A framework for effective site planning and design of green residential buildings in China

Abstract

Green building is a development trend of current construction industry. Site planning and design (SPD), as a vital step in the early stage of green building development, is a key issue in forming a sustainable site. The importance of this concept in the field of sustainable development has been emphasized in previous studies. Some major green building rating tools (GBRTs) being used worldwide have included SPD-related items. Several site layout planning and optimization methods in SPD were also proposed. However, very few research studies have investigated the effective SPD in the development of green residential buildings. This research aims to develop a framework for effective SPD in green residential buildings in China, which in turn boosts the development of green buildings and creates a sustainable built environment. The objectives of this research are summarized as follows: 1) to establish a theoretical framework for SPD of green residential buildings; 2) to generate a list of variables and items affecting the SPD of green residential buildings and to investigate the critical factors in the SPD process; 3) to develop a preliminary framework that can guarantee the effective SPD of green residential buildings based on the practical experiences; and 4) to improve and validate the effectiveness of this framework in supporting the SPD process. These objectives are addressed by using quantitative and qualitative methods, containing literature review, questionnaire surveys, face-to-face interviews and case studies. Through the literature review, 13 variables affecting SPD of green buildings are identified and used to establish a theoretical framework. These variables include "land use", "site assessment", "passive building design", "open space", "green vehicle parking", "reduced parking footprint", "ecological value and protection", "cultural heritage", "landscaping and irrigation", "microclimate around buildings", "neighborhood daylight access", "storm water management" and "environmental management plan". Based on this theoretical framework, a preliminary framework for effective SPD in green residential buildings was generated based on the practical experiences, in which 38 SPD items were abstracted from the 13 aforementioned variables. Afterwards, the perceptions of practitioners in green building development towards the importance of and difficulty to realize these items and variables were investigated through a questionnaire survey. Several techniques, including descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, exploratory factor analysis, and content analysis were conducted to analyze the survey data. Five critical factors of SPD, namely, "environmental protection consideration", "effective use of space", "use of natural and existing resource", "green parking and thermal environment" and "use of land resource", were identified based on the importance of the 38 items. Twelve practitioners or researchers in the field of green building were interviewed to investigate other elements in the preliminary framework, such as the SPD process, sustainable principles, stakeholders' relationship, and approaches to SPD. In order to improve and validate the preliminary framework in practice, case studies were conducted on two green residential projects in Mainland China and on one green public rental house in Hong Kong. Document analysis and face-to-face interviews with the relevant architects or engineers in these projects were also conducted to improve the proposed framework. Then an improved framework for SPD in green residential buildings was proposed. At last, a feedback questionnaire survey was eventually performed in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The results confirmed that the proposed framework can help the participants improve their understanding on SPD in green residential buildings and promote effective SPD in green residential building in China.