Ecological Considerations in Site Planning
Ecological Considerations in Site Planning
Ecological Considerations in Site Planning
RSW NO.1
TITLE: “ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN SITE
PLANNING”
Submitted by:
Submitted to:
Beyond the surface of site planning, certain things like ecological considerations
take a huge part in the whole process of site planning. Paying a close attention
to the site's geography, climate, and orientation will help us plan accurately.
Geology helps us to determine the good in a site and regards the sustainability
and versatility of the site. Soil composition is also considered for us to know the
land use and what development to plan. Not just the behavior of the soil but also
the water should be considered. Below the ground along with the soil, the water
might also affect the site since it is also a part of nature. Drainage systems require
thorough study of the site's hydrology. Of course, talking about ecology,
vegetation is also relevant since it plays a huge role in the site.
Climatic control, air filtration, and aesthetic uses are those what we can use of
the plants. Knowing the right types of plants to plant on the site is also important
so it will be able to aid the downsides of the local climate or the microclimate.
Orientation of the building should also be considered since it will affect the
functionality of the building. The interior plan and the workflow inside depends
on it. A careful and thorough planning needs to consider all of these to be able
to provide a useful and eco-friendly development.
INTRODUCTION
GROUND FORM
A geologic cross section of the Grand Canyon. Black numbers correspond to groups
of formations and white numbers correspond to formations
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PATTERENED GROUND
CIRCLE POLYGON
SOIL
Soil is the mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and the
myriad of organisms that together support plant life.
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PLANNING 01: ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION IN SITE PLANNING
SOIL
TYPES
SUBSURFACE INVESTIGATION
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GRADING
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SOIL STABILIZATION
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PLANNING 01: ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION IN SITE PLANNING
GEOLOGY
Geology is an earth science comprising the study of solid earth, the rocks
of which itis composed, and the processes by which they change.
Geology can also refer generally to the study of the solid features of any
celestial body such as the geology of the Moon or Mars.
Geology gives insight into the history of the earth by providing the
primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and
past climates.
Cross-cutting relations can be used to determine the relative ages of rock strata and other
geological structures.
Explanations:
GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS
ROCKS
•
IGNEOUS
When a rock crystallizes from melt 8magma and0or lava: it is an igneous
rock. This rock can be weathered and eroded, and then redeposited and
lithified into a sedimentary rock, or be turned into a metamorphic rock due to
heat and pressure that change the mineral content.
•
SEDIMENTARY
The sedimentary rock can then be subsequently turned into a metamorphic
rock due to heat and pressure and is then weathered, eroded, deposited, and
lithified, ultimately becoming a sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock may also be
re-eroded and redeposited, and metamorphic rock may also undergo additional
metamorphism.
•
METAMORPHIC
The rock cycle is an important concept in geology which illustrates the
relationships between these three types of rock, and magma.
All three types of rocks may be re-melted= when this happens, a new
magma is formed, from which an igneous rock may once again
crystallize.
The maJority of research in geology is associated with the study of rock, as rock
provides the primary record of the maJority of the geologic history of the Earth.
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PLANNING 01: ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION IN SITE PLANNING
METHODS OF GEOLOGY
In many cases, geologists also study modern soils, rivers, landscapes, and
glaciers; investigate past and current life and biogeochemical pathways, and
use geophysical methods to investigate the subsurface.
WATER RESOURCES
WATER
Water is a combination of two elementary substances hydrogen and o5ygen.
It appears in its natural state as liquid—830 times heavier than air, solid--
ice, gas—vapor or steam 133 times lighter than air
The weight of water in liquid form 3.778kg.per$./ gallon and 3.778kg.per
cubic meter.
RAINWATER OR RAINFALL
ADVANTAGE: Obtain from roofs and watershed, It is soft pure and good on
places where there is an abundant rainfall.
DISADVANTAGE: Hard to store for a long time as it will be a breeding place for
mosquitoes, requires big containers for storing big quantities for long uses,
roofs may not be clean, bad for places that receives a little amount of rainfall.
