Site Analysis

Question 1

solar altitude

Answer 1

angle above the horizon

Question 2

azimuth

Answer 2

angle north or south from the east-west line

Question 3

radiative cooling

Answer 3

uses thermal mass to store heat during the day and release heat at night

Question 4

ground coupling

Answer 4

uses the stable coolness of the earth to cool a building - typically by using a ground-source heat pump

Question 5

metes and bounds description

Answer 5

defines the perimeter of the site by using a starting point and describing each boundary line by angle of bearing and length

Question 6

topography

Answer 6

describes the surface features of land

Question 7

topographic map

Answer 7

shows slope and contour of the land

Question 8

topographic survey

Answer 8

information on the contours of a site, property boundaries, easements, existing buildings, utility poles, roads and other manufactured features, trees and other natural features

Question 9

contour lines

Answer 9

show elevation of the land in plan view

Question 10

contour interval

Answer 10

different in elevation between adjacent contour lines

Question 11

slope

Answer 11

G=d/L x 100%

Question 12

water table

Answer 12

underground level below which the soil is saturated with water

Question 13

runoff coefficient

Answer 13

fraction of total precipitation that is not absorbed into the ground

Question 14

silt fence

Answer 14

temporary fence designed to allow water to pass through while filtering out sediment and allowing sediment to settle

Question 15

soil

Answer 15

pulverized upper layer of the earth

Question 16

gravel

Answer 16

2mm in diameter - excellent for construction loads, drainage, and sewage drain fields but unsuitable for landscaping

Question 17

sand

Answer 17

.05 mm to 2 mm in diameter - finest grains visible to the eye - excellent for construction loads, drainage, and sewage drain fields but unsuitable for landscaping

Question 18

silt

Answer 18

.002 mm to .05 mm in diameter - stable when dry or damp but unstable when wet - occasionaly plastic in their behavior

Question 19

clay

Answer 19

under .002 in diameter - smooth and floury when dry and plastic and sticky when wet - poor for foundation unless it can be kept dry - unsuitable for drainage

Question 20

peat

Answer 20

organic material excellent for landscaping but unsuitable for building foundation and road base

Question 21

hardpan

Answer 21

unbroken mixture of clay, sand, and gravel - good base for building foundation

Question 22

shale and slate

Answer 22

soft rocks with fine texture

Question 23

bedrock

Answer 23

solid rock that forms the earth’s crust - highest bearing capacity of all soil types

Question 24

borings

Answer 24

undisturbed samples of soil are removed at regular intervals and type of material is recorded in a boring log

Question 25

standard penetration test (spt)

Answer 25

a common borehole test that is a measure of the density of granular soils and the consistency of some clays

Question 26

test pits

Answer 26

trenches dug at the job site that allow visual inspection of the soil strata and direct connection of undisturbed samples

Question 27

auger borings

Answer 27

raise samples of the soil by using a standard auger bit and is best used in sand or clay for shallow or intermediate depths because the auger cannot penetrate hard obstructions such as bedrock

Question 28

wash borings

Answer 28

made with a 2in to 4in diameter pipe through which a water jet is maintained to force up the soil material. Can extend down about 100 ft or more but samples are so thoroughly mixed that analysis is difficult

Question 29

dry sample boring

Answer 29

material is extracted by driving a pipe with a split sampling pipe on the leading edge about 5in into the soil

Question 30

soil load test

Answer 30

involve building a platform on the site, placing incremental loads on it, and observing the amount of settlement during given time periods until settlement becomes regular after repeated loading

Question 31

brownfield

Answer 31

property whose redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminate

Question 32

karst

Answer 32

landscape in which soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum have dissolved forming caves and other voids below the surface

Question 33

conductivity

Answer 33

rate at which heat flows through a material

Question 34

slope statements

Answer 34

- a 1.5% slope is suitable for rough paving - landscaped areas near buildings should have at least a 2% slope away from the structure - a safe sidewalk slopes in the direction of travel no more than 2.5% - sidewalk cross slopes must be a max of 2% - grass slopes for recreation should have a max of 3%