Site Analysis Checklist for Architects: 40 Things to Check

A site analysis checklist lists everything an architect should find out about a site before designing: context, built form, history, uses, access, climate, sun, ground, services and rules. This one has 40 checks, split into what you can do at your desk and what you can only see on site, with the source for each.

Use it before the first sketch, tick it on the site visit, and keep the answers with the project. Every check has a reason: if an answer would not change the design, skip it on that project.

Last checked: October 2026. Free to copy and print; no email needed.

How should you use a site analysis checklist?

1. Desk study first. Do checks 1 to 28 from data before you visit. Print the maps.
2. Site visit second. Do checks 29 to 40 on site, with the maps in hand.
3. Write the answer, not a tick. "Prevailing wind from the south-west, 19% of hours" is useful later; a tick is not.
4. End with design moves. Turn the answers into a short list of moves, as in the complete site analysis guide.

Desk study: what can you check before visiting?

Location and context

#	Check	Why it matters	Where to find it
1	Site boundary and area	Everything else is measured from it	Title plan, survey, or draw it on a map
2	Neighbourhood character	Sets the scale and language of the design	Figure-ground, street photos
3	Figure-ground within 250 to 500 m	Shows grain, density and open space	Figure-ground map maker
4	Building heights around the site	Sets the height a scheme is judged against	Building height map, survey
5	Street section across the site	Shows enclosure and sky	Site section maker
6	Landmarks and views	Views to protect, frame or block	Maps, heritage register

History and heritage

#	Check	Why it matters	Where to find it
7	Building ages around the site	The fabric you are adding to	Building age map
8	Listed buildings and protected areas	Can stop or shape a scheme	National and city heritage registers
9	Past uses of the site	Contamination, foundations, archaeology	Historic maps, archives
10	Archaeology zones	Can add months to a programme	City archaeology maps

Uses and access

#	Check	Why it matters	Where to find it
11	Land use around the site	What the area needs and tolerates	Land use map
12	Shops, schools, health within 400 to 800 m	Sets the programme and parking need	Amenity map, OpenStreetMap
13	Public transport stops and frequency	Parking ratio, entrances, density	Transit map, operator timetables
14	Street hierarchy	Where the main entrance and servicing go	Street hierarchy map
15	Walking and cycling routes	Entrances, bike storage	Accessibility map
16	Vehicle and service access	Deliveries, refuse, fire access	Street plans, local rules
17	Traffic noise sources	Room layout, glazing, ventilation	Noise maps

Climate, sun and ground

#	Check	Why it matters	Where to find it
18	Temperature range and extremes	Heating, cooling, shading	Climate archive, weather files
19	Rainfall and wet days	Roofs, drainage, covered space	Climate archive
20	Prevailing wind by season	Entrances, balconies, natural ventilation	Wind rose
21	Sun path at solstices and equinox	Orientation, daylight, solar gain	Sun path diagram
22	Overshadowing from neighbours	Daylight to homes and gardens	Shadow study, shadow calculator
23	Ground levels and slope	Access, drainage, cut and fill	Contours, survey
24	Flood risk and water	Floor levels, basements, insurance	Flood maps
25	Trees and green cover	Protected trees, shade, ecology	Tree surveys, land cover data

Rules and services

#	Check	Why it matters	Where to find it
26	Zoning and allowed uses	Whether the brief is possible at all	Local plan, zoning map
27	Height, coverage, FAR and setbacks	The buildable envelope	Local code, FAR calculator
28	Utilities and easements	Where you can and cannot build	Utility maps, title documents

Site visit: what can you only see on site?

#	Check	What to note
29	Arrival	How you naturally arrive, and the first view of the site
30	Edges	What each boundary is: wall, fence, building, open
31	Party walls and neighbours' windows	Rights of light, overlooking, structure
32	Condition of existing buildings	Keep, adapt or demolish
33	Noise at different times	Morning, school run, evening
34	Smells and nuisances	Kitchens, bins, workshops
35	Light on site	Where the sun actually falls, compared with the diagram
36	Wind on site	Corners and gaps where it gusts
37	How people use the street	Where they wait, cross, sit, park bikes
38	Views out	What the best rooms should look at
39	Ground and drainage	Wet patches, levels, kerbs
40	Photos, pinned to the plan	One per observation, located

What does a finished checklist look like?

