The first architecture site analysis mistake I see students make is that their site analysis is done with no clear purpose in mind. There is no clear intention behind their analysis. In order to have a successful site analysis, you need to be decisive as to what you’re trying to show and why. The big mistake is that architecture student’s site analyses are showing too much irrelevant information. For example, your site analysis might be showing which way the wind is coming from. However, if you’re not doing anything with that information, then what’s the point in showing it? Unless you’re making architectural design moves from your site analysis, there is no point showing it. If you’re showing the wind direction and strength, make sure your architectural design responds to that. Demonstrate to the client or your architecture teacher that you’ve understood the limitation, that the wind is coming from a certain direction at a certain speed, and propose an architectural solution to that constraint.

Don’t show a wind rose for the sake of showing a wind rose. Have a clear intention behind what you’re showing in your site analysis and use that information to make your initial design site moves.

1. Need to have a purpose for what you’re showing.
2. Your site analysis is showing irrelevant information
3. If you’re showing which direction the wind is coming from, also show how this influences your design, have you used that information to orient your building or add windows on certain facades?
4. Think, if you’re coming to a client with a site analysis with all this information, they’re going to be sitting there thinking “why have I paid x amount of money to be told something I already know”.
5. People show where noise is coming from, how do you respond to that? Do you put audial barriers up in that direction? Have you zoned your quiet spaces away from the noise?
6. Only show what is necessary and indicate how you’ve used that to create design moves.

The second architecture site analysis mistake I see students get caught up doing, is that they are not graphically communicating their site analysis in a thoughtful manner. Site analysis may seem like a pointless task that you do just to “tick the box”. Because of this, students often research general site information, overlay it on their site plan and call it a “site analysis”, when really all they’ve done is overlay some information from google, something a 7-year-old kid could do.

Make sure you’re taking only what’s necessary for your site analysis, as explained above, and organise this information thoughtfully and concisely. Utilise line weights and opacity to create a hierarchy in your architecture site analysis. Consider what is important in your analysis and use line weights and opacity to give that priority. Hierarchy is key for any architectural drawing, not just a site analysis. Use a simple colour scheme, often 2-3 colours is suffice, and use different shades or opacities of these colours to create depth in your analysis. Experiment with diagrams, sketches and drawings to show what you’re thinking and have researched, rather than using blocks of text.

1. Choose a simple colour scheme.
2. Use diagrams, sketches and drawings
3. You might have great information, but it can often get jumbled and disorganised if you let it. Choose 2-3 colours and consider the hierarchy of what you’re trying to show based on its importance. Use headings and minimal text.

The third architecture site analysis mistake I see architecture students make is that your site analysis is being done as a preliminary task and shortly after being completed is being forgotten. Your site analysis can give you so much information to work with, but often we do it as a task that “has to be done” to tick the boxes and forget about it. Let the site analysis carry through the entire design phase, not just being a preliminary task to do before designing. Let the site analysis influence your design.

The final mistake I see architecture students make when creating site analyses is that they limit their site analysis to a site plan.

Lots can be shown in section, plans, perspective, sketches, diagrams, and other modes of communication such as animation or temporal media. Again, consider what you’re showing and pick the best mode of communication. You might notice which way the wind is coming from, then sketch a passive design sketch showing how your design will utilise it. A site plan can be effective for a site analysis, but there are many other modes of communication that can tell a different story.

Thanks for watching my site analysis architecture video. If you’d like to check out some of my online courses to learn architecture, feel free to check out my website! https://successfularchistudent.com/courses-for-architecture-students/

Architecture site analysis might seem like a pointless task, but it is the first step to designing a great architectural project. Let us learn how to do an architecture site analysis.

You know that site analysis is important for your architecture project. So, you go to site with some friends. You take a sketchbook, your laptop and a few other tools, ready to analyse the site.

You arrive. Now what?

You stand around and chat for an hour then go home with a simple observation of the site. You get on google maps, draw the sun path, guess which way the wind was coming from and call it a day.

That is the extent of site analysis for a lot of us. Architecture site analysis might seem like a pointless task we do just to “tick the box”. But, as I have just discovered from my studio 7 project, it’s not only really helpful, but essential and the first step to building up a great sketch design and architecture project. If you complete a site analysis just to “tick the box” – you are setting yourself up for failure and leaving out a lot of key details that will help assist you in progressing your design forward.

My name is Kyle. I am going to show you how to do a complete architecture site analysis that will form the foundation of your projects.

As mentioned, I have just completed a site analysis for my studio 7 project. This was a task set out for the course, the first assessment being a site analysis. I think the assessment was structured extremely well. It was structured linearly, as in a step-by-step process that you can replicate for any project.

The first step of site analysis is about finding the limitations to the site, for example, the sun that goes in a set direction. These are the constraints. The things you cannot change that you need to work around or work with. That is really important. Because after you find all the limitations and constraints, the next step is finding how you can take some of those aspects and use them to initiate some design ideas. We call these the “site moves”.

The site moves are built upon from the initial site analysis. You are taking 2-3 key limitations about the site and using them to come up with small design ideas that you can implement to the site.

The third step to site analysis is spatially organising the programs set out in the brief. What are the spaces required by the client? How do they connect to each other physically, visually and audibly? This step involves diagramming the programs in relation to each other using a mind map. To take it a step further, you can overlay this map over the top of your site in a plan drawing. This will help you understand where the different programs will go in relation to each other, but on the actual site.

The final step to site analysis is finding precedents that can influence your design. This is similar to the site moves step. It is not just an inspiration board or searching on pinterest. Find built projects that have previously been built and take as many key ideas you can away from them. Draw them out yourself and consider you can use them in your project. This might be materials, spatial strategies, little moments in the building that you like.

And there you have it. That’s how you successfully start an architecture project by doing a complete site analysis.

Good luck!