Site, Planning and Environmental Considerations
What you must know
This domain covers how a building sits on its land and how that relationship is documented. Understand site analysis: orientation and solar path, prevailing winds, noise and odour sources, views, existing vegetation, and topography shown by contours and spot levels. Learn planning controls - zoning, floor space ratio or plot ratio, site coverage, setbacks, height limits, and landscape or permeable area requirements - and how each is calculated. Environmental concepts include solar access and overshadowing, natural ventilation, thermal mass, insulation and glazing performance, rainwater harvesting, stormwater detention and onsite retention, erosion and sediment control during construction, and waste minimisation. Access, parking, and servicing arrangements for vehicles and pedestrians also fall here.
Traps
Examiners like calculation questions where site coverage or floor space ratio is confused with each other, or where a basement or car space is wrongly included or excluded. Contours trip many candidates: check whether the interval is stated and whether the slope rises or falls. Another trap is treating overshadowing as a fixed rule rather than a measured test at a specified date and time. Beware answers that confuse permeable area with landscaped area.
Worked example / rule of thumb
A 600 m² site with a 40% coverage limit allows 240 m² of building footprint. If the proposal shows 260 m², it exceeds the control by 20 m² regardless of how many storeys are proposed - coverage is a plan measure. Rule of thumb: coverage is measured on plan, floor space ratio is measured across all floors, and both exclude or include different elements, so check the definition before calculating.