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ARE 5.0 PA > Module 2 - Codes & Regulations > Flashcards

Module 2 - Codes & Regulations Flashcards

1
Q

What building codes topics are typically addressed at the Programming Phase?

A

The enforcement of codes and regulations all contribute to assurance of health, safety and welfare for those who inhabit a built environment. Going through the processes of approval and inspection, steps are taken to enforce these regulations.

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2
Q

What is model building code developed by the International Code Council (ICC)?

A

The International Building Code (IBC).

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3
Q

What is the purpose of building code enforcement?

A

The enforcement of codes and regulations all contribute to assurance of health, safety and welfare for those who inhabit a built environment. Going through the processes of approval and inspection, steps are taken to enforce these regulations.

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4
Q

What are four standardized national codes used to create the building codes adopted by municipalities?

A
  1. Uniform Building Code (UBC)
  2. Building Officials Code Administrators (BOCA)
  3. International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO)
  4. Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI)
  5. The International Building Code (IBC):
    is new and first produced in 2000 by the International Code Council (ICC). It combines the three model building codes published by BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI.
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5
Q

What is the main intent and purpose of building codes?

A

In the broadest sense, building codes are designed to protect the health, safety and welfare of the occupants.

As such, codes set requirements for life safety issues such as: fire protection (sprinklers, fireproofing) or egress requirements (hallway width, stairwell layout).

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6
Q

What US city has adopted and uses its own building code?

A

The City of Chicago remains the only municipality in the US that continues to use a building code they developed on their own (Municipal Code of Chicago).

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7
Q

Name five items the building department will review for during the plan check process.

A
  1. Construction standards of care (nailing patterns, connections); Structural and seismic requirements (shear walls, bolting, lateral forces)
  2. Hurricane requirements (impact strength, roof shingle attachment) Accessibility Guidelines (wheelchair ramps, handrails)
  3. Safety (Guardrails, stair nosings) Health standards (ventilation, fresh air needs)
  4. Sanitation requirements (pipe locations and size, water supply) Assembly (room location and sizes)
  5. Electrical (wiring safety, outlet locations, circuit breakers) Fireplace requirements (smoke dampers, ventilation requirements, glass doors)
  6. Energy efficiency requirements (minimum insulation, window sizes, orientation) Water efficiency requirements (low flow toilets, plumbing flow rates)
  7. Egress and exiting requirements (exit signage, hallway length & width) Fire protection (sprinklers, smoke/fire dampers, standpipes)
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8
Q

Define ordinance.

A

A municipal law in addition to a standard building code.

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9
Q

What building spaces are sometimes allowed to fall outside of zoning height restrictions?

A

Penthouses, fan rooms, and skylights are sometimes allowed to exceed height restrictions.

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10
Q

Describe a Prescriptive Code.

A

A code that specifies specific techniques, materials, and methods allowed for use.

Simple to administer, but the specific code allows for no innovation.

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11
Q

Describe a Performance Code.

A

Performance Code: a code that describes functional requirements that meet a certain standard, allowing the Architect to find ways to meet those standards.

The open nature of the code promotes innovation. You may have to demonstrate you’re meeting the intent of the code by providing a test paid for by Owner.

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12
Q

What is a Performance Code and how does it differ from a Prescriptive Code?

A

A code that describes functional requirements that meet a certain standard, allowing the Architect to find ways to meet those standards.

The open nature of the code promotes innovation whereas a prescriptive code does not.

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13
Q

Name the 10 occupancy groups found in most building codes.

A
  1. Assembly
  2. Business
  3. Educational
  4. Factory & Industrial
  5. High Hazard
  6. Institutional
  7. Mercantile
  8. Residential
  9. Storage
  10. Utility & Miscellaneous
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14
Q

Name occupancy groups I, H, and A

A

I is for Institutional

H is for High Hazard

A is for Assembly

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15
Q

How does the construction type constrict the design of a building/site?

A

Classified according to degree of Fire resistance, determined by the fire zone it is located in and intended use, influences the height, floor area, and materials.

