Golf Course Construction Supervision Land Planning/Design/ Development Site Analysis & Evaluation |
Sometimes, no matter how scenic a piece of land, or how seductively it seems to inspire a particular use, it is foolish to try to utilize that piece of land for that use. Occasionally, someone just wants information about the land, even if a particular use is not intended. A Site Analysis performed by YLD can determine a single characteristic of the land, or it can determine many, such as elevations, slopes, orientation, wind direction, plant cover, plant types, ground water, surface water, watersheds, utilities or lack thereof, roads or lack thereof, wild life, soil types and condition, geology, geography, surrounding land use, ownership, location, past or current use, assessment or appraisal value. The list is endless. Which characteristics are analyzed is usually up to the client, or, if the analysis will lead to an evaluation of the land for a particular use, by the nature of the use intended. A Site Evaluation, if needed, is the use, by YLD, of the raw data gathered in the analysis, to make a determination whether a proposed use is valid, from a design (or physical) standpoint. (Also recommended is a Feasibility Study, which determines the validity of a proposed use from an investment standpoint, given the facts known about the site and the proposed use.) The image below (click to see enlargement) is generated from Digital Elevation Model (or DEM) data for an 80 square kilometer site. The various colors denote elevation gradations of 200' each, blue indicating elevations 1200-1400' above sea level, green elevations 1400-1600', yellow elevations 1600-1800', orange elevations 1800-2000', red elevations 2000-2200'. Contours are at 50' intervals. I asked the program to show me all areas in the 0-10% slope range, slope ranges typical for a golf course on which earthwork was expected to be kept to a minimum. Those ideal areas are shown in black. Any area shown in black, of 150 acres or more, would be ideal, from a topographic standpoint, for a golf course. This is just one example, though simple, of how computers, using the right data and software, can be used to analyze regions of land for a particular use. I can use the shown contours to manipulate the existing elevations to create the features on the course, regenerate the model, and then view it from any perspective, including walkthroughs or flybys.
Site Analysis and Evaluation can take other forms, including already developed land. For instance, Yuhas Land Design won the contract from Cayuga County, NY, to perform a Visual Impact Analysis for each of the Villages of Cayuga, Union Springs, and Aurora. This analysis was performed with the intent of making recommendations for the enhancement of open space, parking, signage, landscaping (hard and soft-scaping), lighting, building facades, pedestrian and bicycle paths, connectivity of Main Streets to waterfront parks, and assessment of these waterfront parks, recommendations for the improvement of marinas and beaches. This Analysis & Report is now complete, and can be downloaded & viewed as a Powerpoint presentation at Rt 90 Scenic Byway. |
