AEP - PPD Personal Cards Flashcards
In PPD, topography is generally concerned with:
Surface conditions
What are some ways topography matters in PPD?
- Grading: is the site level and flat or hilly and sloped
- Vehicular access to the site: how easy is it for cars to reach the site? Do roads already lead to the site? Can construction vehicles access the site?
- Utilities access: are utilities available at the property line or 1,000 yards away? Are there power poles blocking views or vehicular access?
- Features of the site: are there any rock outcroppings, cliffs, grassy meadows, wooded and forested areas?
- Bodies of water: are there wetlands, ponds, lakes, streams or rivers on the site?
- Views: are there any significant views to the lake, ocean, city lights, wooded areas?
What is grading?
It is associated with moving portions of the earth to make a site level, or a site with a specific slope.
What is the difference between “rough grading” and “finish grading”?
“Rough grading” is often done with heavy equipment such as bulldozers.
“Finish grading” is often accomplished using a grader.
What are general rules of thumb for the following slope conditions:
- Flat
- Moderate
- Steep
- Very steep
- Accessible ramps
- Roadways
- Parking lots
- Grass areas
- Flat: less than 4% (suitable for all activities)
- Moderate: between 4% and 10% (requires some effort to climb or descend)
- Steep: between 10% and 50% (suitable for limited activity only)
- Very steep: over 50% (subject to soil erosion or collapse)
- Accessible ramps: 1:12 or 8.3%
- Roadways: should not exceed 10%. A 15% slope approaches the limit a vehicle can climb for a sustained period of time.
- Parking lots: should not exceed 5% (2.5% is preferred)
- Grass areas: should not exceed 25%
The more perpendicular the sun rays, the _____ the amount of solar radiation received.
greater
Define azimuth.
The angle between the sun’s vertical height and the horizon.
In the summer it is a larger angle and more perpendicular, thus more radiation is received.
How does slope of the site relate to solar?
The slope of the site affects the amount of solar energy it receives.
The angle between the ground surface and the direction of the sun’s rays is greater if the ground slopes to the south than if it is level. Hence south sloping sites receive more radiation than north sloping sites.
How does the water table affect the foundation?
It determines:
- the type of foundation;
- the depth of the foundation;
- the type of waterproofing;
- if a basement is possible
What is a high water table?
If subsurface water is within 6’ below the surface.
What happens in cold climates with a high water table?
The water can freeze , and if it does, it expands as it freezes.
The wrong type of foundation could crack or settle if the water table freezes and pushes it upward.
What is seepage?
Water penetration with concrete foundations, due to capillary action.
What are the five climatic conditions architects should be aware of?
Temperature: Our comfort zone ranges between 63-71 in winter and 66-75 in summer.
Humidity: The amount of water vapor in the air. Comfortable ranges are from 30 to 60 percent.
Wind: hazards can include hurricanes, tornadoes, and windstorms. Prevailing wind patterns should be considered.
Rainfall: most important concern related to rainfall is storm water runoff and management to prevent flooding.
Snowfall: snow loads on structures and snow removal strategies; also concerns for water runoff from snowmelt.
What is the difference between “climate” and “weather”?
Climate describes general trends.
Weather describes the specific weather on a given day.
What affects the macroclimate?
Site latitude; site elevation; prevailing winds; proximity to water; proximity to mountains; topography.
What are the four primary climate zones?
Cool; Temperate; Arid; Tropical
What is the difference between Albedo and Conductivity?
Albedo is a measure of the reflectivity of a material. Snow has a high albedo, grass has a low albedo.
Conductivity refers to material’s ability to absorb light.
Grass areas have low albedo (they reflect less) and have high conductivity (absorb more) and therefore are cooler than nearby paved areas.
What are some ways to mitigate site noise?
Use vegetation; site walls; or have smaller wall openings on that side of the building.
What are some benefits of trees and vegetation?
- Trees can be used to screen or direct wind on the site.
- Tress and vegetation absorbs sunlight and adds humidity to the air, cooling the site around the building.
- Planted areas are cooler during hot days and have less heat loss during the night.
- Trees are often used to shade the south and west facing sides of the building.
- Deciduous trees block out direct sunlight in the summer while allowing it to pass through in the winter.
- Coniferous trees block wind and views.
Names ways to mitigate or limit disturbance to flora.
- Designate no disturbance zones.
- Re-plant disturbed areas to another area of the site.
