PLANNING 1 – SITE PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Planning and designing of spaces outside a structure; on a piece of land

considering all the spaces that will influence the site

SITE PLANNING
- Art of arranging structures on land and shaping the spaces in between
- An art linked to architecture and engineering, landscape arch, and city
planning; that’s why it is multi-disciplinary (more than one profession
involved)
- Site plans locate objects and activities in space and time (Lynch).
- Art and science of arranging portions of land
Main goal is to delight your client/user; to make people happy
- Make them enjoy the space
- Satisfy them
Considerations:
- Biological - Moral
o What makes the body o Teachings and values
healthy; biological needs - Social
of people like sunshine, o People’s interactions
shade, air pollution - Ecological
- Psychological o Protecting the
o In terms of emotions; environment
sensorial; whatever the - Legal
people feel about the
space
IMPORTANCE OF SITE PLANNING TO ARCHITECTURE
- Consideration for the orientation
- For the positioning of buildings
- Controls appropriate plan shapes
- Dictates position of rooms, entry, exits
 - Affects architectural designs of bldg.
- Requirement for building permit
Information found in a TCT (Transfer Certificate of Title)
- Ownership of the land; owners
- Location
- Size/area of the lot
- Orientation
- Technical description (distances, angles of the boundaries/sides of the lot in
reference to a benchmark)
- Time surveyed

- Depending dun sa laki nung radius ung icoconsider mo sa site analysis

PLANNING PROCESS
As science: involves systematic, logical, functional arrangement of activities
As art: involves arranging of structures, activities considering the elements and
principles of aesthetics

Stage 1: Problem Identification

- Most fundamental and important
- All the other stages are dependent on this stage
- The site planner must
o First understand the problem or set of problems to be solved
o Be challenged to seek the larger perspective by going beyond the
obvious and looking at the larger issues of the site and the user
- Look at what the problem is all about
- Statement of goals and objectives:
o Goal
 A vague, general, profound statements geared towards what is
to be achieved at the end of the process
 Starts with a noun (provision of..)
o Objectives
 Statements geared towards the achievement of goals; doable
 Starts with a verb (to design…)
 Specific
 Measurable
 Attainable
 Realistic
 Time-bound
 Prioritize the most important
Stage 2: Research and Inventory
- Information gathered collected and documented.
- Documentation is done using:
o Two-dimensional graphics with written report
 o Three-dimensional graphics / model
- Information is further divided into two categories:
o Site inventory
o Needs inventory
- Organizing the data in this way acquaints the designer more closely with
the site and the user and often reveals both problems and opportunities
- Data properly categorized and grouped will help the site planner be familiar
with the problems and opportunities the site poses
Stage 3: Analysis
- Interpretation of data
- Search for patterns of data
- Cyclic – goes back to goals and objectives
- Know what the site potentials, limitations are
- What activities, facilities, and intended use will require
Stage 4: Synthesis and Concept Development
- Putting things together – site information and user information are put
together to produce
- Site, function, and aesthetics are resolved
- Planner must evaluate and select the best alternatives
- Evaluation (Stage 5) of each alternative is based on how well it fulfills the
criteria and goals set forth earlier in the analysis phase.
- Recycling process often stimulates new information and new ideas
Stage 6: Implementation
- Implementation may take the form of drawings, sketches, and/or models
- From a chosen idea/concept, transform the schematic plans to more
concise drawings/model
- Once the general form-giving has been resolved, and the site character and
use are determined, good to employ the model
- Think of ways on how to present it technically, presentable, and
understandable
- Presentation will be a material to advertise a project
Tools for Site Planning
1. Map
- A graphical representation or a model of a geographic setting
- Provides information about relationships
- Ex.: contour maps
o General map (many information; everything in one drawing)
o Thematic map (only one dominant information/theme)
o Analytic map (output of analysis of several maps; as a solution)
Methods of data collection
- Surveys
o On foot survey
o Wind shield survey (car)
o Aerial survey
- Lidar (light detection and ranging)
- Remote sensing-data collection and analysis using air craft or satellite
- GPS – global positioning system
- GIS – geographic information system
Important information to be considered in research and inventory phase
1. Natural
a. Geology: solid earth rocks of which it is composed, and its evolution
i. Geomorphology: branch of geology; about origin and natural
distribution of landforms
ii. Physiography: landform condition
b. Soil: aid in the type of foundation for structures
i. Soil composition – organic matter, mineral particles, water, air
ii. Mineral particles: sand and gravel provide greatest stability
(high bearing capacity); clay is more variable in stability
iii. “Soil bearing capacity” – soil resistance to penetration (soil
capacity)
iv. Classes of soil: clay, loam, sand
v. Soil suitability
c. Topography and slopes
 i. Topography: shows elevation, slope and aspect
ii. Elevation – affects drainage pattern and visibility due to its
slope
iii. Mapping – use contour map; determine the highest and lowest
elevation
iv. Slope analysis – determine the shape of ground to
accommodate specific activities
d. Climate:
i. Temperature
ii. Wind
iii. Rainfall
iv. Solar radiation
v. Potential natural hazards
vi. PAGASA – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and
Astronomical Services Administration
e. Vegetation: relevant plant materials in site planning;
i. For: climate control, visual barrier, aesthetics,
noise/pollution/glare and reflection/erosion control
f. Wildlife – habitat of flora and fauna
i. Open land wildlife
g. Hydrology: surface and sub-surface drainage patterns of water (river,
lakes, seas, etc.)
i. Requires thorough flood study
ii. Flood plains
iii. Aquifer – water-bearing strata of rocks, gravel, or sand in
which the ground water is restored
iv. Wetlands – areas inundated/saturated by surface/ground
water sufficient to support life (ex. marsh)
v. Swamp lands – covered with water / water-logged soil
2. Cultural
a. Existing land use
i. Denotes overall trends in the development
ii. May have bearing on the uses of the land
iii. Determine the future development of the site
b. Off-site nuisances
 i. Visual, auditory, or olfactory and safety hazards must be
considered (railroad tracks, automobiles, air traffic, etc.); noise
c. Linkages: movement of people, goods; addition of parkways,
pedestrians
i. Traffic – traffic patterns; mode of transportation
1. Volume of traffic
2. Origin to destination
3. Purpose
4. Time of the day
5. Volume of people
d. Utilities
i. Network serving power
ii. Water
iii. Communications
iv. Removal of waste water
e. Density and zoning
i. Density: most important; influences privacy, freedom of
movement or social contract
ii. Zoning/local regulations: promotes safety and welfare, health
1. Setbacks
2. Building heights
3. Parking adjustments
4. Building bulk/footprint
5. Max. lot coverage
6. Types of building use
7. Open space reqs.
f. Subdivision regulations: controls real estates
i. for the sites to be used for housing/subdivisions:
1. PD 957 subdivision and condominium act
2. BP 220 socialized and economic housing
3. Housing and Land use Regulatory Board
g. Demographic: population trends
h. Existing buildings: influence the physical layout and the choice of
architectural building type
i. Historic information: cultural and historical value
 3. Aesthetic factors
a. Natural
i. Spatial patterns
ii. Visual barriers
b. Vistas: natural or man-made
i. The dominant focal point, strongly emphasized/framed
ii. Picturesque spots

