The Results of a Site Analysis and Designing the Suitable Layout for Various Structures - Coursework Example

Report on site layout design Introduction The purpose of improving designs of any urban town’s highways as well as the built environments, is to encourage the users to embrace more sustainable transportation methods. This report however examines the results of a site analysis and designing the suitable layout for various structures. The studies objective is however to come up with a design that offers a comfortable, convenient and human friendly surrounding. It will also involve re-designing the entire spine road to achieve the required layout. The design will involve analysis of the site in terms of the ground surface features such as slope, noise factors etc. The site layouts will consistof the below structures: Spine road re-design Of an importance in the whole design, process is the pedestrian’shealth and safety. Therefore, the vehicular and pedestrian traffic routes need to be segregated. Also in this design, there need to be an adequate as well as safe and easy access by emergency services such as fire brigades is an important consideration. The spine road will have a roundabout at point 2, which will allow vehicles to access both sections of the highway. The traffic here will be controlled by traffic lights fitted at the roundabout area facing each of the four sides of the roundabout. The road at this point should be wide approximately 6m wide. Lane c will however reduce unnecessary traffic caused by trucks from the industrial units by creating an outlet at point 2. The spine round will however be able to accommodate all sizes of vehicles. It will be a two-way system with a pedestrian and bicycles allowance at the sides. Two pedestrian crossings will be located at approximately 6 m from point 1 and 2 as in the design due to possible high number of people crossing at the points.A Road to the offices and joining lane B will also be connected to the spine road. This lane B will also make the industrial units blocks accessible through the connecting road D. Other roads connected to the spine road include the networks leading to the bus stop as shown in the site plan. A road leading to lane c is also connected to the spine road. More networks for easy accessibility are also included. Additional feature required on the spine road includes, adding efficient drop-off and pick-up points and this will reduce the need for vehicles to enter the bus park thus avoiding unnecessary congestion(ADDIS,1999). Footpaths To ensure a comfortable environment for all, the design will also incorporate footpaths in the road sides which will be safe,well lit and attractive.It will also include special sections for the physically disabled. Office block design Location considerations Usually, an office should be in a place where there is little or no noise disturbances. This location was however chosen considering that; the place has little activities as well as less traffic noise. The dimensions of the office block will be and will occupy a space of 600 square metres. These calculations are approached assuming that each user is allocated an average of 12 Square metre of office space not including a meeting room. The meeting room should accommodate atleast 60 people and to achieve this, we allocate a space of 108 square metresconsidering that each seat takes up about 1.8 square metres.The toilets will take up about 100 square metre of space. A reception area at entrance will also be included with dimensions of the office length and width of 5 metres. . An underground parking would also be ideal so as to save on space accommodate any extra vehicles and its dimensions will be that of the building with a less of the slopping entrance provided. The walls will be made of cavity walls which will minimize heat losses from the buildings inside(GROÁK,1992). Retail and industrial units The retail units will be 2 in number each with dimensions of 30M by 15m and the height to the heaves will be 7m. The parking area will have an area of 150 sq. metre(dimensions 15 by 10) and a parking area will be provided for each industrial unit. On each parking lot, there will be divisions for different car types such as lorries, vans etc. The area in between the two units will provide enough space for turning of any size of lorries and forklifts. Location considerations. The site is suitable due to the enough space, as well as little possible disturbance to people due to noises from the activities inside. Pay and display parking area The parking’s location was decided basing on some considerations. First, it should be in a place easily accessible and should be in a flat slope. The parking area will have two entrances and vehicles can enter from any direction. Determining the required parking space is however a major issue. We considered the maximum number of expected cars is approximately 4000 per dayand out of this, 1000 are trucks and 3000 are other car types. Now considering approximate area of each car and truck, a total of [(1000x15) + (3000x5)] =3000 sq. metre area was required. A turning space of about 1500 sq. metre is required.It should however be designed to have expansion capability for future expansion. The parking is therefore