- Minimize disturbance to natural water or food supply on site.
- Plant native or indigenous species.
- Avoid invasive plants to help protect existing vegetation.
- Use/Employ a conservation easement.
What is a Conservation Easement?
A Conservation Easement is a legal protection of a portion of the site to ensure that no future development will ever occur on it.
A Conservation Easement may also provide certain tax benefits.
Name ways to mitigate or limit disturbance to fauna.
- Designate no disturbance zones.
- Minimize disturbance to natural water or food supply on site.
- Minimize night site lighting to not disturb fauna.
- Maintain wildlife/use corridors through the site.
- Use/Employ a conservation easement.
Name ways you can increase the bearing capacity of soil?
Compaction; Fill; Surcharging.
Name and order (by size) the different types of soil.
From largest to smallest (size): Gravel; Sand; Silt; Clay.
Organic material - must be removed.
Name and state key aspects of each soil type.
- Gravel: drains well, able to bear loads
- Sand: drains well, good foundation when graded.
- Silt: stable when dry or damp, not when wet. Swells when frozen.
- Clay: plastic when wet, stiff when dry. Poor drainage, can be highly expansive.
Name some general rules of thumb about boring tests.
- Placed 100-500 feet apart for uniform conditions.
- 50’ apart for large structures.
- Placed with one at each building corner and one in the center of the proposed building.
- Should extend 20’ beyond firm strata.
What is the difference between Safe Bearing Capacity and Ultimate Bearing Capacity?
Safe Bearing Capacity: ultimate bearing capacity of the soil divided by a safety factor of 2 to 4 times.
Ultimate Bearing Capacity: maximum unit pressure to which the foundation soil may be subjected without detrimental settlement.
Name the basic vehicular routes and in order from High to Low intensity.
Freeways > Arterial Streets (Highways) > Collector/Distributor Streets > Local Streets
What is the area covered by a person standing still?
~ 3 square feet
As a general rule of thumb, what should a …
- sidewalk’s width be?
- collector walkways (handling larger number of people) be?
Sidewalk: not less than 5’
Collector walkway: at least 6’ to 10’
Name some high thermal mass materials.
- Stone
- Earth
- Brick
- Concrete
- Tile
Name some building materials that can be reclaimed.
- Wood
- Brick
- Countertops
- Cabinets
Name examples of sustainably harvest materials:
- Cork
- Bamboo
- Palm wood
Name the 6 Principles of Sustainable Design
1) Optimize site potential
2) Optimize energy use
3) Protect and conserve water
4) Optimize building space and material use
5) Enhance indoor environmental quality (IEQ)
6) Optimize operational and maintenance practices
When used for irrigation, graywater requires a _____ system.
drip
What is rainwater harvesting?
The process of collecting water that falls on your roof or yard. That water is filtered and stored for later use to irrigate the landscape or flush the toilets.
Name typical patterns for designing livable and thriving neighborhoods.
- Street front pattern
- End-on pattern
- Court pattern
- Cluster development
- Planned unit development (PUD)
- Urban redevelopment / Urban renewal
Name three main characteristics of a PUD
- Large scale
- Mixed use
- Done in phases
How are Urban Redevelopments / Urban Renewal funded?
Urban redevelopments / Urban renewal are federally funded.
What is the main difference between a PUD and Urban Redevelopment / Urban Renewal project?
PUDs typically refer to new development.
Redevelopment (or renewal) refers to improving an existing area to bring density, diversity and a mix of uses.
Name the four approaches to preserving historically significant structures (from most historically accurate to least).
- Preservation
- Rehabilitation
- Restoration
- Reconstruction
In historic preservation, _____, _____, and _____ are emphasized, while _____ is discouraged.
protection, maintenance, repair;
replacement
List the process of historic preservation (in order):
- Identify, retain, and preserve historic materials and features.
- Stabilize any deteriorated historic materials/features as a primary measure.
- Protect and maintain historic materials and features.
- Repair historic materials and features.
- Limited replacement of extensively deteriorated portions of historic features.
- Address energy efficiency, accessibility, health and life safety issues.
What are the two ways to measure density?
Net Density: the ratio of people to land, excluding streets and open spaces
Gross Density: the ratio of people to land INCLUDING streets and open spaces. This is more accurate.
What is the minimum average people per acre (PPA) required for an effective public transit system?
