Good site analysis in architecture is not a scrapbook of maps, photos and precedent images. It should help you make better design decisions.
This Studio Session 1 recording from MADCon 2021 looks at holistic design thinking, case study research and site analysis. The useful lesson is simple: research should feed the project, not sit beside it.
Watch: Studio Session 1 on holistic design
The recording introduces the session theme: how case studies, site analysis and broader design thinking can work together at the start of a project.
What holistic design thinking means in studio work
Holistic design thinking means looking at the site, people, brief, precedent, climate, movement, material and use together. It does not mean trying to cover everything equally. It means understanding what matters most for this project.
Use case studies as evidence, not decoration
A case study is strongest when it shows how another project solved a relevant problem. Pick precedents because they help your argument, not because the drawings look good.
- What was the design problem?
- What decision did the precedent make?
- What can you learn from the plan, section or threshold?
- What would not work on your site?
- How does the case study change your next design move?
Make site analysis lead to action
Useful site analysis should create decisions. If a page of research does not help you place, orientate, connect, protect, frame, adapt or challenge something, it may be background information rather than design evidence.
Go deeper with Architecture Social
These related Architecture Social episodes add more context once you have the practical framework.
Listen: design education and impact
This related Architecture Social episode adds a wider conversation about architecture, design and education for anyone thinking about how learning translates into practice.
Common mistakes
- Adding maps without explaining what they prove.
- Using too many precedents with no selection logic.
- Separating research pages from design development.
- Writing about context but not changing the proposal because of it.
- Treating site photos as documentation rather than design clues.
Architecture Social view
Stephen’s recruiter view is that research in a portfolio should make your judgement easier to see. A practice does not need every page you produced at university. It needs to understand how you think.
Quick site analysis checklist
Before you present the project, check whether the research is doing a real job.
- One page explains the site problem clearly.
- One precedent directly informs a design decision.
- One diagram links site evidence to the proposal.
- Every research spread has a sentence explaining why it matters.
Next step
If you are proud of a student project, consider publishing it through the Architecture Social showcase and use the resources hub to keep improving how you present your work.
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