SATRATEGIES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT SITE PLANNING

MODULE 5

SHINALI
KAPOOR
1532781086
A plan that is concerned with sustainability cannot consider the building and the site as separate elements because
they interact in important ways. Sustainable site planning must include considerations of the impact of development
on the local ecosystem, the global ecosystem, and the future. Together with the growth of alternative sources of energy, the practice
of designing new buildings and retrofitting existing buildings to use less energy will prepare communities for the challenges ahead.
Things like the siting, massing and orientation of buildings set up the parameters and potential limitations for the later design
process. These early stage design decisions are fundamental to optimising passive design, determining the degree of site development
and providing green or open space.

ENERGY EFFICIENT SITE PLANNING STRATEGIES IN BRIEF:

1. Minimize cooling loads through careful building location and landscaping.
2. Utilize renewable energy resources to meet site energy demand for lighting.
3. Install energy-efficient lighting.
4. Use existing buildings and infrastructure instead of developing in “green fields.”
5. Design to create or contribute to a sense of community.
6. Design to reduce dependence on the automobile.
7. Reduce material use or increase the efficiency of material use.
8. Protect and preserve the local ecosystem. Maintain the environmental function of the site.
9. Specify low-impact.
10. Design site and buildings for longevity and to be recycled.
11. Design to minimize the use and runoff of water.
12. Minimize waste.
Reducing the surface area of a structure will reduce energy requirements as well.

CONSIDERATIONS IN SITE PLANNING

Sustainable Site Planning
Among the first considerations for the site planner is to determine how to minimize the
disturbed area necessary for the project. Key aspects of minimizing the disturbed area
are the degree to which habitat and open space are preserved and created. be. Strategies for
Typical site plan
minimizing the disturbed area include
 clustering buildings,
 increasing density,
 encouraging smaller building footprints.
Clustering buildings reduces the disturbed area and allows the designer to minimize road
length and paving. Recognizing that the disturbance of the site affects the landscape
well beyond the property line, the designer looks for ways to maintain or re establish
links to other parts of the landscape ecosystem through the building location decision.
BUILDING LOCATION

 The location of a building on the site is a critical element of site planning. The building should be located to minimize the impact on the site while maximizing
the function and quality of the designed space.
 Selecting a location is a combination of managing the solar influences of the site, balancing the earthwork, and maximizing the utility and aesthetics of the
site.
 Building location has important implications for the energy costs of heating and cooling.
 For northern areas, buildings should be located on the portion of thesite that receives the most light during the hours of greatest sunshine, particularly
in the winter months—about 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
 The building should be located in the northern most part of this area, but allowances should be made for adequate distance from neighboring properties
to allow for possible shading due to future development.
 Open space should be located on the southern side of the building.(side facing equator)
 Open space with a southern exposure is preferred over open space with a northern exposure.
 Building shape may be more important than orientation, but site designers may not have influence over the shape of the building.
 Square buildings are inefficient shapes for heating and cooling, although they tend to be more efficient than a long, narrow building on a north-south axis.
 The best combination of shape and orientation is an elongated building on an east-west axis. In northern latitudes in winter, buildings orientated on an
east-west axis receive almost three times as much solar radiation on the south side of the building as on the east or west. This situation is reversed in the
summer.

In short When considering building orientation, it is important to assess how the building will receive sunlight. Properly orienting a building will ensure
the building will gain heat in the winter and reduce cooling costs in the summer. There are some simple things a site designer can do:
• Situate lots and roads to minimize building exposure to the east and west.
• Orient a building so that the longest building side faces north/south.
• Face the maximum number of windows on the south side of a building with the minimum number facing the north
(for cold climates vice versa for hot climates)
• The designer should have some local climate knowledge and an understanding of the microclimates that
will be created in the site.
• Correctly design roof awnings to maximize sunlight exposure in the winter and shading in the summer.
• Build structures close together to create a wake in the wind (weakening wind velocity) to help save heating costs.
• Design streets and staggered lots to create wind disturbances that will save heating costs.