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PLANNING 01: ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION IN SITE PLANNING
SURFACE WATER - a mixture of surface run- off and ground water includes rivers,
pond and reservoir.
WELL- are holes in the earth from which a fluid may be withdraw using manual
or mechanical means such as draw bucket, pump, etc.
TYPES OF WELL
Dug wells can be constructed by hand tools/ power tool. It can have the
greatest diameter that a space may allow.
Driven wells the simplest and usually the least expensive. A steel drive-
well point is fitted on one end of the pipe section and driven into the
earth.
Bored wells dug with earth augers usually less than 30m deep. These are
done when the earth to be bored is boulder free and will not cave in. the
well is lined with metal, vitrified tile or concrete.
Drilled well require more elaborate equipment and accompanied by the
lowering of a casing.
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PLANNING 01: ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION IN SITE PLANNING
PROPERTIES OF WATER
HEAT CAPACITY- Has the ability to absorb heat without becoming much warmer
itself.
WATER RESOURCES
Under river
Food and water are two basic human needs. however, global coverage from
2002 indicate that, of every 10 people:
Roughly 5 have a connection to a piped water supply at home
make use of some other sort of improved water supply, such as a
protected well or public standpipe;
2 are unserved;
in addition, 4 out of every 10 people live without improved sanitation.
At Earth summit 2002 governments approved a plan of Action to;
Halve by KDEL the proportion of people unable to reach or afford safe
drinking water. The global water supply and sanitation Assessment 2000
report (GWSSAR) defines “reasonable access” to water as at least 20 liters
per person per day from a source within one kilometer of the user’s
home.
Halve the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation. The
GWSSAR defines “basic sanitation” as private or shared but not public
disposal systems that separate waste from human contact.
MICROCLIMATE
Upland regions upland areas have a specific type of climate that is notably
different from the surrounding lower levels. Temperature usually falls with height
at a rate of between 5 and 10 ‘C per 1,000 meters, depending on the humidity
of the air.
Coastal regions The coastal climate is influenced by both the land and sea
between which the coast forms a boundary. The thermal properties of water are
such that the sea maintains a relatively constant day today temperature
compared with the land. The sea also takes a long time to heat up during the
summer months and, conversely, a long time to cool down during the winter.
Coastal microclimates display different characteristics depending on where they
occur on the earth’s surface.
•
In the tropics
Sea temperatures change little and the coastal climate depends on the effects caused
by the daytime heating and night-time cooling of the land. This involves
the development of a breeze from off the sea (sea breeze) from late morning and from
of the land (land breeze) during the night. The tropical climate is dominated by
convective showers and thunderstorms that continue to form over the sea but only
develop over land during the day. As a consequence, showers are less likely to fall on
coasts than either the sea or the land.
Forest Tropical rainforests cover only about JH of earth’s land surface, but it
is believed they have a significant effect on the transfer of water vapor to
the atmosphere. This is due to a process known as evapotranspiration from the
leaves of the forest trees.
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PLANNING 01: ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION IN SITE PLANNING
Urban winds Tall buildings can significantly disturb air flows over urban areas,
and even a building 100 meters or so high can deflect and slow down the faster
upper-atmosphere winds. The net result is that urban areas, in general, are less
windy than surrounding rural areas. However, the ‘office quarter’ of larger
conurbations can be windier, with quite marked gusts. This is the result of the
increased surface roughness that the urban skyline creates, leading to strong
vortices and eddies. 3n some cases, these faster, turbulent winds are funnelled
in between buildings, producing a venturi effect, swirling up litter and making
walking along the pavements quite difficult.
Key Points:
>Consider building form to protect external spaces including courtyard
configurations.
>Tall buildings can benefit from an aerodynamic form including simple
measures such as smoothed of corners. Facades that are modelled reduce the
impact of downwash vortex effect.
>Planted windbreaks are most effective in reducing e5posure to andaround
buildings.
>Avoid katabatic (downhill) winds carrying high density air down a slope.
>Avoid placing a building either in frost pockets or alternatively one exposed
hilltop locations. Use topography to shelter a building.
