Unit 3 Essay How does site and location influence a building’s design?
I will look at how a buildings site location can influence a design as there are different aspects of the site that can create various outcomes to the shape, size and height of the building. By starting to look at the stages of how a building is designed I will be able to understand how the final design is reached. I will firstly look at the design stage that varies from different designs because each location is different. I will then find specific examples so that a comparison can be made between two opposite building designs. Once I have understood how a building’s design is influenced by the sites location I can write my conclusion using my research to show my understanding of the topic. Before starting my research into the topic I already have an understanding of the question posted to me as different buildings can be seen day to day. Although two buildings may not be far away from one another, a difference can still be seen as the site can change as no place is the same. Similar properties can be found together as the landscape can be carved to fit the needs of the design. I know that this is a long process and is not always the best solution, this is why this method is used rarely. Although many buildings are the same there are several more that are different and change with the site, this is why I have chosen this topic as I can create an understanding through researching different locations and how they change the design of a building. Site location is one of the first step that have to be completed before starting to design a build this is because the building will have to fit the location so that it can achieve its maximum capacity within that space. A house for example will have to be designed to a correct shape so that key rooms and areas will become effective. The buildings size will depend on the location as to whether the building includes an outdoor space such as a garden. An example of how new buildings are designed is that of how a council will approve council houses to be built as the council will like to build as many houses as they can on that plot of land so that the most amount of revenue can be achieved. Money will affect the buildings site as the bigger and better the location is, the more money it will cost. This will affect the buildings shape and size so that a sufficient space will be accessible and buildable with the budget. Buildings heights will also differentiate depending on the location as councils will enforce rules to whether a building can be designed to stand taller than the surrounding. If the location was inside a conservation area there will be added changes to the design and build as you will be limited to how the build can be designed and what times you are able to build within. A recent example would be a house documented on a TV show where the homeowners had to build a house to a strict specification because the sites location was next to a public park. This restricted the build as the house could not be visible from the park. So that architect was forced to build the house into the ground so that a sufficient floor space area was applicable. This was achieved by including a basement that had a bigger floor plan but disadvantages of no natural sunlight with the locations ground not allowing for windows to be included. Although a building was produced with sufficient floor space the design was influenced by the location because of the surrounding parkland having to be reserved and stopping the building from becoming visible above the tree lines. An environment can change a building’s design depending on the surroundings. The environment around a buildings site can influence the design as of the designer will want to reflect the surroundings within the building. This may include changing the size of the building so that an outdoors space can be incorporated, so that the environment around can be seen. This could also influence the designer to use sustainable materials in the building so that the building is environmentally friendly and reflects the location and surrounding features. A design team that is
profound of using natural woods and materials are BBM Architects that use these natural materials for builds that locations are between trees and greenery and incorporate a luxurious feel within the wooden buildings so that luxury can be felt but will still help the environment as of the benefits of using the wood. Some sustainable materials that the building could be made from are certain types of woods that could be weather resistant. Using wood can be more beneficial for a building and the environment around as it is a natural, renewable material that causes less damage to the environment compared to producing a man-made product such as steel or bricks. By using wood from sustainably managed forests we can reduce carbon dioxide emissions and help to prolong a building life span before it will be forced into home improvements. Other benefits to a building would be that it acts as a natural humidity regulator that absorbs humidity in damp conditions preventing damp to develop. A good quality wood is very durable and will last a lifetime. The wood will also develop a patina that will help to protect the wood as it ages. Other advantage to using woods on builds it that it can also enhance the buildings aesthetics. Wood may be used in a build as the environment around may be mostly made of natural materials. The material also has multiply ways of changing the look of the product to make it look a certain way. This could be done by painting the wood a certain colour, adding varnish or keeping it natural so that it creates a patina over time. Wood is also a very durable material as it can easily withstand the harshness of the weather. It is also preferred to in certain builds to use pine as it has a strong structural material compared