Care should be taken to protect stream corridors,

wetlands, and other unique or important landscape features. Storm water management
is a key component of sustainable site design.
STORM WATER TREATMENT:
Sites should be designed to treat storm water as a resource, capturing runoff and encouraging infiltration, and should use water efficiently. Use native plants
suited to the local climate and precipitation and practice “dry scaping” techniques where applicable.
Reducing the need for additional watering and reducing the chemical inputs needed to maintain a landscape are critical concerns.
The use of design to capture and retain precipitation will lower the costs of infrastructure and reduce the need for additional watering.
Designers might consider the use of non potable water for landscape watering either by using on-site retention ponds or innovative wastewater systems.

As green field sites are developed, the amount of impervious surfaces increases
which leads to less rainwater that can be absorbed on site. This increase in
Storm water generation therefore increases the runoff into drains and receiving
water bodies. This can harm water quality since water runoff from impervious
surfaces typically contains high levels of particulates (Total Suspended Solid (TSS))
in addition to a range of contaminants including oils, metals, fuels, and phosphorous.
Additionally, increased runoff stresses existing drainage capacities. Many strategies
can be utilised to first reduce site disturbance and storm water generation, and then to
control, attenuate and treat the storm water prior to discharging it off site.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Site planning should incorporate the existing environmental function,
• Water conservation
• Waste minimization
• Incorporation of natural light, appropriate ventilation, and human scales
• Design and construction techniques that evaluate and minimize environmental
Impacts
Some ways of using recycled materials in site work include specifying
the use of fly ash in concrete, furniture made from recycled plastic, and pavement
containing ground tires.
LANDSCAPING THE SITE
 designers are well versed in the elements of design needed to facilitate traffic, pedestrian movement, and the functional and aesthetic aspects of a site; but
sustainability adds to these elements.
 It is likely that a working knowledge of local soils will need to be supplemented with specific soil tests to ascertain the right plant selection to minimize
reoccurring inputs.
 The choice of plant species and materials used on the site can make important contributions to the environmental performance of the site. From trees
providing cooling
 shade to buildings and parking lots, reducing site albedo and heat generation and retention help reduce energy demand. Reduced turf area and increased
use of meadows and natural vegetation increase biodiversity on the site.
Selecting plants that form natural communities and have supporting interactions will reduce the need for fertilizer and pesticides.
 The landscaping installed or the natural features preserved on a site can be a key factor in energy conservation. The following practices can help drastically
reduce the energy needs of a building:
 Preserving or installing native shade trees can have a tremendous impact on heating and cooling costs. Properly placed shade trees can reduce cooling
costs by up to 25 percent. Deciduous trees work best because they shade buildings in the summer but allow the sun to heat buildings in winter.
 Planting trees or shrubs, usually evergreens, as a windbreak can reduce annual fuel bills by 10–20 percent.
 Considering opportunities for alternative energy production, such as solar and wind,
 when planning the landscape is important. You want to create windbreaks that will
 shelter the building but not hamper wind production and plant trees that
will not shade solar panels

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES IN SITE

There are a variety of technologies available to reduce
energy consumption. Alternative Energy Sources. Incorporate alternative energy
sources, such as geothermal or solar, into your project from
the beginning design phase when possible.
HEAT ISLAND IMPACT
Built-up areas cause local temperatures to rise due to surface absorption and radiation of solar heat, resulting in heat island effects. They affect the
thermal comfort of outdoor spaces for occupants by making them less comfortable, and can increase the cooling load and therefore energy demand
of a building.
The more developed and impervious a site is planned to be, the greater the heat island effects will be.
The amount of open and green space, greenery and shade provided as well as material selection and treatment of roof areas are strategies that can
help to mitigate these effects.

TRANSPORTATION IMPACT
Vehicle emissions are also associated with green buildings as new projects require vehicular infrastructure for occupants, deliveries and operations.
Emissions contribute to climate change, smog, acid rain and other air quality problems.
Additionally, areas to accommodate vehicles (parking areas, roads, loading areas, etc) typically add impervious surfaces on site which contribute to
heat island effects and storm water runoff.
Locating projects close to public transport infrastructure (i.e. bus stops and MRT stations) and designing for alternate forms of transport (i.e. walking,
cycling, electric vehicles and charging points) help to mitigate these negative environmental impacts.

MATERIAL SELECTION:
Appropriate erosion control mechanisms, top soil preservation,
prevent run- off from site & prevent heat island effect.
Impervious Surfaces
ILL Effects on the water cycle
● Limit ground water recharge
● Increase pollutant load
● Increase runoff
● Create heat island effect Landscape Design Considerations
● Limit potable water use