Sunday, May 9, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
8 Green Houses
This is the prototype of my new project to be built in Mexico.
By defining all architectural components and adding green technologies this project represents the implementation of my ideas in regards the use of space, the modularity, and the sense of space at an affordable price.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Small/Medium Urban Interventions
This examples might be usefull for Andre, Carlo, Eric & Christian
The New Bond Street in London, The Rambla in Barcelona and Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires.
LEED Projects
The Santa Monica Civic Center garage provides 900 parking spaces throughout six above ground stories and 1 ½ below ground levels. Of those 900 spaces, 14 (or less than 2%) are devoted to electric vehicles with public electrical outlets. There’s also free bicycle storage available to “encourage alternate transportation modes.”
The design is from Moore Ruble Yudell Architects and Planners and James Mary O’Connor, AIA, principal with the firm, “is confident that his team had met both the aesthetic and sustainability challenges set forth by the city of Santa Monica to create this six-story solar-powered structure,” according to Environmental Design & Construction magazine.
The prospect of a parking garage attaining LEED has been called everything from a “commitment to sustainability” to a “deliciously silly story.” Somewhere in between those perspectives lies the quandary of this building. Most of us would agree that if we are going to continue to build parking structures, they should be as low impact as possible. However, the question that remains is how does shining the LEED light on a structure that claims its main purpose as housing gas-powered vehicles play into the green building picture?
The design is from Moore Ruble Yudell Architects and Planners and James Mary O’Connor, AIA, principal with the firm, “is confident that his team had met both the aesthetic and sustainability challenges set forth by the city of Santa Monica to create this six-story solar-powered structure,” according to Environmental Design & Construction magazine.
The prospect of a parking garage attaining LEED has been called everything from a “commitment to sustainability” to a “deliciously silly story.” Somewhere in between those perspectives lies the quandary of this building. Most of us would agree that if we are going to continue to build parking structures, they should be as low impact as possible. However, the question that remains is how does shining the LEED light on a structure that claims its main purpose as housing gas-powered vehicles play into the green building picture?
Friday, January 8, 2010
Site Analysis
Site Analysis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contents
The site design process is divided up into three sections; research phase, analysis phase, and synthesis phase. These three phases are divided into the eight chronological steps in the design process.[1]
Research phase: The first step is defining the problem and its definition. This is part of the research phase. The site design and site planning process begins with the initial problem to be solved. This is started by a client contracting a planner to work with a particular site.
Analysis phase : The next step involves programming the site as well as site and user analysis, which is focused on in-depth below. There are numerous site elements related to the analysis during this phase. This is part of the analysis phase in site planning.
Synthesis phase : From the analysis, a program is developed, which is part of the synthesis phase. The third step deals with schematic design of a site plan as well as a preliminary cost estimate for the site. Step four involves more developed designs and a detailed cost estimate. Step five is the construction documents for the plan. Bidding and contracting for the project follows as step six. Construction then will take place as step seven. The final step, step eight, in the site design process is occupation and management of the site.
[edit]Elements
Numerous elements go into a given site analysis.
Location : The site should be related to major streets or landmarks previously existing. Aerial photographs help in this assessment stage. There should be documentation of distances and time from major places. This should be completed by either driving or walking the distance first-hand.
Neighborhood context : Zoning of the neighborhood is important and information of this type can typically be found at the municipal planning department of the site. Numerous issues at this stage require direct observation. Features of this sort include architectural patterns, street lighting, and condition of existing buildings. This would also include the immediate surroundings of the site.
Size and zoning : Site boundaries can be located by either verifying the dimensions physically or contacting the county tax assessor’s office. Zoning classifications, set-backs, height restrictions, allowable site coverage, uses, and parking requirements are obtained by obtaining zoning classifications from a zoning map, which can be located from the city planning department.
Legal : Typical legal information can be obtained from the deed to the property. The deed is held by the owner of the title insurance company. In this deed is information such as the property description, present ownership, and the governmental jurisdiction the site is located in, and the city or county.
Natural physical features : Most of this information will be derived from the topographic features on the site. A contour map of this magnitude can be located from the survey engineer. Drainage problems as well as existing natural features of trees, ground cover, ground texture, and soil conditions on the site should be directly observed.
Man made features : Features located on the site such as buildings, walls, fences, patios, plazas, bus stop shelters should be noted. The site and location of such features should be directly measured. Documentation of existing historical districts should be made, some of which may already have reports completed. Locating this information can be done through the municipal planning department for the site.
Circulation : The uses of streets, roads, alleys, sidewalks, and plazas are important in this inventory step. It is not necessarily an analysis of these elements but more an analysis of what occurs on these circulation gateways.
Utilities : Information for utilities concerning the site can be found through the utility departments and companies in the local area. Generally this company has a print of the drawing of this information needed. Information in this print includes the location of all utilities and their locations around or on the site itself.
