Chapter 6 - Sustainable Sites

Question 1

Albedo

Answer 1

A metric to define the reflectivity of an object from darkest black to white using a scale from 0 to 1.

Question 2

Aquifer

Answer 2

A body of saturated rock through which water can easily move.

Question 3

Biodiversity

Answer 3

The variety of all life on earth including plants, animals, insects, micro-organisms, and humans.

Question 4

Bioswale

Answer 4

rainwater control feature

an engineered basin, soil, stone, and vegetation

to reduce rainwater runoff &
increase groundwater recharge

Question 5

building footprint

Answer 5

The area of ground that the building occupies, defined by its perimeter.

Question 6

dry pond

Answer 6

An excavated area designed to hold rainwater during a rain event but is dry when there is no precipitation.

Question 7

Ecosystem

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

floor-area ratio (FAR)

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

green infrastructure (GI)

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

heat island effect

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Impervious

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

integrated pest management (IPM)

Answer 12

A sustainable approach of controlling pest infestation and damage in an economical way while minimizing hazards to people, property, and the environment.

Question 13

light trespass

Answer 13

The spillage of light across a project boundary onto neighboring sites.

Question 14

low impact development (LID)

Answer 14

A land management strategy that emulates natural systems to manage rainwater as close to its source as possible.

Question 15

native and adapted species

Answer 15

Plants that are either native to the region or have adapted to the region and require little to no irrigation.

Question 16

nonpoint source pollution

Answer 16

rainwater runoff washes pollutants like gasoline, oil, salt, fertilizers into the nearest water bodies.

Question 17

Pervious

Answer 17

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

Question 18

rain garden

Answer 18

A depressed area of ground containing soil, stone, and vegetation that is designed to catch and slow rainwater.

Question 19

rainwater harvesting

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

rainwater runoff

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

solar reflectance index (SRI)

Answer 21

A metric from 0 to 100 that measures how well a material reflects solar heat, with higher numbers signifying better reflectance.

Question 22

Watershed

Answer 22

The area of land where all the water that is under it or drains off goes to the same place.

Question 23

Xeriscaping

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

site assessment

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

Installing a vegetative roof will utilize synergies between which credits?

Answer 25

SS Credit - Rainwater Management
SS Credit - Heat Island Reduction
SS Credit - Open space

Question 26

BUG rating

Answer 26

Backlight, uplight, glare (BUG) rating method classifies smart fixtures according to potential to generate light pollution (to better chose those with less environmental impact).

Question 27

Three main forms of light pollution:

Answer 27

1. uplight: causes artificial sky glow
2. glare: any excessively bright source of light within the visual field that creates discomfort or loss of visibility; caused by high-angled front lighting
3. light trespass: spillage of light across a project boundary to neighboring sites

Question 28

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.

Answer 28

II

Question 29

A ________ is a collection of rocks or boulders held together by wire mesh or metal fabric to reduce soil erosion.

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

2012 EPA Construction General Permit

Answer 30

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

Question 31

ASTM E1527 and E1903

Answer 31

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.

Question 32

Low Impact Development (LID) and Green Infrastructure

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

Sustainable Site (SS) Credits

Answer 33

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