Site Design

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Site Design

• RPTS 402 Park Planning Design

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Planning vs. Design

• Planning
• the umbrella process that results in plans
  conveying a scheme of how to get from here to
  there.
• Documents like master plan, comprehensive plan,
  resort plan.
• Design or site plan
• Deals more specifically with the arrangement of
  parts to create a meaningful, functioned,
  aesthetic, and thus, sustainable places.

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Site design process

• The basic component of design is the THINKING
  PROCESS - the critical thought process used in
  understanding and solving a given problem.
  Design is essentially a process of relating all
  of the operating factors into a comprehensive
  whole and then arriving at a creative solution.
• Hideo Sasaki

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Site design components

• Inventory - to understand all of the factors to
  be considered
• Analysis - to understand user - site
  relationships
• Synthesis - to articulate complex relationships
  into a comprehensive organization.

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1. Inventory (continued)

• Understanding the Place
• Regional Context
• Site Location and Access
• Surrounding Land Uses
• History of Town Site
• Community Character
• Design Elements
• Walking Distances
• Street Character / Sections
• Understanding the Legal Framework
• Zoning and Subdivision Regulations
• New Urbanism - Preserving Town Character
• Case studies of successful neighborhood park
  developments

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1. Inventory (continued)

• Understanding the Site (natural landscape)
• Topography
• Elevation (range, above sea level, on site)
• Ridges valleys (watershed features)
• Views (how to topo influences creates view out
  of, and in to site)
• Microclimate (e.g. prevailing wind-strength and
  direction)
• Sun
• Soils
• Vegetation
• Species on-site, special features (native?)
• Wetlands and Water bodies
• Surface drainage, ground water, flood plain
• Wildlife

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Topography
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Microclimate (prevailing wind)
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Sun Light
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1. Inventory (continued)

• Understanding the Site (human-made built
  environment)
• Existing on-site structure
• Transportation patterns
• Existing traffic, access point, trail/path
• Potential historical or cultural site
• Surrounding landuses (e.g. attractive or
  annoying)
• Utilities
• Sewer and water, Electricity, telephone
• Public service/places
• Schools
• Parks or other public open spaces
• Emergency service
• Shopping area restaurant
• Regulation/zoning

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2. Analysis

• A Guide for the designer to accomplish his/her
  task
• Based upon a basic program concept
• The designer responds to the clients initial
  statement of intent
• Explicit enough to provide direction,
• Flexible enough to allow new ideas and directions
  to emerge as the design evolves
• Begin developing concepts
• Making bubble diagrams
• Making sketches of the image
• Drawing sections of the site
• Exploring ideas at various scales 1"100
  1"400'

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2. Analysis (continued)

• Goals Objectives
• Goal is to set a general framework for the
  project
• encompass the expected result or outcome of the
  project Or Vision
• (e.g.) The design will satisfy the clients' and
  users' needs, local town requirements, and fit
  within the city context.
• Objectives are site specific statements
• form the approach for the project and contribute
  directly to achieving the Goal
• to describe the intended project results
• (e.g.) To provide ADA accessible connections from
  anywhere in the site to neighborhoods.

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Visual example of analysis process
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Site Analysis Map
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3. Synthesis

• Design principles
• Design for the Human Scale
• Ecological Responsibility
• Pedestrianism
• Community Focus
• Streetscapes
• Maintenance

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3. Synthesis (continued)

• Refine your design
• what criteria will be used to determine the
  location of a particular activity
• An area for active recreation - specify the
  activities
• A linkage between spaces and/or activities.
• An area with severe physical limitations
  unsuitable for development such as steep slopes
  or wetland or made inaccessible by either.
• An area for reflective less active recreation.
• A visual/sound buffer.

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3. Synthesis (continued)

• Justify your solution
• Why are certain facilities best in certain areas
  of the site?
• For example
• a bench placed to provide good views
• a water feature placed to mask traffic noise
• a picnic area easily accessed from parking
• a bridge used to offer safe access to a creek

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Site Synthesis (Design Concept)
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Synthesis Map (Refined Plan)
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Evaluate your design

• What activities have I provided on the site?
• What are the functional relationships between
  these activities?
• What is the importance of the design's form?
• What spaces are created by the forms?
• How does the form fit in with the context?
• How have you achieved a sense of community with
  your design?
• What do people view as they drive or walk through
  the site?

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Bubble Diagram (Example)
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1. Inventory

• Aspects
• Verbal information
• reading and discussion
• Visual information
• site observation, photographs sketches, field
  trip
• Experimental information
• discovery of new things
• Understanding of form, color, texture, and
  spatial relationships

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1. Inventory (continued)

• Products
• Base map
• Site map should include
• Showing major views
• Identifying major site vegetation photographs
  of distinctive vegetative areas
• Showing wetlands, water bodies, and watersheds
• Sun angles
• Wind direction