30
The purpose of zoning is to allocate the function and use of land in order to:
- Protect local residents from undesirable types of business;
- Protect the access to direct sunlight and fresh air;
- Protect the amount of open space for local residents;
- Ensure incompatible types of building uses do not disturb residents (ie: putting a loud factory next to a quiet library).
Name and define the four main categories of zoning used in the US.
- Euclidean: single use zoning
- Performance: designed for flexibility and responds to changing market
- Incentive: encourage new development by implementing a reward-based system for urban development
- Form-Based: regulate the form that the land use may shape (setbacks, building heights, density, etc), rather than type of land use
Name examples of issues regulated by building codes.
- Type of Construction
- Type of Occupancy
- Construction standards of care (nailing patterns, connections, etc.)
- Structural and seismic requirements (shear walls, bolting, lateral forces)
- Hurricane requirements (impact strength, roof shingle attachment)
- Accessibility Guidelines (wheelchair ramps, handrails)
- Safety (guardrails, stair nosings)
- Health standards (ventilation, fresh air needs)
- Sanitation requirements (pipe locations and size, water supply)
- Assembly (room location and sizes)
- Electrical (wiring safety, outlet locations, circuit breakers)
- Fireplace requirements (smoke dampers, ventilation requirements, glass doors)
- Energy efficiency requirements (minimum insulation, window sizes, orientation)
- Water efficiency requirements (low flow toilets, plumbing flow rates)
- Egress and exiting requirements (exit signage, hallway length & width, exit discharge)
- Fire protection (sprinklers, smoke/fire dampers, standpipes)
What is the difference between the Property Line and the Building Line.
Property line is the legal boundary of a site outlining the ownership of a property.
Property lines are used as the starting point of certain setbacks to determine the building line of (or buildable area on) the site.
Define: Prescriptive Code
A code that specifies specific techniques, materials and methods allowed for use. Simple to administer, but the specific code allows for no innovation.
Define: Performance Code
A code that describes functional requirements that meet a certain standard, allowing the architect to find ways to meet those standards. The open nature of the code promotes innovation. You may have to demonstrate you’re meeting the intent of the code by requiring a test paid for by owner.
Define: Fire Zone
A special area within the building deemed high, moderate, or low hazardous for fire.
The type of zone affects the types of materials and uses permitted in the zone.
What are the three steps the Permitting Process can be simplified into?
1) Entitlement Phase;
2) Building and Safety Plan Check (and other agencies);
3) Obtaining the Building Permit
Who can obtain the Building Permit?
The Owner can.
The GC can, and will have to show their General Contractor’s license and proof of workers compensation insurance.
The Architect DOES NOT.
List ramp and walkway requirements.
- Ramps shall not be steeper than 1:12 (8.3%) slope.
- Ramps shall be a minimum width of 36”
- Ramps maximum run to be be 30’ and maximum rise 30” (before a landings is required).
- Ramp landings shall be a minimum of 60” in length.
- Ramps that change direction shall have a clear landing area of 60” minimum by 60” minimum.
- Handrails shall extend 12” minimum beyond the top and bottom of the ramp.
- Clear space between handrails and the wall shall be 1.5” minimum.
- Minimum width required for two wheelchairs to pass each other is 60,” so public walkways should be a minimum 60” (5’) wide.
- Walkways should have a maximum gradient of 5% (1:20) and a maximum cross gradient of 2% (1:50).
- All accessible paths of travel, which cross into vehicular aisles are required to have detectable warning strips (truncated domes).
- Flared sides of curb ramps shall be 1:10 maximum slope.
Define the following:
- Wheelchair passage width
- 2 wheelchairs passing width
- Required headroom
- Wheelchair turning space
- Clear floor space
- Doors
- Shallow closet doors
- Door clearance
- Handrail height
- Handrail cross section from wall
- Handrail extension at top
- Handrail extension at bottom
- Stairways
- Wheelchair passage width: 36” clear (32” clear at pinch point)
- 2 wheelchairs passing width: 60” clear minimum
- Required headroom: 80” minimum
- Wheelchair turning space: 60” minimum circle
- Clear floor space: 2’-6” (30”) x 4’-0” (48”)
- Doors: 32” clear minimum, when opened at 90
- Shallow closet doors: 20” clear minimum
- Door clearance: 1’-6” (18”) clear at pull side of door
- Handrail height: 34” minimum to 38” maximum
- Handrail cross section from wall: 1.24” - 2” in diameter, no more than 1.5” clear
- Handrail extension at top: 12” past top of stair/ramp
- Handrail extension at bottom: 12” PLUST depth of one tread
- Stairways: 48” clear between handrails minimum
What are the requirements for an Area of Refuge?
