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Sustainable Site Planning

This document summarizes key aspects of sustainable site planning. It discusses selecting sites that avoid flood plains and provide buffers around bodies of water. When siting buildings, it recommends elongating plans on an east-west axis and orienting windows north and south to maximize daylighting. It also stresses limiting impervious surfaces and grading to minimize environmental impacts. Stormwater management techniques discussed include bioretention areas, wetlands, grass swales, and green roofs. The benefits of sustainable site planning are said to include supporting ecology and nature, promoting economic viability, and encouraging equity and community well-being.

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HONEY JANE ACUZAR
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61 views14 pages

Sustainable Site Planning

This document summarizes key aspects of sustainable site planning. It discusses selecting sites that avoid flood plains and provide buffers around bodies of water. When siting buildings, it recommends elongating plans on an east-west axis and orienting windows north and south to maximize daylighting. It also stresses limiting impervious surfaces and grading to minimize environmental impacts. Stormwater management techniques discussed include bioretention areas, wetlands, grass swales, and green roofs. The benefits of sustainable site planning are said to include supporting ecology and nature, promoting economic viability, and encouraging equity and community well-being.

Uploaded by

HONEY JANE ACUZAR
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SUSTAINABLE SITE

PLANNING
Lecture 11
▣ What is sustainable site planning?
“A site plan that has least environmental impact
while still meeting the client’s project goal”.
Green design is only sustainable if it makes
Sense financially as well. . Just like any other design,
sustainable design must fit within the typical project
parameters and must also consider the environmental
impacts.
Site Selection
▣ Site selection can significantly effect the environmental
impact of a project. Some specific parameters to
consider when selecting a site include the following
▣ Avoid flood plains. Continued development in natural
flood plain areas has contributed to increased flooding,
decreased flooding, and increased soil loss.
▣ Provide buffers for bodies of water. Development
around bodies of water such as streams and wetlands
should be limited and include buffers of undisturbed
areas of 50' – 100' or more.
▣ Avoid greenfields. Greyfields and brownfields are
often less expensive to develop, place less stress
on infrastructure, and limit the environmental
impact of developing previously undeveloped sites.
▣ Keep transportation in mind. The transportation
of people and goods to a site can have significant
effects. Try to select sites accessible by public and
non-motorized transportation.
Site/Building Layout
Consider the following when siting and orienting
buildings.
▣ Elongate the plan on the east/west axis.

▣ Maximize north and south exposures


for daylighting.
▣ Minimize east- and west-facing windows.

▣ Orient the most populated areas to the north and


south.
Impervious Surface
▣ Impervious surfaces limit groundwater
recharge, increase pollutant loads and runoff,
and create a heat island effect. It is important to
limit the impervious areas on site to a
minimum. Doing so often improves the
aesthetic appeal of a site, reduces the
environmental impact, and saves money..
Some ways to reduce site imperviousness
▣ Minimize parking areas by adhering to the
minimum zoning code or less, incorporating
compact car spaces when possible, and reducing
lane sizes.
▣ Provide plantings in and around parking areas.

▣ Implement green roofs.

▣ Implement pervious paving options such as pervious


pavement/asphalt, pervious concrete, permeable
pavers, and "grass pave" systems
Grading Considerations
▣ Site grading destroys the natural ecosystem present
within the soil
▣ The ecosystem breaks down pollutants, provides
nutrients for biota, supports insect and animal life,
and has numerous other benefits.
▣ It takes many years for the soil to recover from mass
grading; in some cases it never does.
▣ Soil erosion, which can be a temporary or
permanent effect of grading, pollutes waterways and
washes valuable soil off-site.
Limit grading operations on the distances:
▣ Less than 10' beyond surface walkways, patios,
surface parking, and utilities.
▣ Less than 40' beyond the building perimeter.
▣ Less than 15' beyond primary roadway curbs.
▣ Less than 25' beyond constructed areas with
permeable surfaces (such as pervious paving,
stormwater detention areas, and playing fields).
Stormwater Management
▣ Raingardens/Bioretention: 6" – 12" deep, 8% – 10% of the
site area, less than 1/2 acre drainage area, up to 2 acres
possible, landscape islands, and 4' – 10' between parking
rows and 8' – 10' for double-loaded rows.
▣ Wetlands: 6" – 12" deep, large drainage areas (often less
than 25 acres), minimum of 6” – 18” permanent pool depth,
excellent water quality control and wildlife habitats.
▣ Grass Swales/Infiltration Trenches: up to 5 acres of
drainage areas, 1% – 4% slopes, low-maintenance and
improved stormwater quality.
▣ Green Roofs: well suited for urban and ultra urban
areas, intensive and extensive types, less than a 20% roof
slope, improved stormwater quality and interception
Landscape Design
▣ Landscape design can have many benefits beyond
aesthetics.
▣ On the other hand, improper landscape design can
have significant negative effects such as excessive
use of potable water for landscaping and erosion.
List of items to consider during the site planning
phase and throughout the design process.
▣ Limit potable water use to native species, place landscape
areas to receive runoff, and use captured rainwater.
▣ Shade large hardscapes.
▣ Shade buildings in summer and allow sunlight in during
winter.
▣ Place and design landscape areas to filter and clean
stormwater.
▣ Site raingardens in parking areas.
▣ Dig bioretention, rather than retention, ponds.
The benefits of sustainable site planning
▣ Ecology:Sustainable planning and design must recognize the
intrinsic value of nature and encourage the identification and
preservation of high-quality habitats that can reconnect
people and nature, as well as the preservation and restoration
of natural processes.
▣ Economy:Sustainable planning and design must recognize
the need to eliminate waste, the evaluation of the full life
cycle of materials, and the financial viability of a project.
▣ Equity:Sustainable planning and design must recognize the
impact of design decisions on human well-being, the
responsibility to create relevant designs, and to provide for all
communities. This, in turn, encourages the protection of
public health, safety, and welfare, as well as promoting
greenspace conservation.
End of Lecture

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