Category I Flashcards
What are California Natural Resource Agency’s roles?
NRA adopt and amend CEQA guidelines.
The agency certifies the state’s environmental regularity program as being exempt from certain provisions of CEQA.
The agency receives and files notices of completion, determination and exemption.
What role do community or special interest group play in relation to a proposed project?
The environmental group, neighborhood or community group play important roles at public hearings to impact the approval or disapproval of the project. The opposition can often cause delays or cost increase to the project.
What are Citizen’s Advisory Committees?
Citizens’ Advisory Committees are groups composed of community members usually appointed by a government board or agency. The Citizen’s Advisory Committee typically reviews and makes recommendations on matters before the board or agency.
What actions would architect take to engage key stakeholders’ interests and goals?
- Formalize partnerships by setting up steering committees.
- Identify local champions (civic leaders, politicians)
- Keep the stakeholders involved and informed by giving presentations at every milestone and solicit their feedbacks.
- Actively promote media exposure (news, articles). Publish news letters.
Name methods of increasing occupant comfort in a workplace environment.
- Internal air temperature and humidity control
- Day-lighting and lighting levels control
- Noise control
How will you evaluate the client’s safety and security needs for a particular project?
- Identify and analyze the threats and risks posed to the building’s occupants, structure, and contents.
- Understand the client’s security requirements, acceptable levels of risk, cost effectiveness, and their impact on the design, construction and use of the building.
- Utilize solutions such as security camera, alarm systems, lighting at entry way, exit doors, and parking lot, access control such as key card entry, reception desk.
What are two climate control systems that can be used to reduce energy consumption?
- Individual control - local thermostat
2. Zoned control - centralized control, used where maintaining temperature and humidity is critical.
What are the water conservation measures you can utilize for the building besides low flow plumbing fixture?
- Graywater system
- Rainwater Harvesting system
- Install drought tolerant landscape
- Drip irrigation on timer or rain sensors
What are some energy efficiency design methods that can be incorporated into a building project?
- Heating and Air Conditioning - properly seal ducts, install programmable thermostats.
- Water Heating - insulate hot water tanks and pipes, use solar hot water system.
- Lighting - use day lighting, fluorescent or LED fixture, install dimmer control and occupancy sensors.
- Appliances - select Energy Star appliances
Name 6 factors that affects wetland health.
- Habitat alteration – Converting wetland to other use such as housing, farming etc.
- Modifying upstream development such as dam and levee
- Introducing non native plants
- Polluting with chemicals, adding water
- Over harvesting native plants and fishes.
- Climate changes – Changes in rainfall or temperature
What are the permits / approvals that required for wetland or stream project?
- US Army Corps of Engineers
- Regional Water Quality Control Board
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife
- CEQA Compliance (California Environmental Quality Act)
What are the measures to mitigate or limit disturbance to the habitats of endangered species?
- Designate no disturbance zones
- Re-plant disturbed area to another area of site
- Minimize disturbance to natural water supply
- Minimize night site lighting
- Maintain wildlife corridor through the site
Name the user characteristics that might affect programming and design decisions?
Culture Age Activity requirements Gender Education Disability
What role do user characteristics play in architectural programming?
- Favoring some adjacencies over others
- Altering circulation patterns
- Affecting the size of program spaces
- Creating a need for additional program spaces based on needs of culture, age, disability, etc.
Name site features that can affect the location and design of a project.
- Soil conditions
- Topography
- Natural features such as rock or streams
- Sun orientation
- Public access to the site
What is the role of a community board or council in the project approval or permitting process?
Community boards or councils are government created organizations that focus on a particular geographic area of a city or county. They hold public meetings on matters of importance to that community and can make recommendations to city or county government.
What is a neighborhood association and what are the aspects of a project that it might find objectionable?
A neighborhood association is a group of neighborhood residents.
They may be concerned for:
1. Increase density
2. Increase traffic
3. Use not appropriate for the neighborhood
What are the mitigation measures for the spread of wild fire?
- Create fire break - 30 ft. zone of fire resistant space around the building
- Use fire resistant plants and landscaping
- Remove or thin overcrowded or small diameter trees
- Keep grass and weeds cut low
- Use fire retardant roofing materials
What are the process to understand the user characteristics and their needs?
- Identify the users (work the list with the owner)
- Form a project programming or Steering Committee
- Establish line of communication
- Meet with individual users or user groups and collect information.
- Analyze and evaluate the requirements. Arrive at workable solutions.
What should be described in the relationship or bubble diagrams?
The diagram indicates how the functions of a client organization should relate to one another.
- Spatial requirements (equipment, circulation)
- Adjacency (function, user preference)
- Relationships of each spaces (visual, functional, or hierarchical)
What is a programming flow diagram?
It is a method of demonstrating needed adjacencies and traffic patterns based on the flow of client goods, services, or people through a finished facility.
