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13. How important is lot size and orientation?

In most circumstances, lot size is of little consequence. An exception might be the use of a ground source heat exchanger that is laid horizontally. Polar orientation and precise geographic location are extremely important. The building design uses an integrated approach specifically designed to take advantages of positive natural resources on the site location. Positive site resources might, for example, shield and/or protect the building from natural occurring negative effects that could degrade the performance of the building. During the building design, UDC architects will calculate maximum and minimum seasonal declination of the sun, total seasonal solar radiation absorption rates, site availability of natural building materials, surrounding vertical objects such as other buildings, trees and towers in order to predict shading coefficients and areas. Some sites are more convenient to work with. Clients aware of these passive elements that can adversely affect building performance can enhance the design outcomes with proper site selection.