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16
Q

In zoning terms, what is the purpose of building setbacks?

A

Classified according to degree of Fire resistance, determined by the fire zone it is located in and intended use, influences the height, floor area, and materials.

Setbacks are standards that the building “sets back” from the property line by a certain amount.

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17
Q

Is there a standard lot setback distance?

A

No. These are determined by the local municipality.

Front, side, and rear setbacks will likely vary, both between states/cities but alsobased on building height, etc.

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18
Q

What is the difference between a setback and an easement?

A

Setbacks regulate how close a building can come to the property lines.

Easements grant access to the property to others, often for utilities and/or municipal vehicle access

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19
Q

Define the term Non-Conforming Use.

A

Non-Conforming Use: where the current use of the building is no longer permitted by the zoning ordinance (but once was).

The use is typically allowed to continue unless it’s unsafe.

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20
Q

How does a Conditional Use differ from a Variance?

A

A Conditional use allows for a building in an areas it is not zoned for due to its benefit and value to the public.

A variance is a deviation from an ordinance granted in order to avoid an economic hardship.

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21
Q

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

A

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a set of prescriptive guidelines developed in 1990 for the construction (or alteration) of buildings to accommodate the needs of “persons with disabilities.”

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22
Q

Is the American Disabilities Act a part of the Building Code?

A

No, it is a Federal regulation.

ADA also does not address life safety.

Instead, the ADA is a civil rights law passed by Congress.

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23
Q

Who enforces the American Disabilities Act?

A

ADA is ultimately enforced by the Department of Justice governing public accommodations and state and local government services.

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24
Q

What happens if various building code or ADA requirements overlap?

A

Just as with the building code, if two or more different requirements are placed over a building, the more stringent requirement is the one that applies and must be incorporated.

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25
Q

What are the minimum clear width for two wheelchairs to pass, minimum “clear floor space”, and clear space between rails on a staircase?

A

2 Wheelchair Passing Width: 60” clear minimum

Clear Floor Space: 30” wide x 48” long, minimum

48” clear between hand rails, minimum

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26
Q

What are Barrier-Free Provisions?

A

Regulations which provide accessibility to buildings and sites for persons with disabilities.

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27
Q

What are the requirements for hand railings at ramps?

A

Handrails shall extend 12” minimum beyond the top and bottom of the ramp.

Clear space between handrails and the wall shall be 1 1/2” minimum.

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28
Q

Minimum width for doors unless otherwise specified?

A

32” clear minimum (when open at 90º)

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29
Q

What is the minimum width for hallways?

A

36” clear (32” clear at a pinch point)

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30
Q

What is the allowable height range for handrails?

A

34”-38”

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31
Q

Describe the handrail restrictions

A

1-1/4” – 2” in diameter and no more than 1-1/2” clear from wall

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32
Q

How far must a handrail at the bottom of a stair extend?

A

12” plus depth of one tread

33
Q

What site issues will be affected by the zoning code?

A

Building type (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.).

Allowable building heights.

Any required setbacks from property lines, rights-of-way, streets and sidewalks.

34
Q

What is the primary purpose of zoning regulations?

A

Zoning is about protecting the rights of property owners, and ensuring the long-term quality of life for the residents.

35
Q

What are the 4 main purposes of Zoning Laws?

A

Protect local residents from undesirable types of business

Protect the access to direct sunlight and fresh air

Protect the amount of open space for local residents

Ensure incompatible types of building uses do not disturb residents (ie: putting a loud factory next to a quiet library)

36
Q

When and where were the first modern Zoning codes in America?

A

The first modern zoning code was introduced in New York City in 1916.

37
Q

When and why was the first zoning code introduced?

A

The need for zoning began with the growth of our cities in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries when it quickly became clear that cities like New York would soon have streets with limited access to light and air.

The first modern zoning code was introduced in New York City in 1916. As the buildings grew taller and taller, the lack of access to sunlight and air threatened the surrounding property values.