to steel. This may be used in a structure of a building as it may be a better alternative to keeping a building structurally safe in its location. Sustainable materials can help to preserve our environment as they are products that will deliver to a consistent level and will not cause harm to the earth’s atmosphere. A product that could be included in the design of a building would be solar panels that could be fitted to the roof of the building so that they can produce electricity to the building. Solar panels may be used in the design of a building as the site may have the sun visible for most of the day as they may not have anything in the surroundings that would block the suns beams to the building. Solar panels can produce up to 15% of electricity we currently use allowing for isolated areas to survive and have access to electricity where the remote buildings found in places such as the amazon rainforest can now have electricity where they usually couldn’t as the electricity cables will be hard to install in such a remote location. By becoming sustainable remote locations can start to have luxuries as they now have the ability to provide with the use of solar electricity. From looking at how we may design a building to fit a suitable space, I have found that architectures look to the location of the build for inspiration. A key example of this theory is the glass tree house in Sweden designed by Tham and Videgard Arkitekter, this design has been influenced by its location as of the views that the tree house could have with the surrounding trees and landscape. The design was influenced to be designed with a mirrored material on the outer walls so that the surrounding location is reflected onto the sides of the tree house making it almost invisible. This design of a house has been influenced by the location to add to the use of this building. From the inside of the tree house you are able to see a 360 degrees view of the surroundings. This idea could be incorporated into another build as the views from the building could be enhanced by the use of big clear window that add to the building’s design.
Tham and Videgard Arkitekter are two architects that are a good example of how a building can be designed to fit the locations site. The tree house that they had designed has been created to cause the least destruction to the location as of the natural surroundings. This has been done by becoming invisible and not causing a blockage in the eye line of the environment. Another building that has been created so that a curvature has been incorporated into the design and floor plans so that the area has been maximised because of the curved road outside the building that causes the pavement to become a peculiar shape. This design for the Royal Institute of Technology to be produced in Stockholm has been designed to fit the streets shape and site location by creating a curved wall that follows the contours of the pavement. They have also used big floor to ceiling glass windows similar to the glass tree house so that the most natural light is allowed into the building as of the roads small surrounding buildings allowing the sunlight to pass undeterred. The design of a build will also vary depending on where in the world the site is. The design will change depending on which country it is in. Each country’s taste in design will also change on the amount of wealth in the country. This will change what sort of materials are used for the interior and exterior. Examples may be that in Dubai most buildings include marble flooring as this is an expensive luxury item what is common in that country because of the wealth people have. This will be different if you were to travel to a poorer country you will find more basic materials. Existing buildings that are found in Dubai and have been clearly influenced by the location as of the wealth and extravagance found in the countries surrounding buildings. As of the location the key building that stands out in the location is the Burj Khalifa that is influenced to become the biggest building that it can as of how the country wishes to become the best and show off the location. The largest skyscraper that has been built in Dubai was influenced by the site given as the buildings small floor space caused the building to be built vertically so that the most floor space could be created by building layer by layer. If the site was to be a very long strip instead of a small round space the building would have to become a long horizontal building that fits the site and the square large floor plans instead of the small round floor space that caused the building to become a tall structure that uses the site to the best of the buildings ability. The architects, Adrian Smith, George Efstathiou, Marshall Strabala and William Baker designed the Burj Khalifa and chose to design the largest skyscraper as of the location and extravagances of Dubai. In poorer countries they may also have smaller plots of land as the country may be over populated and cramped. This will influence the design of a building as the architect will have to design the building to fit into a small space meaning everything will be closer together. These types of building may also have a smaller budget so the house may have to be made from cheaper materials. The buildings could also be self-efficient as the owners may not have a lot of money for groceries. This would help families as they would be able to grow here own food for cheaper prices. As of India’s thriving wildlife and endangered animals, people are forced to leave their solitary homes as of the need for habitation to help the Indian tiger survive. The people that live in these homes are paid to leave their homes by the government and are built new homes in a rural town that includes sustainable buildings that produce their own crops that are incorporated into the small builds that have the minimum of internal features and helps to provide for the new homeowner by including fertile crops and solar electricity so that they are able to survive on the cheapest of budgets because of the locations and poor economy the people have in India compared to that of the
