Building Context Flashcards
expanding grid
Pattern of urban development - city begins at junction of 2 major roads and is laid out on a grid
star pattern
pattern of urban development - city grows out of a dense urban core, with development radiating spokes of main highways and mass transit routes out of center
satellite pattern
pattern of urban development - large, dense urban core surrounded by other major urban areas (linked by major highways)
beltway
circular road system that connects sattellite areas
field pattern
pattern of urban development - no central focus or apparent organization
megalopolis
form of urban development - 2+ urban centers near each other grow together as the space between them is developed
imageability
quality of physical environment that evokes a strong image
path
way of circulation along which people customarily, occasionally, or potentially move
edge
linear element that forms a boundary or breaks continuity
district
two dimensional area having some identifying character
node
focal point or center of interest that people can enter
landmark
reference point but viewed from the exterior
superblock
concept that minimizes impact of the car on housing and allows the development of pedestrian circulation and park space within a block
planned unit development (pud)
each large parcel of land is designed to have a mix of uses and to have a variety of lot sizes and densities
transit oriented development
construction that takes place in areas surrounding transit stops - includes relatively high density of living units, commercial development, other support services
catchment areas
geographical region of land development that is dependent on or affected by some surrounding base of population
proxemics
deals with issues of spacing between people, territoriality, organization of space, and positioning of people in the space (related to the culture of which they are a part)
behavior setting
place with defined boundaries in which a standing pattern of behavior occurs at a particular time
territoriality
need to lay claim to the spaces we occupy and the things we own
local streets
lowest capacity and provide access to building sites
collector streets
connect local streets with large arterial streets - higher capacity
arterial street
major, continuous circulation routes that carry large amounts of traffic (2-3 lanes)
expressway
limited access roads designed to move large volumes of traffic between, through, and around population centers.
macroclimate
overall climate of a region
microclimate
site-specific modifications of the microclimate by features like land slope, trees and vegetation, bodies of water, and buildings
albedo
fraction of radiant energy received on a surface that is reflected and expressed as a number from 0 - 1 (solar reflectance)
reflectivity
used to measure the solar heat rejection of non-roof materials (vegetation, shading devices, other less reflective components) - value from 0 - 1
emissivity
ability of a surface to emit stored energy - value from 0 - 1
thermal emittance
similar measure of thermal radiation
solar reflectance index (sri)
measure of a roof’s ability to reject solar heat
heat island effect
unnatural buildup of hear around buildings
wetland
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
infiltration basin
closed depression in the earth from which water can escape only into the soil
catch basin
area that temporarily contains excessive runoff until it can flow at a controlled rate into the storm sewer system
bioswale
shallow grass-lined ditch or channel designed to detain storm runoff and remove sediments while allowing water to seep into the ground
crime prevention through environmental design (cpted)
implemented through architectural methods, mechanical access controls, natural access controls, electronic methods, and organizational methods
core
focus of a district that may be perceived as a symbol of that part of the city
