Ballast - Environmental Analysis & Project Planning Flashcards
1
Q
The First Human Settlements began as what?
A
A collection of people engaged in agricultural pursuits rather than leading a nomadic life.
2
Q
in greek cities the remple became the center for religious activity while the agora became…
A
…the marketplace
3
Q
The starshaped city with bastions was developed as a result of what invention?
A
gunpowder
- bastions were placed that the the entire enclosure and all approaches to the city could be defended
- street radiated from the center
4
Q
describe a medieval city
A
- organized around a church and a market ( two most important aspects of life)
- started at the crossraods of two main street and was irregular in layout
5
Q
Camillo Sitte planning concepts:
A
- city should bel laid out according to medieval principles (curving irregular streets)
- irregularity created a variety of viewsl more interesting than standard grid
- proposed using t intersections
- suggested creating civic spaces around a pinwheel arrangements of streets (turbine square)
6
Q
What fundamental change did the industrial revolustion have in the city in England?
A
- factory systems required that the work force be close to the factory
- as production exapnded, population of factory towns increased
- citites became filthy, overcrowded, and dvoid of open space
7
Q
Ebenezer Howard
A
-published the Garden City Conpcept
8
Q
what was important about tony Garnier concept of cite industrielle?
A
- city would be organized into separate zones (e.g. residential, public, agricultural)
- fist plan to emphasize the idea of zoning
9
Q
Who was the planner that designed Washington DC, and what were the underlying principles in the city’s planning?
A
- Pierre Chalres L’Enfant
- Washington DC was planned using Rennaisance and Baroque planning concepts of diagonal and radial streets superimpose on a regular grid
- plan was centered on the Capitol, the Mall, and executive mansion
10
Q
Who designed New York’s Central Park?
A
Frederick Law Olmsted assisted by architect, Clavert Vaux
11
Q
Wite the proliferation of the automobile, cities have expanded in a number of patterns. What are these patterns?
A
1) grid
2) star
3) field
4) satellite
5) megalopolis
12
Q
imageability:
A
- the quality of a physical environment that gives it a high probability of evoking a strong image in the mind of a given observer (e.g. hills of san francisco are part of the image of that city in the minds of most people who visit or live there)
- concept proposed by Kevin Lynch
13
Q
Kevin Lynch’s 5 basic elements of the urban image (imageability) as described in The Image of the City:
A
1) paths
2) edges
3) districts
4) nodes
5) landmarks
- all are created by buildings, natural features, roads, and other components of the city
14
Q
What is a planned unit development (PUD)?
A
- extention of the superblock idea
- each large parcel of land can have a mix of uses: residential, commercial, recreational, and open space designed with variable lot sizes and developements
- advantages: make more efficient use of land by grouping compatible uses without the sometimes unneccesary requirements of setback regulations in zoning ordinances
15
Q
Superblock
A
- a large parcel of developed land that intends to minimize the impact of the car on housing and allows the the development of pedestrian circulation and park space within one block
- drawback: much of contemporary life revolves around the automobile and caould be counterproductive to social interaction (driveways and parking spaces of superblocks are ofen used more than the park spaces)
16
Q
New urbanism:
A
- counters the many undersireable aspects of city development
- concept works at building, enighborhood, district, and regional levels
- important feature is the idea of mized use neighborhoods
17
Q
new town concept:
A
- idea that proposes that entirely new communiites can be built away from the crowding and ugliness of existing cities
- often times, new town still depend on its main adjacent city for jobs; never became independent because they lacked significant employment centers
18
Q
density
A
- refers to the number of people per unit of area
- refers only to a ratio, not the total number of people or how they are distributed
19
Q
sociopetal
A
-environmental conditions that tend to bring people together
20
Q
sociofugal
A
-environmental conditions that tend to discourage interaction or social contact
21
Q
territoriality
A
-the need for human beings to stake a claim on personal space
22
Q
what are the 4 basic distances of personal space and who proposed these ideas?
A
- proposed by Edward T Hall
1) intimate distance: 6 in - 8 in
2) personal distance: 1.5 ft - 2.5 ft
3) social distance: 4 ft - 12 ft
4) public distance: 12 ft +
23
Q
what is defensible space and who proposed this concept?
