Site Development

• Definition and Introduction
• Site Development Project Considerations
• Project Objectives and Programmatic Requirements
• Predesign Project Cost Budget
• Project Relationship to Existing Plans and Campus History
• Survey and Data Requirements
• Review of Physical Factors That May Influence Site Development
• Bibliography

Definition and Introduction

The design of the spaces between buildings is an important aspect of every campus. Each campus building is tied to the campus through its site, and the success of both buildings and the campus as a whole requires careful site development. The users of a campus usually experience the campus landscape by moving through it, unaware of the arbitrary lines that may separate one site development project from another. This means that any given site development project needs to be designed as part of a larger campus fabric that extends beyond the limits of the project itself. Whereas campus buildings are often characterized by their discreteness and unique separateness, the landscape of most campuses is all-embracing and continuous. Whereas buildings often tend to be objects in space, the campus landscape consists largely of linkages, transitions, and connective spaces. Therefore, what are often valued in campus site development are continuity, unity, and the coherence of spatial relationships. Campus site development is complicated by the fact that campuses usually evolve over time through multiple projects executed by many people, and landscapes are, by nature, dynamic processes that grow and transform themselves over time.

Planners and designers should recognize that the campus is ultimately a setting for campus life in all of its many aspects. The campus serves essential functions such as access and circulation, but it also provides symbolic meanings that people will carry with them for a lifetime. Because site development can have a powerful impact on the basic functionality of a campus, as well as on its deepest meanings, designers should attend to it with the utmost care and thoughtfulness. Site development is the design of human experience.

Site development, as used here, refers to designed physical improvements or modifications to the campus landscape, excluding utilities and buildings. Site development is also distinct from campus master planning because of its focus on specific physical projects that include the preparation of construction documents and project implementation. Master plans define a broad physical framework for campus land use, facility location, circulation, natural systems, infrastructure, and overall space organization. Site development is the process by which the ideas of a master plan are designed in detail and brought to realization on the ground. Site development elements typically include drainage, earthwork, roads, paths, site structures, exterior signage, exterior lighting, site furnishings, lawns, and plantings.

Site development projects are often integrated with building or infrastructure projects; however, site development projects can also be undertaken as independent projects not associated with specific building or infrastructure projects. Both types of site development projects should be approached with an awareness of the issues discussed in this section.

Site development projects associated with building projects may suffer when site considerations are overshadowed by architectural concerns. This may occur for a number of reasons, including poor planning of the building; overlooking site requirements and underbudgeting for them; neglecting to clearly define the program requirements and design objectives for the site development project at the outset; not using or empowering skilled professional civil engineers and landscape architects on the project team; allowing the site development budget to be co-opted by the architecture; or giving insufficient attention to the site's role in connecting the building with the rest of the campus. These mistakes should be avoided.