While earlier covenants and restrictions had been used for residential development, zoning addresses all land development.

38
Q

Describe Incentive Zoning.

A

Incentive Zoning - encourage new development by implementing a reward-basedsystem for urban development.

Development usually focuses on public benefits in the form of affordable housing and other valuable community amenities.

39
Q

What is Euclidian Zoning?

A

Also known as single use zoning, it is the most widely used form of zoning in the U.S.

Employs segregation of land uses separated from one another. For example, shops are located in one area or zone, housing in another area or zone, and industrial in another area or zone. Named for the town of Euclid, Ohio.

40
Q

What is Form-Based Zoning?

A

Form-Based Zoning - regulates the form that the land use may shape, such as setbacks, building heights, type of density, and pedestrian access rather than the type of land use.

41
Q

Describe how to calculate the F.A.R. of your site.

A

The ratio of the allowable floor area in relation to the size of the property. An FAR of 2.0 would mean that you are allowed to build twice the lot area.

For example, if a zoning ordinance requires a site to have a 0.50 FAR, then the total area of all floors in all buildings constructed on the site may not exceed half the area of the site itself.

42
Q

How might the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) impact building and site design?

A

The Floor Area Ratio determines the upper limit of square footage allowable on the property based on the lot size, use, type, and fire zone.

Design elements including fire separations, dampers, construction type, and fire sprinklers can increase the FAR limit.

43
Q

Name four different types of site easements.

A

Joint easement: used when it is required for two private owners to use a strip of land between two houses which has a property line running in the center.

Party wall easement: used in row housing, when a common or party wall is shared by two adjacent owners.

Condemnation easement: is an easement for public good. As in the case where required for a street, highway, railroad right of way or for a telephone or electric power line.

Historic façade easement: may be established by a municipality to protect a historically valuable architectural façade in an area where redevelopment is occurring, and where the existence of the façade is threatened.

44
Q

What is an Air Right and who generally enforces or monitors these rights?

A

Air rights: the right to use the space above a property can be sold or leased to someone else.

Both Grand Central Station and Madison Square Garden in New York sold their air rights to taller buildings.

Local Zoning ordinances or guidelines from the FAA can be used to enforce air rights.

45
Q

How could a deed restriction impact the design for a site?

A

Deed Restrictions: limitations on the use of the property, typically by the original developers, that sets what the land may be used for (housing, commercial, etc.) and cannot be changed by future Owners.

46
Q

What kind of consideration should be given to easements located on a site?

A

Easements: the (legal) right to use a portion of the site without Ownership (typically for utilities or access).

For example, a utility easement grants permission to the utility company to run an underground power line through the site.

Easements are legally binding and attached to the deed.

47
Q

Define Eminent Domain.

A

Eminent domain grants the government the power to seize private property (or the rights of the property) for public use.

This can be done without the Owner’s consent, so long as a fair payment is given to the Owner.

The real thing to remember here is that the land can be taken only if it’s for the “good of the public.”

Common uses of eminent domain can be small, such as acquiring a tiny parcel of land for a public utility, or very large, such as taking over hundreds of plots of land to put in a freeway or railroad.

48
Q

How does a deed restriction differ from a restrictive covenant?

A

Deed Restrictions: limitations on the use of the property, typically by the original developers, that sets what the land may be used for (housing, commercial, etc.) and cannot be changed by future Owners.

Restrictive covenants: limitations and stipulations in residential developments on what is allowed on the exterior of the houses.

The covenants might include aesthetic limitations (allowable colors, lawn ornaments, fence materials); pets and cleanup; or storage related (visibility of parked cars/boats/trailers).

49
Q

What is a Party Wall Agreement?

A

Party Wall Agreement is an agreement on how to carry out construction work on a wall shared between two properties (typically whoever builds first “owns” the party wall).

50
Q

If utilities cannot be provided to a site, can it still be developed?

If so, how?

A

Yes.

Electricity can be provided by on-site energy sources, Gas can be delivered and stored, A septic system can be installed, a well could be built.

