Definitions Flashcards
an amount included in a construction budget, normally 5 to 10 percent, to provie for unforeseen or unpredictable costs
contigency allowance
the maximum flood level with a 1% probability of occurring within a given year
100 year flood
a buttressing or supporting structure
abutment
building whose function is secondary to that of the main structure
Accessory building
the branch of physics that deals with sound. In architectural application, the sound qualities of a room or space.
acoustics
In an ancient Greek city, a citadel, usually on a high plateau
acropolis
tax based on the value of the property being taxed
ad Valorum Tax
a sun-dried brick of earth, used in the American Southwest
adobe
The branch of philosophy that deals with the quality, aspects, and perception of beauty
Aesthetics
commits buyer to perform specific duty in the future.
affirmative covenant
the legal concept that one person, the agent, acts on behalf of another, the principal, in dealing with another, the third party. (architect = agent; client = principal; and contractor = 3rd party)
Agency
the rights to the use or control of space above a property, such as highways, railroad tracks, or buildings
Air rights
reflectivity measured as the relative permeability of a surface to radiant energy flowing in either direction
Albedo
horizontal or vertical deviation from the straight or level centerline of the road.
alignment
determined by use group and type of construction. may be increased if fire-suppression system or adequate street frontage is provided. bylaws also restrict building height.
allowable building height
desireable features of or near a building that increases the property’s value
Amenities
payment of a loan over the life of the loan using equal payments at equal intervals. Each payment provides for a portion to be applied to the principal and the remainder to be applied to the interest.
Amortization
an arena encircled by tiers of seats
amphitheater
a major tenant in shopping mall such as department store that in theory serves to attract shoppers to the mall to benefit other smaller stores
Anchor tenant
an electromagnetc device that indicates the activation of cetain circuits; a device to signal the existence and location of a fire in a building.
Annunciator
giving human characteristics to nonhuman things
anthropomorphism
estimation of a property’s value made by a qualified appraiser
Appraisal
the eastern or altar end of a church, usually semi-circular in plan.
Apse
a natural, underground reservoir form which wells draw water
Aquifer
normally two lane per direction, no parking on street, traffic lights, sometimes with restaurants and shops. connects expressway to street serving residential area (collector-distributor). access to expressway is controlled.
arterial
masonry having a face of square or rectangular stones.
Ashlar
the value given to a property by local jurisdiction to be used to assess taxes on the property. It’s a percentage of the actual value (market value)
Assessed value
connects two major spaces with smaller branches on either side. common in shopping malls
axial organization
is the angle between the north vector and the perpendicular projection of the star down onto the horizon.
azimuth
a glazed decorative tile ith the color blue most prominent.
azulejo
earth or other fill material placed between an outside foundation wall and the excavation
backfill
a partial obstruction against flow, in a duct or pipe
baffle
the proportioning of components by offsetting or contrasting so as to produce an aesthetic equilibrium in the whole
Balance
show start and finish dates. for larger architectural projects.
bar/gantt chart
a style of european architecture developed in the late Renaissance in reaction to classical forms, containing elaborate curves, scrolls, and ornament
baroque
used as a background map for site analysis. Its shows the site’s legal boundaries, contours, roads, buildings, utilities, and other manmade key features
base map
parallel used as a primary starting point for the east-west layout of the US survey system
baseline
a part, usually half, of a broken brick; also a unit of flat insulation
bat
a cleat-like member palced acreoss a series of boards to tie them together; also, a narrow strip covering the joint between two vertical boards
batten
region or town that contains mainly housing and few employment opportunities
Bedroom community
roofed sturcture or pavilion located to command a view
Belvedere
an excavated level terrace in a slope used to collect running water
bench
a relatively permanent surveyor’s mark of known location and elevation
bench mark
a bank of earth, often piled up against a wall
berm
humna love of life and living systems; it is the attractions and positive feeling that people have toward certain habitats, activities, and objects in their natural surroundings.
biophilia
grassy sloped ditch that filteres storm runoff as it is directed away from a building or paved area. allows water to seep into ground and recharge aquifers
bioswale/ swle
describing cement, mastic, or roofing material which contains asphalt as a prinicpal ingredient
Bituminous
area of city containing buildings/infrastructure in decay, needing improvement
Blighted area
a division of urban land, normally private property, that is surrounded by public streets, and which is officially established and recorded
block
The detailed standard wording of a contract, warranty, etc.
