NATURAL FACTORS AFFECTING SITE PLANNING

NATURAL FACTORS AFFECTING SITE PLANNING

• Geology
• Topography
• Hydrography
• Hydrology
• Soil
• Vegetation
• Wildlife
• Climatic factors

GEOLOGY

• Geology is the natural science that studies the earth – its compositions, the process that shaped its surface and its history.
•  Earth is made up of rocks (including soil, sand, silt and dust),  rocks are composed of minerals, minerals are made up of atoms.

IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY

• It is an essential part of construction and hazard analysis.
• It help in Construction of dam, tunnel, reservoir .
• Material are more stable, durable and economical.
• Landslides, earthquake, and tsunami also be located.

TYPES OF ROCKS  (GEOLOGY)

• Igneous Rocks – rocks produced by crystallization of molten magma.

• Sedimentary Rocks – when igneous rocks are exposed to surface and weathering reduces them to particles, these particles are moved by erosional process and deposited in layers into rivers and oceans.

• Metamorphic  Rocks – when sedimentary rocks are pushed to deeper levels of the earth, they transform into metamorphosed rocks due to changes in pressure and temperature . 

TOPOGRAPHY

• The topography or relief  is characterized by the inclination (slope), elevation, and orientation of the terrain.
• It determines the rate of precipitation or runoff and rate of formation or erosion of the surface soil profile.
• The topographical setting may either hasten or retard the work of climatic forces.

IMPORTANCE OF TOPOGRAPHY

• Food from the water resources.
• Easy access to food.
• Means of transportation.
• Not easily attacked by enemy.

HYDROGRAPHY

• Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers.
• It also deals with the primary purpose of safety of navigation and in support of all other marine activities, including economic development, security and defence, scientific research and environmental protection.
  

IMPORTANCE OF HYDROGRAPHY

• Resource exploitation -fishing, minerals
• Environmental protection and management
• Maritime boundary delimitation
• National marine spatial data infrastructures
• Tsunami flood and inundation modelling
• Coastal zone management
• Site planning

HYDROLOGY

• Hydrology is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability.
• It subdivides into surface water hydrology, groundwater hydrology, and marine hydrology.
• Domains of hydrology include hydrometeorology, surface hydrology, hydrogeology, drainage basin management and water quality, where water plays the central role.
  

IMPORTANCE OF HYDROLOGY

• Determining the water balance of a region.
• Determining the agricultural water balance.
• Providing drinking water.
• Designing sewers and urban drainage system.
• Analyzing the impacts of antecedent moisture on sanitary sewer systems.
• Assessing contaminant transport risk and establishing environmental policy guidelines.

SOIL

• Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and countless organisms that together support life on Earth.
• Soil is called the Skin of the Earth and interfaces with the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere.
• Soil is a product of the influence of climate, relief (elevation, orientation, and slope of terrain), organisms, and its parent materials (original minerals) interacting over time.

IMPORTANCE OF SOIL

• It is a medium for plant growth,
• It is a means of water storage, supply and purification,
• It is a modifier of Earth's atmosphere,
• It is a habitat for organisms.
• Filtration system for surface water.
• Carbon store and maintenance of atmospheric gases

TYPES OF SOIL

Alluvial Soils:

• It is formed by the deposition of sediments by rivers.
• Rich in humus and very fertile.
• Found  in Great Northern plain, lower valleys of Narmada and Tapti and Northern Gujarat. 
  

 Black Soils:

• It is  made up of volcanic rocks and lava-flow.
• It is concentrated over Deccan Lava Tract which includes parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• It consists of Lime, Iron, Magnesium and also Potash but lacks in Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Organic matter.
  

Red Soils:

• It is derived from weathering of ancient metamorphic rocks of Deccan Plateau.
• Its redness is due to iron composition. When iron content is lower it is yellow or brown.
• States: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Orissa.
  

Laterite Soils:

• It is formed due to intense leaching and are well developed on the summits of hills and uplands.
• States: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and hilly areas of Orissa and Assam.
  

 Mountain Soils:

• It is formed as a result of the accumulation of organic matter derived from forest growth.
• States: Himalayan region and vary in different regions according to altitude.
  

Desert Soils:

• In the desert regions of Rajasthan, soils are not well developed.
• As evaporation is in excess of rainfall, it has a high salt content and saline layer forms a hard crust.
• Sandy and deficient in organic matter.
  

VEGETATION

• Natural vegetation refers to plant life undisturbed by humans in its growth and which is controlled by the climatic conditions of that region.
• It  is assemblages of plant species and do not focus on  life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics.
• It  is defined by characteristic dominant species, elevation range or environmental commonality.
  

IMPORTANCE OF VEGETATION 

• It is important for a natural, energy efficient design.
• It  reduces the temperature.
• It  redirect the flow of air and channel it to specific areas or locations on the site.
• The "Venturi effect" -to increase the velocity of air movement in the area of the structure.
• Enhance ventilation.

WILDLIFE

• Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, plants, fungi, and other organisms that grow or live wild.
• It can be found in ecosystems, deserts, forests, rain forests, plains, grasslands etc.
• It refers to animals that are untouched by human factors, most scientists agree that much wildlife is affected by human activities.
• Some animals are adapted to suburban environments such as domesticated cats, dogs, mice, and gerbils. 
  

IMPORTANCE OF WILDLIFE

• Balance  the environment.
• Ecological importance.
• It provides a stability to nature.
• Economic importance
• Investigatory importance
• Importance in agriculture

CLIMATE FACTORS

IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATIC FACTOR

• For passive solar building design.
• Orientation of building design.
• Ventilation
• Landscaping
  

TYPES OF CLIMATIC FACTORS

Temperature:

• A temperature is an objective comparative measure of hot or cold. 
• It is measured by a thermometer . The coldest theoretical temperature is absolute zero, at which the thermal motion of atoms and molecules is  motionlessness.
• It is measured Celsius (denoted C ), Fahrenheit (denoted°F), and, Kelvin (denoted K).
  

Humidity:

• Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air.
• Water vapor is the gaseous state of water and is invisible. A device used to measure humidity is called a psychrometer or hygrometer.
  
• There are three main measurements of humidity:

1. Absolute humidity- is the water content of air at a given temperature expressed in gram per cubic meter.
2. Relative humidity- expressed as a percent, measures the current absolute humidity relative to the maximum  for that temperature.
3. Specific humidity -is a ratio of the water vapor content of the mixture to the total air content on a mass basis.

Solar Radiation:

• Solar radiation is all of the light and energy that comes from the sun.
• It is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light.
• The solar radiance is an instantaneous power density in units of kW/m2.
• A pyranometer is a type of physical device used to measure broadband solar radiation on a planar surface and is a sensor that is designed to measure the solar radiation.
  
   

Wind:

• Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On the surface of the Earth.
• It consists of the bulk movement of air.
• Wind direction is reported by the direction from which it originates. For example, a northerly wind blows from the north to the south.
• A variety of instruments can be used to measure wind direction, such as the windsock and wind vane.
• Wind speed can be measured using a instrument called Anemometer.
  

Precipitation:

• Precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity.
• The main form of precipitation includes drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, groupel and hail.
• Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapour, so that the water condenses and "precipitates".
• The standard way of measuring rainfall or snowfall is the standard rain gauge.