Ballast - Chapter 07 - Building Context Flashcards
PROXEMICS
A term coined by Edward T. Hall to mean “the interrelated observations and theories of man’s use of space as a specialized elaboration of culture.”
ALBEDO or SOLAR REFLECTANCE (SR)
The fraction of the radiant energy received on a surface that is reflected. A flat black surface that absorbs all the energy striking it and reflects none has an albedo of zero; a mirror that reflects all the energy striking it and absorbs none has an albedo of 1.0. Natural materials such as grass and vegetation have low albedos; snow and pavement have high albedos.
EMISSIVITY (THERMAL EMITTANCE)
Ability of a surface to emit stored energy. Ranges from 0 - 1. 0.
SOLAR REFLECTANCE INDEX (SRI)
is a measure of a roofs ability to reject solar heat, defined so that a standard black surface has an SRI of 0, and a standard white surface has an SRI of 100. A perfectly reflective surface would have an SRI of about 122.
HEAT ISLAND EFFECT
The unnatural buildup of heat around buildings, especially in urban areas.
ECOLOGY
Is the study of the relation of living organisms to their environments.
WETLAND
Is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as an area whose soil is inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater frequently enough that it can support plants that are adapted to living in saturated soil.
BIOSWALE
Is a shallow grass-lined ditch or channel designed to detain storm runoff and remove sediments and other contaminants while allowing the water to seep into the ground through a process known as PHYTOREMEDIATION
INFILTRATION BASIN
Is a closed depression in the earth from which water can escape only into the soil. (Do not confuse with CATCH BASIN, which is an area that temporarily contains excessive runoff until it can flow at a controlled rate into the storm sewer system.)
TURBINE SQUARE
A Civic Space around a PINWHEEL arrangement of streets
NEW TOWN CONCEPT
Entirely New Communities can be built away from the crowding and ugliness of existing cities. Started Great Britain 1940s. Included housing, shopping, and business opportunities, surrounded by a greenbelt.
NEW URBANISM
Begun in 1980 with the construction of Seaside, Florida, by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. Intended in new developments as well as urban and suburban infill projects. Neighborhoods intended for mixed use: housing located within walking distance to shops, offices, and other services, and a variety of residential types, form apartment above shops to single-family houses. Regional Level, new urbanism prontos the connection of neighborhoods and towns to regional patterns of pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit systems. Street and Building Level, encourages individual buildings to be integrated with their surroundings, to support the street as a place for pedestrians. The preservation or reuse of historic structures is also supported.
IMAGEABILITY
By Kevin Lynch. Is the quality of a physical environment that evokes a strong image in the mind of a given observer.
PATH
Is a way of circulation along which people customarily, occasionally, or potentially move. May be a street, pedestrian walkway, railroad, transit line, or river.
EDGE
Is a linear element that forms a boundary between two districts or that breaks continuity. An edge could be a shoreline, a line of buildings against a park, a wall, or a similar feature.
DISTRICT
Is a 2D area perceived as having some identifying character that distinguishes it from the surrounding city.
NODE
Is a focal point or center of interest that people can enter. A node could be an intersection of paths, a place where the mode of transportation changes, a PLAZA or Public Square, or the center of a district.
LANDMARK
Is similar to a Node in that it is a reference point, but a landmark is viewed from the exterior and may or may not be entered. A tower, monument, building, or natural feature can be a landmark.
SUPERBLOCK CONCEPT
Minimized the impact of the car on housing and allows the development of pedestrian circulation and park space within the block. Outgrowth of the new town concept. This concept was used in the planning of Chandigarh, India, by Le Corbusier, and of Brasilia by Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer.
PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT {P.U.D}
Each large parcel of land is designed to have a MIX of Uses — Residential, commercial, recreational, and open space — and is designed with a variety of lot sizes and densities.
DENSITY
The Number of People per Unit of Area.
SOCIOPETAL
Tends to bring people together. (For the people)
SOCIOFUGAL
Tend to discourage interaction or social contact. (Against the People).
TERRITORIALITY
Person who stakes a claim to a personal territory, small and temporary as it may be.
INTIMATE DISTANCE
This ranges from physical contact to a distance of about 6 in to 18 in.
PERSONAL DISTANCE
Ranges from 18in; and extends to about 30 inches for some cultures, more for others.
SOCIAL DISTANCE
Ranges from about 4ft to 12 ft. Distance used for business communication, interactions with strangers or new acquaintances, and other more formal or impersonal situations.
PUBLIC DISTANCE
Ranges from 12ft outward. This distance is used fo lectures, ceremonies, theater, and other occasions involving large audience or a high degree of formality.
Diversity (in environments)
People need diverse and stimulating environments.
Defensible Space (By Oscar Newman)
Environment can also affect criminal behavior and its prevention. In his 1972 Book, Defensible Space, Oscar Newman described a range of design elements that used the basic concepts of surveillance, territoriality, and real and symbolic barriers to reduce crime.
CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN [CPTED]
Takes Defensible Space concepts further and adds other methods such as electronic surveillance, alarms, and Human Resources.
CATCHMENT AREA (TRIBUTARY AREA)
Land development is dependent on or affected by some surrounding base of population.
NEIGHBORHOOD (Clarence Perry 1929)
Is a small area in which people live and share similar needs/desires in housing, social activities, and other aspects of day-to-day living.
LOCAL STREETS
Have the lowest capacity and provide direct access to building sites.
COLLECTOR STREETS
Connect local streets with large arterial streets.
ARTERIAL STREETS
Are major, continuous circulation routes that carry large amounts of traffic on two or three lanes.
EXPRESSWAYS
Are limited access roads designed to move large volumes of traffic between, through, and around population centers.
TANGENT
A Straight Section of Road.
UTILITY EASEMENTS
Portions of privately owned land that public utility companies are permitted to use for the installation and maintenance of their lines.
Macroclimate
Is the overall climate of the region and is reflected in the weather data available from the National Weather Service.
MICROCLIMATE
Is the Site-Specific modification of the Macro-Climate by such features as land slope, trees and other vegetation, bodies of water, and buildings.
