How do you incorporate sustainability and resilience principles into your site analysis presentation?

1 Define your sustainability and resilience objectives

Before you start your site analysis presentation, you need to define what sustainability and resilience mean for your project. Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Resilience is the capacity to cope with, adapt to, and recover from stress and disturbance. Depending on the context and scope of your project, you may have different objectives and indicators for sustainability and resilience. For example, you may want to reduce water consumption, enhance biodiversity, improve social cohesion, or increase climate resilience. You should communicate these objectives clearly and concisely in your presentation, and explain how they align with your client's vision and values.

2 Analyze the site's opportunities and constraints

The next step is to analyze the site's opportunities and constraints in relation to your sustainability and resilience objectives. Opportunities are the positive aspects of the site that can support or enhance your design, such as existing vegetation, water features, views, or cultural assets. Constraints are the negative aspects of the site that can limit or hinder your design, such as soil contamination, flooding, noise, or zoning regulations. You should present your site analysis in a visual and engaging way, using maps, diagrams, photos, or other graphics. You should also highlight how your site analysis informs your design decisions and strategies, and how you plan to address the opportunities and constraints.

3 Evaluate the site's impacts and dependencies

Another important aspect of your site analysis presentation is to evaluate the site's impacts and dependencies. Impacts are the effects that your design will have on the site and its surroundings, such as changes in land use, energy use, carbon emissions, or stormwater runoff. Dependencies are the resources and services that your design will rely on from the site and its surroundings, such as water supply, waste management, or transportation. You should present your impact and dependency assessment in a quantitative and qualitative way, using data, metrics, or indicators. You should also show how your design minimizes negative impacts and maximizes positive impacts, and how it reduces dependencies and increases self-sufficiency.

4 Demonstrate the site's performance and potential

The final step is to demonstrate the site's performance and potential in terms of sustainability and resilience. Performance is the measure of how well your design meets your sustainability and resilience objectives, such as water efficiency, biodiversity enhancement, social inclusion, or climate adaptation. Potential is the measure of how your design can improve or evolve over time, such as through adaptive management, participatory design, or innovation. You should present your performance and potential evaluation in a comparative and dynamic way, using scenarios, simulations, or animations. You should also show how your design responds to different conditions and challenges, and how it creates value and benefits for the site and its users.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?