NATIONAL BUILDING CODE PROVISIONS RELATED TO SITE PLANNING

Refers to a document about how a building is to be designed/constructed
“4. Parking Slot, Parking Area and Loading/Unloading Space Requirements”
- All be located outside of the RROW (road right-of-way): street and sidewalk
- Average parking slot:
o Cars: 2.50m x 5.00m for perpendicular or diagonal parking; and
2.15m x 6.00m for parallel parking
o Truck/bus: 3.60m x 12.00m
o Articulated truck slot: 3.60m x 18.00m
o Jeepney/shuttle: 3.00m x 9.00m
- Parking slots shall be drawn to scale; number of which shall be indicated;
add the turning radius
- Minimum off-street/off-RROW cum on-site requirements for specific uses
occupancies for buildings/structures: file: IRR National Building Code of the
Philippines
- No entries/exits at intersection; they should be 50 meters from the
intersection
- “chaflan” – 90-degree corner on the street is trimmed to prevent accidents
at intersections
EASEMENTS
- Public land/domain; should be equally enjoyed by all members of the
community
- Ex.: beach streets
 - Esplanade (easement): 9.00m or more; sidewalk + carriageway +
promenade
o Promenade – 3.00m+ wide; linear park
- To provide dead ends:
o Cul-de-sac
o Turn court
SIDEWALKS
- Based on the road right-of-way
o Minimum width of a sidewalk:
 For a RROW width of 9.00m or more: 1.20m on each side
(2.40m on both sides)
 For a RROW width of less than 9.00m:
 May additional na 1.00m for trees/planting strips (total f 2.20
on each side)
PARKING
- An act of stopping a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied for more than a brief
of time
- Two major types of parking:
o On street parking
o Off street parking (on-site parking)
 Adjacent to the road or in a place which is not part of the road
- Factors that affect:
o Size of parking area
o Angle (parallel, diagonal/angular)
o Direction of traffic flow to site
o Type (self/attendant)
o Width of parking spaces
o Width of access drive
o Organization of circulation (vehicular and pedestrian)
o Aesthetic factors
o Drainage
o Max walking distance from parking to building
o Separation of customer parking and service areas
o Parking index – minimum number of vehicles per occupancy
Angular parking
- 60- or 45-degree angle
- Establish one way traffic system
- Gentler turn allows easier and quicker parking; less turns = narrower aisles
Perpendicular parking
- Side to side, perpendicular to an aisle/curb/wall
- More scalable than parallel
- Common in parking lots
- Needs larger space for cars to back out
Parallel parking
- Parked one behind the other
 - Requires lesser area than angular
PWD parking
- Wider dimensions
- 3.70m + 1.20m access aisle
Provide:
- Tire guards/wheel stoppers
- Landscape; sturdy trees
- Fencing – provides quick screening; less space
- Plantings as screening to soften
- Mound – grading (change of elevation)

