Chapter 6 - Sustainable Sites Flashcards
Albedo
A metric to define the reflectivity of an object from darkest black to white using a scale from 0 to 1.
Aquifer
A body of saturated rock through which water can easily move.
Biodiversity
The variety of all life on earth including plants, animals, insects, micro-organisms, and humans.
Bioswale
rainwater control feature
an engineered basin, soil, stone, and vegetation
to reduce rainwater runoff &
increase groundwater recharge
building footprint
The area of ground that the building occupies, defined by its perimeter.
dry pond
An excavated area designed to hold rainwater during a rain event but is dry when there is no precipitation.
Ecosystem
A set of interconnected relationships between living organisms of a place that form a system
including: plants, trees, animals, fish, birds, micro-organisms, water, soil, and humans.
floor-area ratio (FAR)
The density of nonresidential land use, exclusive of structured parking, measured as the total nonresidential building floor area divided by the total buildable land area available for nonresidential structures.
green infrastructure (GI)
The patchwork of natural areas that provide habitat, flood protection, clean air, and clean water at the scale of a city or county, or rainwater management systems that mimic nature by soaking up and storing water at the scale of a neighborhood or site.
heat island effect
The absorption of solar heat by hardscapes such as roofs, roads, parking lots, and sidewalks, and includes other sources such as automobiles, HVAC equipment, and street and building lighting.
Impervious
The characteristic of a material preventing the penetration of liquids and/or gases.
Impervious concrete and asphalt (hardscape) prevent aquifers and water tables from being replenished.
A project’s development footprint is all of its impervious surfaces, or the total land area of a project site covered by buildings, streets, parking areas, and other typically impermeable surfaces constructed as part of the project. Surfaces paved with permeable pavement (at least 50% permeable) are excluded from the development footprint.
integrated pest management (IPM)
A sustainable approach of controlling pest infestation and damage in an economical way while minimizing hazards to people, property, and the environment.
light trespass
The spillage of light across a project boundary onto neighboring sites.
low impact development (LID)
A land management strategy that emulates natural systems to manage rainwater as close to its source as possible.
native and adapted species
Plants that are either native to the region or have adapted to the region and require little to no irrigation.
nonpoint source pollution
rainwater runoff washes pollutants like gasoline, oil, salt, fertilizers into the nearest water bodies.
Pervious
The characteristic of a material allowing the penetration of liquids and/or gases.
pervious surface for rooftops: green (vegetated roof)
sidewalks and parking lots: porous pavement, asphalt and grid pavers
rain garden
A depressed area of ground containing soil, stone, and vegetation that is designed to catch and slow rainwater.
rainwater harvesting
Precipitation captured with a cistern or other catchment device from outside the building for use in irrigation, flush fixtures, or building processes, but not for potable uses.
rainwater runoff
Water from precipitation that runs off impervious hardscapes in the built environment, such as sidewalks, roofs, and parking lots, into the nearest water bodies and sewer systems.
solar reflectance index (SRI)
A metric from 0 to 100 that measures how well a material reflects solar heat, with higher numbers signifying better reflectance.
Watershed
The area of land where all the water that is under it or drains off goes to the same place.
Xeriscaping
Landscaping designed to reduce or eliminate potable water use in irrigation through the planting of native and adapted species of vegetation and the use of other water-conserving techniques.
site assessment
SS - Prerequisite - Environmental Site Assessment - Design (Required in schools and healthcare: To protect the health of vulnerable populations by ensuring that the site is assessed for environmental contamination and that any environmental contamination has been remediated.)
SS - Credit - Site Assessment (1 point): To assess site conditions before design to evaluate sustainable options and inform related decisions about site design.
Installing a vegetative roof will utilize synergies between which credits?
SS Credit - Rainwater Management
SS Credit - Heat Island Reduction
SS Credit - Open space
BUG rating
Backlight, uplight, glare (BUG) rating method classifies smart fixtures according to potential to generate light pollution (to better chose those with less environmental impact).
Three main forms of light pollution:
- uplight: causes artificial sky glow
- glare: any excessively bright source of light within the visual field that creates discomfort or loss of visibility; caused by high-angled front lighting
- light trespass: spillage of light across a project boundary to neighboring sites
If contamination is suspected, a Phase __ Environmental Site Assessment must be conducted. If the Phase __ Environmental Site Assessment indicates soil or groundwater contamination, site remediation must occur.
II
A ________ is a collection of rocks or boulders held together by wire mesh or metal fabric to reduce soil erosion.
gabion
the wire mesh/metal fabric holds the rocks and boulders in place. A gabion slows the movement of water, which allows for saturation into the soil.
2012 EPA Construction General Permit
SS Prerequisite - Construction Activity Pollution Prevention
Prerequisite requires project to implement an erosion and sedimentation control plan for all construction activities associated with the project; conforming to 2012 EPA Construction General Permit
ASTM E1527 and E1903
SS Prerequisite - Environmental Site Assessment
ASTM E1527 requires the project to conduct a Phase I Enviro Site Assessment to determine whether the site is contaminated. If contamination is suspected, a Phase II Enviro Site Assessment as described in ASTM E1903 must be performed.
Low Impact Development (LID) and Green Infrastructure
SS Credit - Rainwater Management
LID is approach to land dev that works with nature to manage stormwater; preserving and recreating natural landscape features, minimize effective imperviousness to treat stormwater as resource rather than waste product.
Credit encourages using LID and green infrastructure to reduce runoff volume and improve water quality by replicating natural hydrology and water balance of site.
Sustainable Site (SS) Credits
Total - 10
Prerequisite - Construction Activity Pollution Prevention
Rainwater management - 3
Site development (protect habitat) - 2
Heat island reduction - 2
Site assessment - 1
Open space - 1 (an additional 2 in health care)
Light pollution reduction - 1