>Avoid placing a building either in frost pockets or alternatively one exposed
hilltop locations. Use topography to shelter a building.
>Use techniques such as planted facades and earth berming to protect
buildings form wind exposure
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DESIGN PROCEDURE:
ORIENTATION
Design for orientation is a fundamental step to ensure that buildings work
with the passage of the sun across the sky. Knowledge of sun paths for any site
is fundamental in design building facades to let in light and passive solar
gain, as well as reducing glare and overheating to the building interior. It is
important to remember that the position of the sun in the sky is dynamic, changing
according to time of day, time of year and the site’s latitude.
On this page:
Orientation for passive heating and cooling
Choosing a site
Building location
Layout
Overcoming obstacles
Orientation, layout and location on site will all influence the amount of sun a
building receives and therefore its year-round temperatures and comfort. Other
considerations include access to views and cooling breezes.
NOISE
DAYLIGHTING
PROTECTION FROM PREVAILING WINDS
ACCESS TO BREEZES FOR VENTILATION
SHADE TO PREVENT SUMMER OVERHEATING AND GLARE
VIEWS
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PRIVACY
ACCESS
INDOOR/OUTDOOR FLOW
OWNER’S PREFERENCES
COVENANTS AND PLANNING RESTRICTIONS.
CHOOSING A SITE
If a site is not suitable for passive design, some elements of the passive
design ethos may not working favour of efficiency and comfort.
The most important factor is the amount of sun the site receives, as a site
that receives little or no sunlight cannot be used for passive solar design.
A flat site will generally have good sunlight access anywhere, but a south-
facing slope or a site adjacent to a tall building or substantial planting on
the northern side, will not receive good solar access.
A site with north-south alignment is likely to receive midday sun and with
minimal overshadowing, but may have limited morning or evening sun. A
site with east-west alignment is more likely to be over shadowed to the
north.
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BUILDING LOCATION
LAYOUT
Rooms and outdoor spaces should be located to maximize comfort during use.
In general, this means living areas and outdoor spaces facing north, and
service areas such as garages, laundries and bathrooms to the south.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
It is often not possible to obtain the ideal building orientation on a
site particularly in urban areas: and compromise will be necessary for example,
where the view is to the south, the site has a south-facing slope, there is a
source of noise on the north side, or the view and sun face into strong prevailing
winds.
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PLANNING 01: ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION IN SITE PLANNING
KEYPOINTS:
In the past the passage of the sun across the sky was plotted with pre printed sun path
diagrams for specific latitudes. Thankfully CAD packages can do this for
you. Specifically google ketchup is effective in setting up a model in any global
location and then able to simulate a sun path across a building.
Housing in temperate regions can benefit from admitting the sun into the building
interior. openings should be primarily orientated southwards, consider the use
of conservatories and buffer spaces. Kitchens are better facing east, living
rooms to the south and west. Bedrooms are often better to the north to avoid
light disturbance.
Office buildings typically are about the reduction of excessive solar gain and
glare. This is because of a greater preponderance of glazed facades and
also higher internal gains from people, computers etc. Use glazing due south
sparingly and incorporate shading devices.
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PLANNING 01: ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATION IN SITE PLANNING
DESIGN PROCEDURE
Step 1
There is no single design procedure to design for orientation. However, you
need to model your proposal in a package such as google SketchUp.
Step 2
Ensure the building is properly placed on its site in relation to north and the
location either geographically or in terms of latitude or longitude is entered.
Step 3
Use a sun or shadow tool to model the building at seasonal extremities.
Step 4
Be conservative in the use of glazing to heavily exposed sides.
Step 5
Model the use of solar shading devices.
Step 6
You can quantify solar gain coming through glazing over a year using in a
domestic context, really simple SAP tools. Other packages such as Autodesk
ecotect and IES VE-ware can model solar gain and possible overheating of a
building model.
Step 7
Remember orientation is about protection and mitigation of sunlight in
buildings as well as accommodating solar gain.
REFERENCES:
NOWEL T. ABUAN