Site and Environmental Analysis
This domain tests site due diligence: how topography, soils, drainage, climate, vegetation, and environmental regulation constrain development. Questions often present a site condition and ask for the implication or the next study.
Core rules
- Slope = rise/run. A 2% minimum supports drainage; 5% or more often triggers grading and retaining walls.
- Solar orientation, shadow, wind, noise, and air quality affect building placement and outdoor comfort.
- Stormwater design compares pre- and post-development runoff; infiltration, detention, and water quality may be required.
- Environmental review includes wetlands, floodplains, endangered species, and a Phase I ESA for contamination.
- Geotechnical borings establish bearing capacity, seasonal high water table, and rock depth.
Worked example
A 200-ft-long site drops 10 ft. Slope = 10/200 = 5%. A building pad needs level area; cut and fill can balance, but a 5% slope over the footprint may require a retaining wall uphill and a swale downhill. If the site is in a FEMA AE flood zone, the lowest floor must be at or above base flood elevation plus freeboard; that may raise the pad and increase fill.
Traps
Measuring slope along the ground rather than horizontally; missing a wetland buffer; ignoring off-site drainage; treating a Phase I ESA as a cleanup plan.