A
- porposed by Oscar Newman
- a ragne of design elements that used the basic concepts of serveillance, territoriality, and real and symbolic barriers to reduce crime
24
Q
catchment area
A
-the base population within a geographical area that is served by a particular piece of developed land
25
Who came up with the idea of a neighborhood?
Clarence Perry
- neighborhood is defined as a relatively small area in which a number of people live who share similar needs and desires in housing
- area within walking distance of an elementary school
- area that is surrounded by major streets rather than interstected by them
26
what is the forumla for finding the slope on a topographic map?
G = (d/L) x 100%
G=slope
d=vertical distance
L=horizontal distance
27
What is a water table and what considered a high water table? What problems do high water tables cause?
- a water table is the level below grade in which the soil becomes saturated with water
- 6 ft - 8 ft below grade is considered a high water
- high water table can cause problems with excavations, foundations, utility placement, and landscaping
28
runoff coefficient
-the fraction of total precipitation that is not absorbed into the ground
29
if runoff is greater than the capacity of the natural or artificial drainage from the site, what options can an architect propose to avoid drainange problems?
- holding or retention ponds must be considered to to temporarily hold site runoff and release it at a controlled rate
30
What are the advatanges of sands and gravels?
- excellent to construct on
- can be used for sewage drain fields
- unsuitable for landscaping
31
What are the 4 basic categories of raods?
1) local: lowest capacity; direct access to buildings
2) collector: connect local streets and arterial streets; usually controlled by stop signs
3) arterial: intended as major, continuous circulation routes; usually connect expressways; usually controlled by stop lights
4) expressways: designed to move large volumes of traffic; connect population centers; have major influences on land because of the space they require
32
albedo
- the fraction of the radiant energy received on a surface that is reflected
- a flat black surface that absorbs all the energy and reflects none has an albedo of zero
- a mirror that reflects all energy striking it has an albedo of 1
33
conudctivity
-the rate at which of flow of heat through a material
34
ecology
-the study of living organisms in relation to their environment
35
what is the prupose of an environmental impact statement (EIS) and who enforces it?
- enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- required to understand the impact of construction on the surrounding natural environment
36
Sustainability issues that must be considered during analysis of a site include:
- portions of the site the shouldn't be built on
- historcial qualities of the area
- analaysis of types of developments mught surround the site in the future
- existing air quality
- soil and groudnwater testing
- presence of endangered species
37
bioswale
-a shallow grass lined ditch or channel designed to detain storm runoff and remoce sediments and other contaminants while allowing water to seep into the ground
38
infiltration basin
- a closed depression in the earth from which water can escape only into the soil
39
Zoning was originally an attempt to preven what types problems of rapidly expanding cities?
- crowding
- factories being built too close to housing
- tall buildings blocking light and air
40
Zoning is...
the division of a city or other governmental unit into districts, and the regulation of the use of land and the location and bulk of buildings on property within those districts
41
zoning primarily regulates...
- the uses allowed on a parcel of land depending on the zoning district
- the area of the land that may be covered with buildings
- the builk of the structures
- the distances the buildings must be set back from the property lines
- parking and loading space requirements
42
Zoning districts are based on...
- residential, commerical, and industrial occupancies iwht subdivisions within each of these
example: residential zones include single family, low density multifamily, high density multifamily
43
the amount of land that can be covered is determined by the interrelationship of two zoning restrictions:
1) floor area ratio
2) setbacks
44
Floor area ratio
the ratio of thr fross floor area within a structure to the area of the lot on which the structure is situated
45
setback
the minimum distance a building must be placed from a property line
46
which setback is usually the greatest
front setback
47
variance
aa deviation from the zoning regulation due to undue hardship on a property owner caused by a zoning prescription
48
If a new zoning ordinace is being applied to an existing development, what happens to properties that contain nonconfroming uses?
- they are allowed to remain unless the owner stops using the property in its original fashion or the property is demolished or destroyed by fire
- otherwise, any new use must confrm to the zoning requirements
49
what is a conditional use permit?
- permit which allows a nonconforming use or other use in the zoning ordinance if the property owner meets certain restriction
- often done if the exception is in the public interest
example: a zoning board may allow a temporary street fair in a location where it would normally be prohibited
50
what is an easement?
