Ballast - Chapter 07 - Building Context

Question 1

PROXEMICS

Answer 1

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.”

Question 2

ALBEDO or SOLAR REFLECTANCE (SR)

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

EMISSIVITY (THERMAL EMITTANCE)

Answer 3

Ability of a surface to emit stored energy. Ranges from 0 - 1. 0.

Question 4

SOLAR REFLECTANCE INDEX (SRI)

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

HEAT ISLAND EFFECT

Answer 5

The unnatural buildup of heat around buildings, especially in urban areas.

Question 6

ECOLOGY

Answer 6

Is the study of the relation of living organisms to their environments.

Question 7

WETLAND

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

BIOSWALE

Answer 8

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

Question 9

INFILTRATION BASIN

Answer 9

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.)

Question 10

TURBINE SQUARE

Answer 10

A Civic Space around a PINWHEEL arrangement of streets

Question 11

NEW TOWN CONCEPT

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

NEW URBANISM

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

IMAGEABILITY

Answer 13

By Kevin Lynch. Is the quality of a physical environment that evokes a strong image in the mind of a given observer.

Question 14

PATH

Answer 14

Is a way of circulation along which people customarily, occasionally, or potentially move. May be a street, pedestrian walkway, railroad, transit line, or river.

Question 15

EDGE

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

DISTRICT

Answer 16

Is a 2D area perceived as having some identifying character that distinguishes it from the surrounding city.

Question 17

NODE

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

LANDMARK

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

SUPERBLOCK CONCEPT

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT {P.U.D}

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

DENSITY

Answer 21

The Number of People per Unit of Area.

Question 22

SOCIOPETAL

Answer 22

Tends to bring people together. (For the people)

Question 23

SOCIOFUGAL

Answer 23

Tend to discourage interaction or social contact. (Against the People).

Question 24

TERRITORIALITY

Answer 24

Person who stakes a claim to a personal territory, small and temporary as it may be.

Question 25

INTIMATE DISTANCE

Answer 25

This ranges from physical contact to a distance of about 6 in to 18 in.

Question 26

PERSONAL DISTANCE

Answer 26

Ranges from 18in; and extends to about 30 inches for some cultures, more for others.

Question 27

SOCIAL DISTANCE

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

PUBLIC DISTANCE

Answer 28

Ranges from 12ft outward. This distance is used fo lectures, ceremonies, theater, and other occasions involving large audience or a high degree of formality.

Question 29

Diversity (in environments)

Answer 29

People need diverse and stimulating environments.

Question 30

Defensible Space (By Oscar Newman)

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN [CPTED]

Answer 31

Takes Defensible Space concepts further and adds other methods such as electronic surveillance, alarms, and Human Resources.

Question 32

CATCHMENT AREA (TRIBUTARY AREA)

Answer 32

Land development is dependent on or affected by some surrounding base of population.

Question 33

NEIGHBORHOOD (Clarence Perry 1929)

Answer 33

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.

Question 34

LOCAL STREETS

Answer 34

Have the lowest capacity and provide direct access to building sites.

Question 35

COLLECTOR STREETS

Answer 35

Connect local streets with large arterial streets.

Question 36

ARTERIAL STREETS

Answer 36

Are major, continuous circulation routes that carry large amounts of traffic on two or three lanes.

Question 37

EXPRESSWAYS

Answer 37

Are limited access roads designed to move large volumes of traffic between, through, and around population centers.

Question 38

TANGENT

Answer 38

A Straight Section of Road.

Question 39

UTILITY EASEMENTS

Answer 39

Portions of privately owned land that public utility companies are permitted to use for the installation and maintenance of their lines.

Question 40

Macroclimate

Answer 40

Is the overall climate of the region and is reflected in the weather data available from the National Weather Service.

Question 41

MICROCLIMATE

Answer 41

Is the Site-Specific modification of the Macro-Climate by such features as land slope, trees and other vegetation, bodies of water, and buildings.