Boilerplate
a stone guard to prevent damage to a wall; also, free-standing stone or metal post to divert vehicular traffic
bollard
Building Owners and managers Association. A professional organziation for commercial real estate professionals. These professonials monitor and lobby pertinent legislative, regulartory and codes/standards issues in relation to the commercial real estate industry
BOMA International
drilling into the earth to obtain soil samples in order to determine soil bearing capacity
boring
temporary support for excavation walls consisiting of vertical sheeting (wood or steel) supported by diagonal bracing
bracing
in design-build, early fixed price. contractor has responsibility for details of construction. more cost effective than design-bid-build.
bridging
a sun break, an architectural shading device for blocking unwanted sun rays
Brise-Soleil
British Thermal Unit; the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water 1*F
BTU
piece of land used to separate two incompatible uses
Buffer zone
it is the lot area minus the required setbacks. Structures are only allowed to be built in this area.
buildable area
the process of verifying in new const. that all the subsystems achieve the owner’s project requ’r as intended by the bldg owner and as designed
building commissioning
a defined limit within a property line beyond which a structure may not protrude
Building Line
is the portion of the horizontal piping of the sanitary sewer system outside of the bldg
building sewer
a bell tower
campanile
to set at a slant from the horizontal or vertical
cant
amount of money used to make physical improvements to property to enhance the property’s value over extended period of time
Capital expenditure
A small room in a library
carrel
amount of money that is net income from a property after expenses are paid
Cash flow
an air chamber without a bottom, use din excavation through water or mud
Cassion
a sieve-like device at the entrance to a storm sewer to trap debris that could block up the sewer
catch basin
a geographical area from which the participants in an activity are drawn, such as the customers of a shopping center, or the employees of a manufacturing plant
catchment
to fill joint with mastic, usually done with a pressure gun
Caulk
covenants, conditions and restrictions; rules applying to property owner in subdivision, condominium, cooperative housing facility.
CC&Rs
the inner enlcosed room of an ancient temple
cella
wooden framework for constructing dome. brunelleschi’s florence cathedral was first to not use it (1420). pantheon built 120AD with centering. st peter’s basilica in rome 1500’s slightly pointed. us capitol dome 1800s, cast iron.
centering
the separation of traffic lanes by use of islands or dividers
Channelization
mass transit within walking distance. mixed use zoning. blend of housing types allowing people to stay in same neighborhood. independence from cars. narrower streets and more intersections. on street, small parking
Charter of New Urbanism
a valve in a pipe that permits water to flow only in one direction
check valve
1970’s timeless way of building, pattern language, oregon experiment, advocate environmentally sensitive, human focused approach to design. vernacular historical precedent, use of patterns allows nonprofessionals to influence design.
Christopher Alexander
the prevailing or average weather conditions of place as determined over a number of years
cimate
the flow or movement of people, goods, vehicles, etc., from place to place
circulation
tank for collecting and storing water. often for harvesting rainwater for irrigation or nonpotable building uses.
cistern
row house project - aesthetics. vandal resistant material bad. use more residential materials selected by residents. open spaces are dangerous. curbs and fences are barriers to define private and semi-private space. shorter and wider pedestrian walkways allow better supervision. allocation of common ground to each family.
Clason Point, NY
hot-humid: long east-west, with overhangs; hot-arid: square/compact with courtyard (islamic); cold: square/compact, dark colors, no north windows; temperate: rectangular
climate regions and forms
a brick that has been overburned by being near the fire in a kiln
clinker
a type of grade-separated interchange used in highway design. Named for its shape
cloverleaf
type of housing development in which houses are placed close to each other and have access to nearby common open spaces
Cluster housing
a street to which minor streets connect and that, itself, leads to a mjor arterial
collector street
one lane per direction, parking permitted at certain times. traffic lights
collector-distributor
portion of building available to all tenants. typically owned by the property owners in the association, who pay maintenance fees.
Common area
anchored by large supermarket, some variety store and specialty stores. serves 20,000-100,000 people. 100,000-300,000 sf on 10-30 acres.
Community center
hollow and curved inward
concave
the legal process initiated by the public authority wishing to take the property in question to exercise the power of eminent domain to transfer to tansfer title to the property from its private owner to the government
condemnation
states that if restrictions prescribed in deed are not followed, title reverts to original grantor or heirs
conditional covenant
permission from zoning board to use property for non-complying purpose in exchange for service to public good. (ex a street fair in a residential area)
conditional use permit
development in which residents own their own living units but share common areas which are maintained by the condo corp. also form of ownership where buyer obtains absolute title to portion of a structure
Condominium
the speed with which energy (normally heat energy) passes through a given material after penetrating its surface
conductivity
petraining to cone-bearing trees and shurbs, mostly evergeens, such as pine, spruce, fir, cedar, etc.
