this information and taken a shed load of
photos, now you’ve got to evaluate this information and consider the
implications to your design process. As well as considering all the
points below you also have to integrate the requirements of the brief.
You are slowly putting together the pieces of the puzzle in order to
come up with a great design.

Your diagrams and data collection will be starting to build a picture of

the site, helping you to evaluate what you have found and begin to
consider solutions.

When looking at your site and considering your design think about the
following:

The Site

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

Street patterns
Street section
Scale and the hierarchy/form/space
Land use
Typologies
Neighbourhood relationships, formal street variation
Perspective relationships, views
Edge conditions, surfaces and materials
Natural and man made
Movement and circulation within and around the site
Vehicle vs. pedestrian
Access
Public space vs. private space
Open space
History
Climate – sun angles and sun shadows
Negative and positive spaces – we move through negative spaces
and dwell in positive spaces

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

The Building

Think about how your proposal is going to link in with the site, and how
the site will connect with the building. Make a few notes about each of
the points below about what you are looking to achieve.
Massing
Structure
Circulation
Axis
Symmetry
Scale and proportion
Balance
Regulating lines
Light quality
Rhythm and repetition
Views
Geometry
Hierarchy

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

Enclosure
Space/void relationship

During your evaluation of the site, it may be useful to create a model of

a particular aspect, or even the site itself. A model may demonstrate
something better than a drawing or photograph, particularly three
dimensional situations. Land contours, are often demonstrated using a
simple site model. This base model could then be used as part of your
concept development.

Presenting your Site Analysis

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

It may not be a requirement to present your site analysis information,

but in many cases it is. Whether you are putting together a couple of
plans with your findings, or a full report, here are some tips and ideas
to help you get the information across.
Give an overview of the site and the information you have found.

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

Show some of the key photographs of the site.

Give more detail about the elements of your site analysis that you
feel will be important in your design process.
Make sure you include images. There are various ways you can do
this:
Sketches from site
Photographs from site
Annotated photographs
Present any relevant data found (climate, sun paths etc). Keep data
clear and concise, don’t bore everyone with complicated graphs and
tables. Instead, make your own chart or table that picks out the
important information.
Present your sun paths and angles as some sort of annotated
drawing. Sketchup can be a useful way of presenting sun path
drawings.
Depending on what has been asked of you, sometimes it is useful to
present a couple of overlay drawings showing some initial ideas you
have worked on. This will demonstrate your understanding of the
site.

The most important thing when presenting your site analysis is to

ensure that the information is clear, and the reader can understand
what you have found. In my opinion there is no point labouring away
on fancy graphics if the information is not clear and difficult to digest. I
have a Pinterest board dedicated to site analysis graphics and ideas,
feel free to check it out for some inspiration.
Pinterest Site Analysis

I have also come across a great tutorial from Alex over at Visualising
Architecture, which explains his process to create some really cool
site analysis visuals. Check it out here.
If you would like to learn more about carrying out an Architectural Site
Analysis, I would highly recommend you check out “Site Analysis:

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

Diagramming Information for Architectural Design”. It is an

excellent reference book, packed full of information and diagrams to
guide and inspire you!
Don’t forget you can download this as a handy pdf by clicking the link
below, in return for signing up to my newsletter (you can unsubscribe
at any time).

Click here
Click here to download!
to download!

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

11 Comments
PRACHI on February 25, 2018 at 6:17 am Reply
EXCELLENT

mohamad on April 18, 2018 at 12:36 pm Reply

thank you … it is a good job

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

rani on June 4, 2018 at 8:12 am Reply

is there any tips how to study this architecture?

Sharayu on July 11, 2018 at 9:34 am Reply

Thank you…

Sindhu on August 8, 2018 at 8:40 am Reply

how to subscribe to urs?

samuel on October 31, 2018 at 3:51 pm Reply

interesting

Soknarath Hun on November 30, 2018 at 10:15 am Reply

Thank you for your sharing knowledge to other
architects.

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

Amarnath on March 10, 2019 at 10:09 am Reply

superb

elgior on March 17, 2019 at 10:22 pm Reply

thanks

Mark on April 9, 2019 at 3:16 am Reply

Nice!! is there any place to get this information
on the Internet?

James on April 14, 2019 at 12:31 am Reply

Try here mark.

https://easysiteanalysis.com

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Architecture Site Analysis Guide - Data Collection to Presentation

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