designed to allow easy access by every means including the disabled using wheelchairs. Additionally, there will be provision for lockable sheds for cycles next to the parking area. The design generally puts into consideration of the ease of movement and safety of cyclists. Ground surfaces, site drainage and landscaping Consideration of the landscape before a building’s design is usually necessary, as this will ensure proper drainage. In this case, however, the buildings are designed such that the sewage from the buildings flows is by gravity into the main sewer. The industrial units are also located on a place with semipermeable bedrock. This is to allow sipping of some of the effluents into the ground. The surfaces of pavements for instance, should be laid using blocks to enhance permeability. The noise from the industrial units, need to be minimized considering that there exist a school facility around. By building the industrial units on a flat surface on a higher place ensures that noise is minimized. Rainwater harvesting facility should also be installed on the building to avoid too much water run off as well being used to save on the water bills. The harvested water may be specifically meant for the toilets. Design of the drainage system Key considerations The surface of the site is generally sloping towards the southern part of the site. The drainage will consist of sewage drainage and surface water drainage. All the drainage should end up in the southern edge of the site The drainage system will also include creating of terraces to drain surface water as well as water that sip to the ground. To avoid water standing on the sides of buildings, block pavements are used and this makes it permeable. The water then is directed to the entire sewage system. Below is a diagram showing the drainage system to be implemented. Fig:Showing a layout of the sewage system How the buildings are oriented to maximize natural lighting and solar energy The diagram below shows the solar patterns of the study area. Fig: showing the solar patterns with respect to the buildings orientation According to the buildings orientation, the sun hits a wider area of the buildings surface. Harvesting this solar energy will however be important to supply electrical power to the building. The same sun’s rays will provide lighting for the building. The retail blocks, which will be facing the south, will receive a maximum amount of solar energy both for lighting and for electricity. The offices will also be south facing and therefore, during daytime, most of the lighting will be from the sunlight. How buildings are designed to reduce noise To minimize the noise mostly from the outer ring road, planting one or more rows of trees along the sides will reduce the noise index. These trees will not only reduce noise but will provide a human friendly environment. To further reduce it to a recommended level, the buildings will have to be designed using soundproof materials. The buildings such as the retail block will be constructed using brick and block cavity walls and the roofing will consist of tiles pitched roofs a ceiling will also be included. Sound attenuating external windows and doors will be used to reduce sound through the windows and doors respectively. Locating the parking garage on the side of the outer ring road will also shield some of the noise that may not have been shielded by the trees thus reducing the need for more expensive building requirements. As depicted by the layout, the industrial units are oriented to face against each other. This reduces the noise impact on the buildings. The buildings are also made to have a wide air space, which will assist in reducing the noise frequencies. Uses of natural ventilation mechanisms to avoid mechanical ventilators, which usually generate noise.The retail blocks, provide an envelope that facilitates natural ventilation. The buildings are also located according to the noise sensitivity. For instance, the industrial units are located closest to the outer ring road to further shield the more sensitive buildings (GLOVER,2006). The final design Fig: showing the general layout of the final design Conclusion This study entailed a design process that considers the various analysed aspects of construction. The chosen site was analysed accordingly and the various buildings allocated according to its suitability. The road networks were also designed to make accessibility to the various parts as easy and safe as possible. Noise disturbance was also minimized by applying the various measures such as the use of trees for shielding. The creation of pedestrian friendly environment was also achieved. The drainage system was designed to effectively keep the places clean and dry with less environment pollution. Various natural energy and water collection methods saw the buildings meets sustainable building design. This project was however successful in meeting the required objectives. References ADDIS, W. (1999).Structural and civil engineering design. Aldershot, Hampshire, Ashgate. GLOVER, P. V. (2006). Building surveys. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann GROÁK, S. (1992).The idea of building thought and action in the design and production of buildings. London, E & FN Spon. Read More