coniferous
A pattern of land use in which random clusters of development are connected to one another
constellation pattern
a procedure in which an owner contracts with a construction manager who is generally responsible for control of a project’s time, cost, and quality.
construction management (CM)
dashed represents existing contour. solid shows where earth is to be manipulated. elevation is noted on high side of contour.
contour lines
the distribution of energy (normally heat) by fluid movementj of air or water
convection
a deed restriction that regulates land use, construction materials, appearance, and aesthetic qualities of an area
convenant
cured outward (the surface of a sphere)
convex
act of transferring an interest in a property to another person, or the document written to formalize such a transfer
Conveyance
type of land ownership where residents own interest in the corporation that owns the entire property. they do not own their own units directly.
Cooperative (co-op)
good idea to tack on contingency for unforseen conditions. 5-20%.
cost opinion
shows complex interrelationships between tasks, scheduling method for extremely large architectural projects but more commonly used by contractors to coordinate construction
CPM critical path method
Came from defensible space ideas, relies on inhabitants to police own surroundings. encourage this by clearly defining public and private spaces, making streets, parking, entrances more visible to residents. regulating behavior is outside its scope.
CPTED Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
to develop minut surface cracks in stucco, concrete, or glaze
craze
a system of planning and scheduling construction operations that analyzes sequences and durations of time using network diagrams and identifies construction task that have great impact in schedule
criticial path method
dead-end street that only has one in and often features a large circular turnaround space at the end
cul-de-sac
a length of pipe, running under a road or other barrier, used to drain or carry water
culvert
permit given by a city or other zoning jursidiction for proposed use that otherwise would not be allowed in the zoning district. special conditions are imposed to ensure that development does not adversely affect the surrounding neighborhood.
CUP conditional use permit
a raised margin running along the edge of a street pavement, usually of concrete
curb
earth that is removed and earth that is added in grading
cut and fill
a platform raised above floor level
dais
a horizontal plane elevation used as a reference for other elevations in surveying and mapping
datum
gated streets create mini-neighborhoods. but also require strict reinforcement of building coes, financial aid for property maintenance, community programs facilitating interaction among neighbors
Dayton, Ohio
cost to pay off a construction loan for a project. It is considered to be an ongoing cost over many years, it is not part of the original project cost.
debt service/ Cost of money
shedding leaves annually, as constrasted with evergreen
deciduous
donation of a parcel of land by developer for public use, such as park or school
dedication
a written instrument that is used to transfer property title from one party to another
deed
clause in deed restricting future use of parcel by buyer - includes conditions, covenants and restrictions.
deed restriction
restructure the physical layout of communities to allow residents to control the areas around their homes. less families per entrance/public indoor space the better - more ownership. number of units and floors. seeing street = neighbors looking out for one another.
Defensible Space - Oscar Newman
shared wall between two leased spaces or two residential units.
Demising wall (party wall)
a measure of the number of people, families, etc., that occupy a specified area
density
the avg temp that a mech system is designed for heating and cooling
design temperature
flat land excluding farmland. forest. steep slopes. aquifers. aquifer recharge area. floodplain. marsh. surface water.
design with nature categories of open space in order of buildability
to remove items of value from a site.
despoil
charged to developers to pay for public improvements necessary because of the development. eg road, utility, upgrades.
development impact fee
legal ability of a developer to develop a parcel of land
development rights
the temperature at which air becomes saturated with moisture and condensation occurs
dew point
sections of the city which the observer mentally enters inside of and which are recognizable as having some common identifying character
district
2 sheets of glass with an air space between, to insulate against the passage of heat or sound
double glazing
a change in zoning resulting in a decrease of allowable density
downzoning
clay pipe, usually with open joints, to convey water ways froma footing or to disperse fluid in a septic tank field.
drain tile
the system by which excess water and wastes are controlled, collected, transported, and disposed
drainage
it is only used when needed for fire fighters. It is not filled with water and it is not connected to a constant public water supply
dry standpipe
a pit, usually filled with coarse stone, into which water is conducted for leaching out into surrounding soil
dry well
a dome, hence often a cathedral
duomo
what one person owes another in particular relationships, by applying the term duties to a set of requirments.
duty
an independent living area which includes its own private cooking and bathing facilities
Dwelling unit
the modification involved in altering existing topography. Excavating for foundations, water and swer lines, and other bured items.
earthwork
portion of land that another party has the right to use for a specific purpose. noted on deed and legal descriptiom, can be granted for utility ROW, access to adjacent property, party walls, joint driveways or conservation purposes
easement