- the right of one party to use a portion of the land of another party in a particular way
- legal instrument and normally recorded
51
utility easement
- allows a utility company to install and maintain lines above or below the ground within the boundaries of the easement
- although the land belongs to the porperty owner, no permanent structures can be erected within the easement without permission from the party holding the easement
52
access easement
if one pacel of land is not served by a public road and another parcel of land separates the first parcel from the street, an access easement may be granted, whch allows the public and the owner of the inaccessible land the right to cross
53
support easements
-allows the construction of common party walls between properties
54
joint use easements
allow two or more property owners to share a common feature such as driveways
55
scenic easements
protect views and development in scenic areas
56
conservation easement
-limit land use in large areas
57
why are scenic and conservation easements often used by public agencies?
-the allow public agencies to control land use without the need to purchase large tracts of property
58
right-of-way
- the legal right of one party or the public to traverse land belonging to another
- boundary of righ-of-way usually coressponds to the property line of adjacent property owners
example: public land used for streets and sidewalks
59
restrictive covenants
- provisions of deeds that restruct the use of the property by the buyer
- legal and encorceable if reasonable and in public interest
- includes setbacks, minimum square footage of houses, types of materials that can and cannot be used
- because they are within the deed, they are known to potential buyerbefore purchase
60
why are restrictive covenants often used in residential subdivisions?
- to maintain uniformity of appearance, site development, and quality of construction
61
deed restrictions are generally established for a certain period of years. true or false?
true
-usually 10, 15, 20, or 30 years
62
Land values are beased on the concept of "highest and best use" which means,
that the property is to be used and developed in such a way as to yield the highest return on invesment
-property that is not used to this capacity is said to be underdeveloped
63
3 basic ways land is valued:
1) market approach
2) income approach
3) cost approach
64
market approach
-the surrounding neighborhood or region is investigated to find properties that have recently sold or are on the market that are similar to the property being valued
65
income approach
-basis is the potential the property has to yield a profit
66
cost approach
- value of land is estimated at its highest and best use
- then the cost to replace the building or add improvements is calculated
- the estimated accrued depreciation is figured and subtracted from the replacement cost of cost of the improvements
- this adjusted amount is then added to the land value to give the total value of the property
67
What are factors of life cycle cost (LCC)?
unscheduled maintenance
renewal and replacement
construction cost
energy cost
minor repair
68
life cycle assessment analysis (LCA)
- evaluates the environmental impacts from initial raw material extraction to final recycling , reuse, or disposal
- includes raw material extraction, material processing, the manufacture of intermediate materials, fabrication, installation in the building, operation, maintenance, and final disposal or reuse
69
ad velorem tax
-a tax based on the value of property being taxed
70
special tax
- a tax imposedfor s specific purpose or by a single purpose authority
- require majority vote of the people in the district
example: a tax to fund a major transportation project
71
general obligation bonds
- backed by general tax revenue and the issuer's credit
- used to finance the acquisition or construction of specific public capital facilities and to purchase real property
- requires approval of voters
example: projects funded by these bonds include schools, museums, and libraries
72
revenue bonds
- similar to general obligation bonds in that local government issues them to fund projects
- backed by the the revenue, or rates, from customers using the services that the bond funding paid for
example: city water and sewer facilities often use this method of financing
73
public enterprise revenue bonds
issued by cities or counties to finance facilities for revenue-producing public enterprises
example: airports, parking garages, and hospitals use this method for financing
74
tax increment financing
-used by cities to pay for improvements based on increased taxes due to the increased value of property
75
subdivision exactions
- similar to development fees in that they put burden on the developer, but the exaction is not used to fund construction
- requirements that developers either dedicate some land for public use or contribute cash for the purchase of land and facilities made necessary by local governments
76
special district assessments (aka business improvement districts --BIDs--or benefit assessments)
- fees used to fund public space improvements, like parks and streetscapes, in order to enhance an area's apeal and, indirectly its property values
- not intended to encourage private development
77
an exsting building survey should include:
- site features
- size and configuration
- structure
- roof
exterior envelope
- mechanical system
- plumbing
- electrical
- fire protection
- major equipment
- finishes
- condition for accessiility/egress
78
normally, field measurements taken during a sruvey have an accuracy of
1/4" to 1/2"
79
electromagnetic distance measurement (EDM)
- method for measureing that uses a laser based instrument with an onboard computer to measure the distance, horizontal angle, and vertical angle of the instrument's laser beam to a reflective prism target
- usually requires two people to operate
- precision: 1/64" at 1600 ft
80
reflectorless elecromagnetic distance measurment
- unlike EDM, this device doesn't require the use of a prism reflector
- relies on the return signal bouced from the object being measured
- accuracy is less precise thatn EDM: 1/8" at 100 ft.
