Site Design Portfolio
Each assignment or exercise in this class will
be to produce the parts of a site-specific
design portfolio.
– The portfolio can describe or promote your design
ideas among stakeholders
– Well documented goals and design provide
guidance for implementation and evaluation
– Portfolio organization is based on the design
process
Basic Portfolio Parts
• Goals
• Assessment
• Design:
– Schematic
– Patch design
Basic Portfolio Parts
• Assessment
– What is there, now.
– inhale…
Basic Portfolio Parts
• Assessment
– What is there, now.
– inhale…
• Close your eyes for a moment…
Assessment Exercise
• Take out your Base Map
Ask for the
BASE MAP
handout…
Assessment Exercise
• Take out your Base Map and secure it to the
table or your clipboard.
• Cover your basemap with an overlay of
tracing paper
Assessment Exercise
• Take out your Base Map and secure it to the
table or your clipboard.
• Cover your basemap with an overlay of
tracing paper
• Place a title and date on overlay
Assessment Exercise
• With your memory--using only words,
sketches and annotations--show the location
of a few of the property’s most important
elements on your overlay.
Example brainstorm notes
• “Woods and fields are • Home
choked with
honeysuckle, wild grape • Wind tower
vines, and overcrowded
young trees.”
• Garden
• “Facilities for apprentices
• Hill
and permaculture
classes.”
• Pond
• Well
Basic Portfolio Parts
• Assessment
– What is there, now.
– inhale…
Basic Portfolio Parts
• Assessment
– Organized and based on the Scale of Permanence
– P.A. Yeomans developed the "Keyline" system in
Australia in the 1950s based on the idea that
some landscape elements are more permanent
than others. His list was eventually altered by Bill
Mollison and David Holmgren, then again recently
by Dave Jacke and Eric Tonesmeier.
Basic Portfolio Parts
- The Scale of Permanence is organized from the
landscape features that are most to least energy
intensive to change.
Scale of Permanence?
SORT BY most to least
energy intensive to
change.:
Soil
Landform
Buildings and
Infrastructure
Zones of Use
Invisible Structures
Access and Circulation
Aesthetics and
Experience.
Vegetation and
Wildlife
Water
Climate
Microclimate
Ask about
the prize!
Scale of Permanence
1. Climate
Scale of Permanence
1. Climate
2. Landform
Scale of Permanence
1. Climate
2. Landform
3. Water
Scale of Permanence
1. Climate
2. Landform
3. Water
4. Invisible Structures
Scale of Permanence
1. Climate
2. Landform
3. Water
4. Invisible Structures
5. Access and
Circulation
Scale of Permanence
1. Climate
2. Landform
3. Water
4. Invisible Structures
5. Access and
Circulation
6. Vegetation and
Wildlife
Scale of Permanence
1. Climate
7. Microclimate
2. Landform
3. Water
8. Buildings and
Infrastructure
4. Invisible Structures
9. Zones of Use
5. Access and
Circulation
10. Soil
6. Vegetation and
Wildlife
11. Aesthetics and
Experience.
Scale of Permanence
Listed in the Site
Assessment
Workbook:
6. Vegetation and
Wildlife
1. Climate
7. Microclimate
2. Landform
3. Water
8. Buildings and
Infrastructure
4. Invisible Structures
9. Zones of Use
5. Access and
Circulation
10. Soil
11. Aesthetics and
Experience.
Basic Portfolio Parts
• Assessment
– What is there, now.
– inhale…
Basic Portfolio Parts
• Assessment
– Organized and based on the Scale of Permanence
– Provides a common reference for design and
implementation
– Summary Assessments
• Written narratives or description of features
– Overlays
• Maps (usually tissue overlays on the base map) that
record feature
Aerial
Survey
Aerial w/ Topographic Overlay
Aerial w/ Survey Overlay
Survey w/ Overlay Sketch
Survey w/ Multiple Overlays
Landform
Water
Water Observations during flooding
Invisible Structures
Access & Circulation
Trees Detail
Boundaries & Structures
Permaculture Zones of Use
1 – Multiple daily
interventions & visits
2 - Daily interventions &
visits during most
seasons
3 – Many interventions
& visits each month
4 – Less than monthly…
5 – A few or no
interventions per year.
These counts can be
adjusted to reflect the scale
and activity of a site.
5
4
3
2
1
Soil Assessment
Historical Observations
Sectors
Water Infrastructure & Needs Detail
Custom Detail
Written Summary of Tree & Brush
Primordial, wild
Hemlock grove in
swampy, root
tangled soils
Swampy bog land
Thin crowded young forest of
Ash, Cherry, some Oak with
Japanese Honeysuckle
dominating the shrub layer
Cool dense
White Pine
grove, with
some
Honeysuckle
Dog wood and
Honeysuckle bushes:
dense, & barely
penetratable
Basic Portfolio Parts
• Goals
– Goal articulation helps stakeholders focus their purpose and needs on
the site
• Assessment
– Organized and based on the Scale of Permanence
– Observation and documentation provides a common reference for
design and implementation
– Summary Assessments
• Written narratives or description of features
– Overlays
• Maps (usually tissue overlays on the base map) that record features
• Design:
– Schematic
– Patch design
Homework
• Complete your basemap
• Create/complete goals statement
• Create overlays describing or showing: Site
– Sectors
– Access & Circulation
– Zones of Use
– Experience