Sensory : Much of the sensory information collected will be done through first hand experience. This type of information is obtained from sketching and photographs (sometimes aerial photographs). Direct observation of other sensory elements of noise, odors, smoke, and pollutant areas must also be completed.
Human and cultural : This information can be obtained through census statistics on the neighborhood. Information regarding these statistics is available from the local municipal planning agency. This information includes activities among people on the site and their relationships to these activities.
Climate : This information can be obtained through the local weather service. Conditions such as rainfall, snowfall, humidity, and temperature over months must be considered and analyzed. The sun-path and vertical sun angles throughout an entire year are important to note.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Site analysis is an inventory completed as a preparatory step to site planning, a form of urban planning which involves research, analysis, and synthesis. It primarily deals with basic data as it relates to a specific site. The topic itself branches into the boundaries of architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, economics, and urban planning.
Site analysis is an element in site planning and design. Kevin A. Lynch, an urban planner developed an eight cycle step process of site design, in which the second step is site analysis, the focus of this section.
- 1 Process
- 2 Elements
- 3 References
- 4 Further reading
The site design process is divided up into three sections; research phase, analysis phase, and synthesis phase. These three phases are divided into the eight chronological steps in the design process.[1]
Research phase: The first step is defining the problem and its definition. This is part of the research phase. The site design and site planning process begins with the initial problem to be solved. This is started by a client contracting a planner to work with a particular site.
Analysis phase : The next step involves programming the site as well as site and user analysis, which is focused on in-depth below. There are numerous site elements related to the analysis during this phase. This is part of the analysis phase in site planning.
Synthesis phase : From the analysis, a program is developed, which is part of the synthesis phase. The third step deals with schematic design of a site plan as well as a preliminary cost estimate for the site. Step four involves more developed designs and a detailed cost estimate. Step five is the construction documents for the plan. Bidding and contracting for the project follows as step six. Construction then will take place as step seven. The final step, step eight, in the site design process is occupation and management of the site.
[edit]Elements
Numerous elements go into a given site analysis.
These elements include location, neighborhood context, site and zoning, legal elements, natural physical features, man-made features, circulation, utilities, sensory, human and cultural, and climate components.
The following elements typically are considered in most sites:
Location : The site should be related to major streets or landmarks previously existing. Aerial photographs help in this assessment stage. There should be documentation of distances and time from major places. This should be completed by either driving or walking the distance first-hand.
Neighborhood context : Zoning of the neighborhood is important and information of this type can typically be found at the municipal planning department of the site. Numerous issues at this stage require direct observation. Features of this sort include architectural patterns, street lighting, and condition of existing buildings. This would also include the immediate surroundings of the site.
The reaction of the surrounding buildings towards the site and people moving around should be analysed.
Size and zoning : Site boundaries can be located by either verifying the dimensions physically or contacting the county tax assessor’s office. Zoning classifications, set-backs, height restrictions, allowable site coverage, uses, and parking requirements are obtained by obtaining zoning classifications from a zoning map, which can be located from the city planning department.
Legal : Typical legal information can be obtained from the deed to the property. The deed is held by the owner of the title insurance company. In this deed is information such as the property description, present ownership, and the governmental jurisdiction the site is located in, and the city or county.
Natural physical features : Most of this information will be derived from the topographic features on the site. A contour map of this magnitude can be located from the survey engineer. Drainage problems as well as existing natural features of trees, ground cover, ground texture, and soil conditions on the site should be directly observed.
Man made features : Features located on the site such as buildings, walls, fences, patios, plazas, bus stop shelters should be noted. The site and location of such features should be directly measured. Documentation of existing historical districts should be made, some of which may already have reports completed. Locating this information can be done through the municipal planning department for the site.
Circulation : The uses of streets, roads, alleys, sidewalks, and plazas are important in this inventory step. It is not necessarily an analysis of these elements but more an analysis of what occurs on these circulation gateways.
Utilities : Information for utilities concerning the site can be found through the utility departments and companies in the local area. Generally this company has a print of the drawing of this information needed. Information in this print includes the location of all utilities and their locations around or on the site itself.
Sensory : Much of the sensory information collected will be done through first hand experience. This type of information is obtained from sketching and photographs (sometimes aerial photographs). Direct observation of other sensory elements of noise, odors, smoke, and pollutant areas must also be completed.
Human and cultural : This information can be obtained through census statistics on the neighborhood. Information regarding these statistics is available from the local municipal planning agency. This information includes activities among people on the site and their relationships to these activities.
Climate : This information can be obtained through the local weather service. Conditions such as rainfall, snowfall, humidity, and temperature over months must be considered and analyzed. The sun-path and vertical sun angles throughout an entire year are important to note.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
