TABLE OF CONTENTS Grading is configuring the surface of the land by removing or adding earthen material to shape the land to best suit the project. It is accomplished both with large machines, such as bulldozers, pans, and dump trucks, and with men, rakes, and shovels, and constitutes a major component of the function and success of a land development project. See Figure 23.1.
In this chapter, a general overview of the grading process is followed by an explanation of how grading is represented and utilized on plans. A more specific breakdown of gradingstrategies and requirements follows, providing all the tools needed by the designerto produce an effective grading plan.
A good design integrates the natural landforms of the site with the proposed program to create an aesthetically pleasing yet functional and cost-effective site plan. Because a grading scheme must consider function and utility as well as aesthetics, it requires both science and art to create. The grading of a site serves three basic purposes:
Grading re-forms the land surface to make it compatible with the intended land use. The relative elevations and gradients of streets, buildings, parking areas, and pedestrian/vehicle accesses must be mutually compatible if they are to function as a system. Similarly, they must be compatible with the surrounding existing terrain. Incompatibility with the existing terrain, which leads to excessive earthwork, the use of retaining walls, and drainage problems, increases construction costs.