- A minimum of one-hour fire rating with a smoke proof enclosure;
- Emergency lighting;
- Two-way communication with instructions;
- The area must be marked with an illuminated sign;
- Steady supply of outside fresh air;
- Passive fire protection
What is the Occupant Load Factor?
The amount of floor area presumed to be occupied by one person.
What is the difference between “Net Area” and “Gross Area” as it refers to Occupant Load Factor?
Net Area: the space actually used;
Gross Area: all floor area: stair, hallways, toilets, mechanical rooms, storage and wall thicknesses.
What is an Accessory Use Area, and provide an example.
To be considered an accessory use area, the area CAN’T exceed 10% of the total floor area allowed by the height/area table. It does NOT need to be separated from the main area by a fire separation.
Example: a small office inside a factory
What is an Incidental Accessory Area?
It is similar to an accessory area, in that it cannot be more than 10% of the total floor area allowed by the height/area table, but it DOES need to be separated from the main area by a fire separation.
Example: a linen closet on the same floor as the hotel rooms
What is a Mixed Occupancy?
If the occupancies in a building are too large to be considered incidental or accessory then the building is considered to have mixed occupancy.
How do you determine the Occupant Load?
Take the largest of the these three methods:
1) Actual number of people the space or building is designated to accommodate, typically used where fixed seating exists.
- Example: an auditorium with 300 seats sets an occupant load of 300
2) Use a load factor provided in the code. Divide the building area by this occupant load factor.
- Example: a restaurant is 5,000sf, and the occupant load factory (shown in the code) is 15sf per person. Thus 5000/15 = 333.33 or 334 persons (round up to the nearest number)
3) Occupant load is cumulative as the occupants exit through intervening spaces to an ultimate exit.
- Example: An office is 3,700sf with an occupant load factor of 100sf/person; connected to 2 classrooms of 1,200sf each, with a load factor of 20sf/person. Thus:
Office: 3700/100= 37 persons
Classrooms: 1200+1200=2400/20 = 120 persons
37+120=157 persons
What determines the need for a fire suppression system (typically sprinklers)?
Generally based on:
- Area of the building (larger areas have more requirements)
- The type of occupancy (larger groups of people in one area will have stricter requirements)
- The number of occupants (more people trigger more requirements)
When are sprinklers required?
For buildings taller than 55’, or deep underground, or windowless structures.
Define: Fire Resistance
The value for how long a wall separation can resists the passage of fire.
Stated in terms of hours. i.e. R1 = one hour of resistance.
Define: Flame Spread Rating / Smoke Developed Rating.
It measures the amount of flame and smoke a material generates when burned.
Certain ratings are required for certain materials and use.
Name a way to gain additional bonus height increase, as it relates to Type of Construction.
- Use a higher rated type of construction (i.e. go from Type V to Type III)
- Add fire proofing to the structure
- Add a sprinkler system
Name the Types of Construction and provide an example.
Type I: Fire Resistive - Concrete or protected steel. Typically found in high-rise buildings.
Type II: Non-Combustible - reinforced masonry with metal framing at roof. Typically found in mid-rise office buildings.
Type III: Combustible - using brick, block or light gauge steel framing walls with wood framing at roof. Typically found in low-rise schools, hotels, or offices.
Type IV: Heavy Timber - also called “mill construction,” wood must be nominally 8” or larger. Typically found in warehouse buildings.
Type V: Wood Frame - used on apartment buildings and single family homes.
What does the letter after the Construction Type indicate?
Whether it is fire resistance or not.
A: protected by fire rated covering (drywall, spray-on coating) by at least 1-hour rating
B or N: unprotected with no additional fire rating other than the material’s natural fire resistance.
What are the three parts to the Egress?
1) Exit Access (unprotected): typically limited to 75’ before a second path is required. the overall travel distance from ANY space within an office to an exit is 250’.
2) Exit: A door that opens directly to the outside or to a protected stair to the outside.
3) Exit Discharge: the path from the exit door to reach the public way.
What is the fire rating for an Exit Stair?
Enclosed fire stairs must be fire rated for one hour for up to 3 stories, or two hours for 4 or more stories.
