1 Flashcards
FHA
Federal Housing Administration, founded in 1934 to provide mortgage insurance.
FNMA
Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), an agency whose function is to stabilize the housing market by purchasing mortgages or providing mortgage money directly.
Bauhaus
The school of design established by Walter Gropius in Weinmar and Dessau, also it’s design philosophy. Emphasis was on the merger of art with technology and the functional design which resulted.
end-on pattern
A housing pattern consisting of rows of units located perpendicular to the street.
finger plan
An urban pattern in which development occurs along public transit corridors and expressways.
dedication
Appropriation of private property for public use, together with acceptance for such use by a public agency.
environmental impact statement
A statement, often required by a governmental body, which assesses the environmental impact of a proposed development.
runoff coefficient
The percentage of total rainfall which is not absorbed into the ground and, hence, runs off. It must be collected in a system of surface and subsurface drains.
craze
To develop minute surface cracks in stucco, concrete, or glaze.
cluster zoning
A type of zoning that permits a developer to reduce the minimum lot size below the requirements of the zoning ordinance, if the land gained thereby is preserved as permanent, community open space.
dwelling unit
An independent living area which includes its own private cooking and bathing facilities.
holistic
Relating to an entity, rather then to its parts; overall.
central business district
The core of a city, containing the main concentration of stores, offices, and services.
restriction
A limitation on the use of property defined by covenant in a deed, by private agreement, or by public legislative action.
greenbelt
A beltlike area around a city, reserved for parks, farms, open spaces, and so on.
nonconforming use
A use for property which is no longer permitted by the zoning ordinance. Unless it is unsafe, such a use is generally allowed to continue.
pagoda
In far eastern architecture, a tower-like structure, often used as a shrine.
abstract
To summarize; to get to the essence of something.
bearing
In surveying, a direction stated in degrees, minutes, and seconds as an angular deviation east or west from due north or south.
zoning envelope
The volume within which a building may legally be placed.
drain tile
Clay pipe, usually with open joints, used to convey water away from a footing or to disperse liquid in a septic tank field.
ring pattern
A landuse pattern which is developed in a circle or donut shape.
axis
An imaginary principal line along which forms are arranged or organized. Often, an axial line bisects a form, resulting in symmetry.
transpiration
The process by which water vapor escapes into the atmosphere from plants.
acropolis
A citadel in an ancient Greek city, usually on a plateau.
soil boring log
A log showing the types of soil encountered in a test boring and other relevant information.
personal distance
The space which feels comfortable between one person and another, often thought of as a protective space bubble varying between two and four feet.
setback
The minimum distance from the property line into which a structure may not extend.
plane
A flat or level surface.
storm sewer
A sewer for carrying away surface rain water, as opposed to sanitary sewage.
property line
A legal boundary of a parcel of land.
golden section
A concept of proportion in which a whole is divided so that the ratio of the smaller part is the same as the ratio of the larger part to the whole. Mathematically, C, B = B, A
gradient
The rate of slope between two points on a surface, determined by dividing their vertical difference in elevation by their horizontal distance apart.
comfort zone
The combination of thermal and environmental conditions within which a human is comfortable, often shown on a psychometric chart.
integration
The elimination of segregation or discrimination in public facilities by making such facilities available to persons of all races.
organic
Pertaining to architecture having directness of form and economy of materials, as is common to organisms.
neighborhood
A community of people living in a general area, which can generally support an elementary school.
survey
The process of determining location, form, and boundaries of a parcel of land by measurement, computation, and drawing.
earthwork
Removing and/or adding earth in order to bring the ground surface to a specified elevation or profile. Also called grading.
yard
An open, unoccupied space, other than a court, unobstructed to the sky, on the lot on which a building is situated.