wealthy nature found in Dubai. I think that is unfair how people have to live in India and be forced out of home because of the need for money as of the shortage of jobs. They are forced to take the money offered by the government because of the £10 000 cash is too much to turn down for the poor people of India. This shows how money and location can easily influence the design of a building with the need for wealth. If an eco-friendly building was to be designed to help less wealthy countries the building may include small plots of land maybe on the roofs of building to help maximise space. These gardens could be place for people to grow their own foods. The design may also be influenced to help reuse water so that it would help to keep costs down in the long term. If the design was to help the owner’s lower costs, the building will have to be consistently lowering the costs for future years as the sustainable eco-friendly build would have to last a lifetime. This is a solution for the crisis currently happening in India as by becoming self-sufficient and providing for themselves they will be able to generate more money as they will not have to pay others for food to survive as they can grow the crops themselves and provide for the families, because of the isolation of the locations site this is a key feature for the designs to include as they can survive with the use of the sustainable energy and help improve their way of life. Although the life in India will never become as wealth of that in Dubai, they can still use the same concept to become sustainable and prolong the life of the earth’s environment. If the building was to be built in a wealthier country it may be influenced to be built on a bigger scale as the country may be able to offer larger spaces to be built on. The design may also include solar panels on the roofs and if the country had enough amounts of sunlight the solar panels could become very effective at lowering the yearly costs. And produce more sustainable energy that will allow for locations like Dubai to stretch out as they could build in isolation where not power mains are currently available. Running water could also be created by reusing waters condensation that can then be purified so that now a building can be built in total isolation and still survive in on a site similar to that of Dubai or the forests of India. A sites location has influenced designs because of the needs that different locations have such as Dubai and India. Locations that are isolated from civilisation need different supplies and necessities to survive such as sustainable energy that will not cost the poor people of India to survive as the money and jobs are vast so there people of India have less money to survive. This is different to that of Dubai and how people have little needs as they have the money to survive and buy any food, electricity or water that they need to survive. Sites near a conservation area of public places have strict specifications such as how they have to limit the harm caused to the surrounding environment and location. Overall the size, shape and budget of the location influence the builds designs as they are likely to be limited in one location and have endless possibilities in another that doesn’t have any barriers of the shape and scale of the design such as that of the Burj Khalifa. I have learnt how a building’s design is changed to fit a location so that the maximum capacity is achieved in the design as everyone wants the most for their money. My conclusion of how the site location can influence the design is that a building can be changed through the design but the location cannot. Once a site has been chosen the building and its design has to adapt to the location so that the best outcome can be produced. A site changes from the sizes of the plot to the access. These two factors change the design as methods for outcomes to the situation have to be created so that the building can be built. Although I have found alternatives to
changing the location to fit the design, I have realised that these methods are not a cost effective method and are hard to replicate in other sites because the foundations of the location may weaken the lower you dig. I have understood that each site is different and changes the design so that the building can be built differently in another location. I have also understood through this essay that the sites landscape is not the only factor that changes the building’s design. I have found from looking at the differences between India and Dubai that a countries taste in style and needs change depending on the country. I have found that a building’s design changes with the different site locations as many features vary causing the designs to be reproduced. These may vary from the landscape of the location causing for the shape to change as other objects may force the design to be built around other existing buildings, the style of the location to surrounding buildings may also influence the design so that the new build fits into the location and is not different to other buildings. One other reason found is that the needs of the home owners change. This changes the designs so that the building is liveable as the location may be in a vast, abandoned setting where there is no access to electricity, similar to my example of India, so the design will need to incorporate a solution such as sustainable energy. This would change the shape of the design so that the solar panels can be fitted and used to their best. Overall I have been able to find that a site has different needs and restrictions that change the final design of the building.