Selection of building site
Site selection is the first and most important step
For every site there is an ideal use,
For every use there is an ideal site.
Building classified based upon occupancy
Residential building Commercial buildings
Retail stores and shopping
Single family houses
centers
Multi family dwellings
Office buildings (single story
High-rise apartments to sky scrappers)
Institutional Construction Industrial buildings
Schools and universities Petroleum refineries
Medical clinics and hospitals Steel mills & aluminum plants
Recreational facilities and sports Chemical processing plants
stadiums Fossil fuel & nuclear power plants
Other heavy manufacturing facilities
Assembly building
Hotels, convention centers, and Heavy Construction
theaters
Storage building
Warehouses and light manufacturing
Heavy Construction
Railroads / Urban Transit Systems
Highway & Bridges
Port & harbor structures
Tunnels and Da ms
Canals
Pipelines
Airports
systems
Landfills
Power & communication networks
Sewer / Water treatment & distribution
Types based on materials / execution
Solid or ‘traditional’ construction
Structural steel frame construction
Reinforced concrete construction
Modular system construction
Portal frame construction
Composite construction.
One & Two
Family
Residential Type building
Multiple Residence
Commercial and Residential
Different floor plans to choose
Residential buildings – Inside access
Orientation
Aspect
Privacy
Grouping
Circulation
Furnishing
Sanitation
Ventilation
Flexibility
Landscaping
Economy
Setting out
Site selection is the first and most important step in
designing a house
Climate Soil type
Required area Water
Orientation Utilities
Prevailing wind direction Access
Elevation Future expansion
Slope Off-farm factors
Elevation – take advantage of natural ridges when
considering site selection. Breeze
Maximize cooling breezes
Maximize sunshine No breeze
Provide gravity flow
Flushing systems
Slope can have a great impact on the cost of any
building project.
• Too steep
– Requires extensive grading
– Expensive
• Too flat 5 ft
– Cannot use gravity
– Expensive 100 ft
• Provide:
– 2 to 6% slope for drainage Slope of 5% (0.05).
Soil type should be determined
Electric
Fuel / G a s
Telephone
Structural support
Surface & sub-surface drainage
Depth to bedrock
Depth to water table
Erodibility
Site selection
Location- Is it in an area where there are a lot of potential
user/ customers.
The site should be located in a fully developed or a fast
developing area with transporting facilities.
Consider when selecting a site for future construction.
Size and shape- Is the site large enough for the planned
construction. If not, can the adjoining side be acquired.
The site should not be irregular in shape or having any
sharp corners.
Maximum benefit is derived from nature, if the buildings are
properly oriented.
The orientation is also dependent on the layout of existing
roads and buildings in the locality.
Cost – Is the price of the site reasonable and affordable?
Site selection for buildings (contd…)
The site should be abandoned under adverse
circumstances such as (a) unhealthy, noisy or crowded
localities; (c) Reclaimed soil or water lagged areas,
subject to submergence or settlement; and (d)
Industrial vicinities having smoke and obnoxious
odour.
Doors and windows should be positioned so as to get
maximum lighting, breeze and view of the landscape.
Privacy inside the house is achieved by proper placing
of windows.
Privacy outside the house is achieved by growing trees
and creepers.
The doors and windows should be placed opposite to
each other to ensure maximum ventilation.
Site selection for buildings
The plot should be in a locality where the various
facilities like (a) Community services such as police and
fire protection, clearing of waste and street cleaning; (b)
Utility services s uch as water supply, gas, electricity and
drainage; (c) Amenities such as schools, hospitals,
libraries, recreation, telephone etc.; (d) shopping facilities
and (e) means of transport; are available.
The legal and financial aspects should be given due
consideration before the purchase of the plot.
The proportions of plot to be built-up, vacant spaces to
be left in front and sides, heights of buildings, etc.,
should be in accordance with local byelaws.
Zoning – Will zoning laws permit the type of planned
structure to be built there.
Zoning Laws
No matter what type of structure is desired or who
desires it, it must meet the requirements and
standards set up by the community in which it is
to be built.
Zoning laws tell what kind of structures can be
built in certain areas.
May specify such things as:
Maximum property size
Maximum height of buildings
Number of families that can occupy a home.
Number of parking spaces
Distance structures must be from the properties boundary lines.
IMPROVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS
Exterior and Interior Features
Appeal and Marketability
Construction Quality
Physical Condition
Effective Age
Relative age of a structure considering its physical
condition and marketability.
Selection of building site