It will generally add to the cost of the development because extending or bringing in utilities from long distances is expensive.

51
Q

Sewage drain lines must have at least a ___% slope with a velocity of at least ____ft/sec

A

2% slope and 2-10 ft/sec.

Drain lines must have up to a 2% slope, with velocity of 2 – 10 ft/second.

52
Q

Why should existing utilities be located on a site during programming?

A

Adding, extending, or altering utilities can add greatly to the cost of a project so it is important to know the existing utilities available at the site.

53
Q

Who or what typically reviews and rules on Variance requests?

A

Variance requests are often reviewed by the Zoning Administrator, the Zoning Board, Planning Commission, or Planning Staff.

54
Q

What is “non-conforming use” and when would this term apply?

A

Any good zoning code must also allow for buildings that may have been permitted or allowed when built, but now no longer comply with the current zoning regulations.

This is called a “nonconforming use” and is often described as a building being “grandfathered in.”

An example of this would be an industrial factory building built in 1920, but today is in an area marked for residential or commercial zoning. In this case, the factory could be able to continue operating in that location.

55
Q

Describe a “conditional use permit”.

A

If you wish to build or use a building for a purpose not granted in the zoning code, you can apply for a “conditional use permit”. This grants you the ability to use the building for your proposed use, even though the zoning code normally would not allow it.

This use is typically granted with certain restrictions and may not be transferrable to a new Owner.

56
Q

How does a variance affect the zoning code applicable to a particular site?

A

Since, by its’ very nature, a zoning code places general requirements over an entire area, the unique needs for each individual property sometimes requires an exception called a “variance.”

A variance is a request to break from some of the requirements of zoning (maximum height, minimum setbacks, etc.), because complying with these requirements would create financial hardship or practical construction challenges.

For example, the local zoning code requires your building to be no more than 30 feet in height, but your property is on a steeply sloping street and needs additional height to work. In this case, you could apply for a variance to exceed the height limitation. Variance requests are often overheard by a Zoning Board or Planning Commission.

57
Q

Which department would perform plan check first in the building permit approval process?

A

The Planning Department is always the first step in the permit approval process.

Most other agencies, such as Building and Safety, will not perform a plan check until after the Planning Department has completed their review.

58
Q

What is required in order to obtain a building permit?

A

The Building Permit can only be obtained after ALL agencies have signed off on the project.

The Owner can obtain the Building Permit or the General Contractor can obtain the Building Permit and will have to show license and proof of workers compensation insurance.

59
Q

What are the 3 phases of the regulatory approval process?

A

Step 1 - Entitlement Phase.

Step 2 - Building and Safety Plan Check and other local agencies.

Step 3 - Obtain the Building Permit

60
Q

What does “Entitlement Phase” mean?

A

In this phase, we are trying to obtain permission/approval for our project prior to producing construction documents.

61
Q

Describe the Entitlement Phase and name three items to review that are involved.

A

Drawings are usually in some kind of stage of Design Development with enough information to illustrate the size and scope of the project.

Drawings are submitted to the local Planning Department, who will review for compliance with Environmental Regulations, Zoning Codes and local ordinances.

62
Q

What is involved in the Entitlement Phase?

A
  1. Submit drawings to local Planning Department
  2. Drawings reviewed for compliance with Environmental Regulations
  3. Drawings reviewed for compliance with Zoning Code and local ordinances
  4. Drawings reviewed for compliance with any local Specific Plan areas such as local historic neighborhoods
  5. Attendance at any required Design Review Board/Architectural Review Board Meetings
63
Q

Who obtains the Building Permit?

A
  1. Owner
  2. General Contractor
64
Q

What is an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)?

A

An EIS is a document required under US environmental law by the National Environmental Policy Act.

It is required by any federal government agency undertaking a project that may “significantly affect the quality of the human environment.”

65
Q

What is an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)?

A

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a shorter, mini-EIS designed to provide just enough information to allow the permitting agency to decide whether a full-blown Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is necessary.