MOVEMENT SYSTEM
Street system – within the city (around the site)
Driveway – as you enter the site
Streets
- Access is the prerequisite to using any space
- Receptacle of all utility systems
Flow types:
- People - On foot
- Goods - On rails
- Wastes - In the air
- Information - In pipes or wires
- Carried in wheeled vehicles
Channel types:
- Graded and surfaced rights-of-way for pedestrians or wheeled vehicles
- Vehicular paths are usually laid on the surface and the pipes beneath it
- Wires are placed underground or strung overhead
Critical utilities
 - Water supply is likely to be most critical
o Quantity
o Potability
o Pressure of water available
o Disposal of sanitary sewage (flow of rain into street gutters to
drainage system)
Integration and dispersion
- Circulation maybe integrated or dispersed
- There are systems in which energy, materials or information is conveyed
under “pressure”, some external applied force that is confined to the
channel
- There are channels which objects move by self-propulsion (walks, roads,
rails, airlines)
Street layouts:
- Grid patterns
o Uniform, rectangular/triangular grid
o Useful; flows are shifting and broadly distributed
o Modified to control traffic flow (one way, alternating, parallel)
- Radial pattern
o Channels spread out from a center
o Where flows have a common origin, interchange, or destination
o Gives more direct line of travel
- Linear patterns
o Road networks along contours
o May contain a single line in which all origins and destinations are
directly attached
o Have direct lines of travel
o Lacks focus and overloading
- Disorder
o To discourage through movement
o To adjust to intricate topography
- Alignment
 o Analyzed for design convenience
o Makes a major road seem to flow to the land to arrange a
harmonious joint between driveway and a slope
- Grain
o Types are mixed
- Superblocks
Relation to slope
- Parallel to the contours of a slope permits level foundation for buildings
fronting on
- Steeper slopes = harder street layout
o They flatten the land (cutting / filling)

Visual sequence
- How you see the site moving around it using the street
- Guide to their destination
Path character
- Depends on the speed with which it is traversed (highway/expressway =
faster; city street = slower more time to see or enjoy the view)
Environmental impact of circulation
- Governs noise, pollution, danger of accident, difficulty in crossing,
ecological damage, taking of valued space/structure
Lane
- Narrow way or passage
o Two lanes: an expressway or freeway with only one lane in each
direction
o Three lanes: traffic flow for two directions + extra lane for
passing/bikes/parking
o Four lanes: two traffic lanes in each direction
o Max. lanes in PH: 10-18 lanes
 Widest: Commonwealth Avenue
 o Rumble strips – road safety feature to alert inattentive drivers
Bike lanes
- Republic of the Philippines House Bill No. 174 Section 4
Parking - stopping or leaving it
Angular- gentler, quicker, more dense, 60-45
Perpendicular - scalable, larger for leaving cars
Parallel - behind
Off-street - adjacent
1 PWD slot - every 100 slots and 1 slot for 50 thereof
Poor- messy / Proper- clean
Perpendicular - standard for TWO WAY traffic, access on both sides
Angle - ONE WAY TRAFFIC
NO dead ends
Parallel - low speed low volume
Multiple points of access - ONE point of entry
TOWARDS major destination
NO people walking THRU cars
two destinations - CROSS compund walkways
return loop - INCLEMENT weather
larger compounds - free curb lanes
Entry-exit WITH SIGN AND LIGHT

RA 9003 (ecological solid waste management act of 2000) - waste management

within 200 meters
Municipal Waste - from LGUs

9275 - clean water (Philippine clean water act of 2004)

PD 856 – code on sanitation
8749 - clean air (Philippine clean air act of 1999)
6969 - hazardous, nuclear waste (toxic substances and hazardous and nuclear
wastes control act of 1990)
3571 - plants in public places
PD 1586 – environmental impact statement (eis) of 1978
7586 - protected areas (national integrated protected areas system act of 1992)
8371- IP, indig people (indigenous peoples’ rights act of 1997)