81
image-based techniques used to assist in the accurate surveying of existing structures:
- rectified potography
- orthophotography
- photogrammetry
- laser scanning
82
rectified photography
- uses large format, film based view cameras to photograph facades
- the camera's focal plane is set parallel to the facade and gives a flat image with no perspective of distortion
- dimensions can be scaled off the image
83
orthophotography
-like rectified photgraphy except that it relies on digital photography and correction of optical distortion through computer software
84
photogrammetry
-surveying of objects or spaces through the use of photography and associated software
85
stereophotogrammetry
- uses two overlapping photographs in a computer program to produce a digital stereo image
- image can be used to extract information to make a three dimensional drawing
- does not require specialzed equipment or computer software, or trained technician
86
convergent photgrammetry
- uses multiple, oblique photographic images of an object taken at different angles
- measurements and three dimensional models are derived by using software that traces the multiple overlapping photographs taken from different angles
- requires reference point be established by standard surveying techniques
- slower than laser scanning
- accuracy: 0.05%
87
laser scanning
- uses medium-range pulsing laser beams, which systematically sweep over an object or space to obtain three dimensional coordinates of points on the surface of the object or space being scanned
- point cloud
- unlike photogrammetry no surveyed reference points are needed
- all information can be gathered from a single point rather than multiple photographs
88
if an owner wants to receive federal tax credits for the rehabilitation of a building considered a national historic landmark, what is the first step an owner has to do?
- the rehabilitation must qualify as a certified rehabilitation
- also, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation must be met
89
if the building is a designated landmark, who must be consulted?
- state preservation officer
- National Park Service
90
preservation
- attempt to retain all historic fabric through conservation, maintenance, and repair
- reflects the building's continuum over time and the respectful changes and alterations be made
91
rehabilitation
-emphasizes the retention and reapir of historic materials, but gives more latitute to replacement
92
restoration
-focuses on the retantion of materials from most signifcant time in a property's history, while removing materials from other periods
93
reconstruction
least historically accurate and allws the opportunity to re create a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure in new materials
94
What are some factors involved in deciding to do a new project for an owner?
- current workload of office
- match between project and type of work done by architect
- potential feasibility of the project
- owner's bbudget
- reliability and reputation of the client
95
if the amount of work the client requests exceeds the budget for either construction or professional fees, or both, the architect must decide.....
- decline the job
- accept lower profit margin
- negotiate with the owner to reduce the scope of the project or scope of archtiect's services
96
if the architect decides to accept the job
the architect must first negotiate an agreement with the owner that determines the scope of the work, fees required, and other aspects of the contract
97
## Footnote
Behavior setting:
a space with definable boundaries and objects where typical pattern of behavior occurs at a particular time
98
## Footnote
Proxemics:
the study of spatial requirements of humans and the effects of population density on behavior, communication and social interaction
99
There are four basic variables in developing any construction budget:
1) quantity
2) quality
3) available funds
4) time
100
building cost
the money required to construct the building, including structure, exterior cladding, finishes, and electrical and mechanical systems
101
site development costs
- ususally separate from building costs
- include parking, drives, fences, lanscaping, exterior lighting, sprinkler systems
102
moveable equipment
-funiture, accessories, window coverings, and major equipment necessary to put the facility into operation
103
professional services costs
- architectural and engineering fees
- costs for topographic surveys, soils tests, special consultants, appraisals and legal fees
104
sometimes, a contingency should be added to the budget to account for...
unforseen changes by the client and other conditions that add to the cost
105
Aldo Leopold
- authored essay, "the Land ethic"
- believes that our relationship with the land will provide the framework for the next great ethical transformation in the human community