On a real site, a Keizersgracht block in Amsterdam, three of the answers read:

• #7 Building ages: 445 of 501 buildings within 250 m have a recorded date; the median is 1760; 87 are older than 1700.
• #12 Shops and services: within 400 m, 98 cafés and restaurants, 3 supermarkets, 3 schools or nurseries, 4 pharmacies or doctors.
• #20 Wind: from the south-west 19% of hours in 2025 and the south 19%; calm only 1.1% of hours.

Each answer points to a decision: match the old roofline, skip the car park, shelter the south-west corner. That is the difference between a checklist and a site analysis.

What should you add to the checklist on an Indian site?

The 40 checks hold everywhere, but some answers carry far more weight in India. Add these to the desk study:

Check	Why it matters in India	Where to find it
Protected monuments within 300 m	Under the AMASR Act, nothing new can be built within 100 m of a centrally protected monument, and the next 200 m needs National Monuments Authority permission	ASI circle lists, NMA, state archaeology department
Master plan and local building rules	Coverage, FAR, height and setbacks come from the master plan and bye-laws, such as Delhi's MPD and Unified Building Bye-Laws or Mumbai's DCPR 2034	Development authority and municipal websites
Plot size category and road width	Rules change by plot-size band, and in many cities FAR rises with the width of the road the plot faces	The same rules, plus a measured road width
Stilt parking and height	Stilt parking is often excluded from FAR but counts in height, which decides how many floors fit	Bye-laws
Fire and airport height limits	Fire service clearance and an Airports Authority of India height NOC can cap height	Fire service rules, AAI's online NOC maps
Mandatory green measures	Rainwater harvesting, solar and waste segregation are required on many plot sizes	Bye-laws
Monsoon flooding and waterlogging	Most of the year's rain falls in a few months	Municipal drainage maps, local knowledge, the site visit
Building heights	Open data rarely records storeys, so heights come from the site visit	Site visit, photos

On the Green Park block in New Delhi, three answers read:

• Heritage: Bara Khamba, Chhoti Gumti and Sakri Gumti, all centrally protected, stand about 190 m, 230 m and 280 m away, so the block is in their regulated area and needs NMA permission.
• Rules: a 300 m² plot falls in the band of more than 250 and up to 500 m²: 75% coverage, FAR 225, 15 m high or 17.5 m with stilt parking (MPD-2021 norms; MPD-2047 was notified on 20 August 2026, so check its regulations).
• Climate: 30 days at 40 °C or more in 2025 and 85% of the rain from June to September.

The full Delhi analysis is in the complete site analysis guide.

How can you fill in the desk study faster?

Checks 1 to 28 are mostly data. Pulling them by hand takes a day or more per site. UrbanEyes Site Analysis fills most of them for any address in about fifteen minutes, each with its source: context maps, building heights and ages where recorded, land use, amenities, transit, climate, sun and wind, and a feasibility screen for supported countries. You can keep the checklist on a site analysis board beside the maps.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be included in a site analysis checklist?

Location and context, built form and heights, history and heritage, uses and amenities, access and transport, climate, sun and shadow, ground and water, trees, planning rules and utilities, plus site-visit checks such as edges, noise, light and views.

What is the difference between a desk study and a site visit?

The desk study collects what data and documents can tell you before visiting. The site visit checks what data cannot show: condition, noise, use, light on the ground and views.

How many items should a site analysis checklist have?

Thirty to fifty is typical. This one has 40: 28 for the desk study and 12 for the site visit. Drop items that would not change the design on your project.

Is there a free site analysis checklist?

Yes, this one is free to copy and print with no email. The tools linked in it, such as the figure-ground map maker, sun path diagram and FAR calculator, are free too.

What extra checks does a site analysis in India need?

Protected monuments within 300 m, the master plan and building bye-laws, the plot size band and road width, stilt parking and height limits, fire and airport height clearances, mandatory rainwater harvesting and solar, and monsoon flooding.

Can site analysis be automated?

The desk study largely can: maps, figures, climate and sun come from open data. The site visit, the judgement and the design moves cannot.