Land Planning
Site Selection. Often a client has a development
program in mind and is looking for the best site for it. It may be necessary
to survey the region, town, or neighborhood for available sites and, when
potential sites are identified, to evaluate them in terms of the requirements
of the development program. The objective of such an analysis is to identify
the best site based on the physical, cultural, and regulatory characteristics
of the site and its surroundings, as well as the site's adaptability and compatibility
with the proposed program.
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Site Analysis. Site analysis is a vital
first step in the design process. It consists of evaluating an existing or
potential site as it relates to the program, the budget, and the schedule
for the project.
The analysis affects project budgeting and financial feasibility by identifying
opportunities and constraints that have a direct effect on the cost of construction.
It also affects project scheduling by identifying the appropriate review agencies
and submittal requirements and uncovering site-specific factors that can affect
the construction schedule.
Understanding of the site developed through a site analysis provides direction
for design. This understanding can serve as a basis for site selection and
program development as well as a guide for logical and sensitive use of the
land. Site analysis services may be performed by an interdisciplinary team
or by an individual capable of directing the work of others. Architects, as
well as landscape architects, planners, engineers, archaeologists, historians,
lawyers, and environmental scientists, are frequently called upon to perform
these services.
Site analysis requires a program and a site. Program and site are analyzed
and evaluated against each other; their integration validates both-are the
site and the program "right for each other"?-and initiates the site
design process.
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Planning and Zoning Assistance. Because
land use, development, and design regulations have grown, building projects
may require extensive preparation, presentation, and even negotiation with
local regulatory bodies. As a result, many owners and developers are engaging
architects to provide site analysis services and then to assist with planning
and zoning processing by preparing the design submissions, presenting them
at public hearings, and joining in negotiations with local authorities. Increasingly,
local authorities are engaging design consultants of their own (sometimes
at the owner's expense) to review project proposals.
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Site Utilization Study. In this type
of site analysis, the owner has both a defined program and a selected site.
The objective is to maximize the potential of the site for its intended use
by developing a thorough understanding of the opportunities and limitations
offered by the site.
The information provided herein are excerpts from "The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice"; Twelfth Edition.