The EIA is an evaluation of the possible impact (both positive and negative) that a proposed project may have on the surrounding environment.

The EIA covers all types of impacts, including the environmental, social and economic impacts covered in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), enacted in 1970.

66
Q

Describe the four sections of an Environmental Impact Statement?

A
  1. Introduction: includes a “Statement of Purpose” and “Need of the Proposed Action” to describe the project.
  2. Description: of the affected environment and areas.
  3. Range of Alternatives: to the proposed actions. Alternatives are considered the heart of the EIS.
  4. Analysis: of the environmental impacts of each of the possible alternatives.
67
Q

What is an Environmental Impact Report EIR?

A

An EIR is similar to an EIA (sometimes they are synonymous), as an EIR also serves to inform permitting agencies and the public of a project’s environmental impacts.

In California, for example, an EIR is required if the lead permitting agency determines that the project poses a considerable environmental impact.

68
Q

What are the three possible decisions a lead agency may render after reviewing a project proposal for environmental impact?

A
  1. Negative Declaration (a.k.a.: “Neg Dec”): the project has no significant environmental impact and no EIR is required.
  2. Mitigated Negative Declaration: the project could potentially have an environmental impact, but if a list of proposed mitigation measures are added to the project, then no EIR is required.
  3. EIR Required: the project will have a significant environmental impact and there aren’t enough measures to mitigate the impact, then a full Environmental Impact Report will be required.
69
Q

Name the 4 methods available for historic preservation.

A
  1. Preservation
  2. Reconstruction
  3. Restoration
  4. Rehabilitation
70
Q

What processes, in order, does historical preservation typically follow?

A
  1. Identify, retain, and preserve
  2. Stabilize
  3. Protect
  4. Repair
  5. Replacement
71
Q

Name at least three site features that may need to be preserved on a site.

A
  1. Landforms (terracing, berms, grading)
  2. Vegetation (trees, shrubs, fields)
  3. Circulation Systems (paths, roads, parking)
  4. Water Features (fountains, streams, ponds)
  5. Furnishings and Fixtures (lights, benches, fences)
  6. Decorative Elements (sculptures, monuments)
  7. Subsurface Archeology (soils, historical artifacts)
72
Q

What are five methods for preserving features on the site?

A
  1. Stabilizing, protecting and preserving existing features
  2. Minimize disturbance of terrain
  3. Surveying and conducting field investigations
  4. Evaluating condition of existing features
  5. Repairing and/or replacing site features
73
Q

Name two accessible features that must be addressed when rehabilitating a historic building.

A
  1. Main Entrance
  2. Restrooms
74
Q

How could the discovery of wetlands or archaeological sites on a property impact the design?

A

Such discoveries may restrict buildable area.

Wetlands and archaeological sites should be identified early on in the Programming Phase.

75
Q

What is buildable area?

A

The imaginary line beyond which a structure is not allowed to extend.

In most instances, the building line cannot extend into an easement.

76
Q

What is a property line?

A

The legal boundary of a site outlining the ownership of the property. Property lines are used as the starting point of certain setbacks to determine the buildable area on a site.

77
Q

What is an accessible route?

A

A continuous, unobstructed path connecting all of the accessible elements and spaces in a building or facility.

The standards for accessible routes are designed to accommodate a person with a severe disability who uses a wheelchair, and are also intended to provide ease of use for people with other disabilities.

The accessible route includes: doors, corridors, floors, ramps, elevators, and clear floor space at fixtures.

78
Q

Name 7 exceptions to the ADA guidelines.

A
  1. Raised areas used primarily for security or life safety (security stations, lifeguard towers)
  2. Temporary facilities needed for construction (trailers, scaffolding)
  3. Non-occupiable service areas infrequently accessed for maintenance (catwalks, mechanical rooms)
  4. Water slides
  5. Animal containment areas
  6. Raised structures for officiating sporting events
  7. Raised boxing & wrestling rings

ARE 5.0 PA (4 decks)

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