PA Flashcards
dead end corridor, typ max
20 ft
when can we have 1 exit for room?
occupancy of 49 people or less
in a sprinklered building, the 2 exits need to be at what distance? (non-sprinklered?
1/3 of the diagonal length (1/2 for non-sprinklered buildings)
what is 2% in ratio?
1/48 - max cross slope of an ADA ramp
max horizontal length of ramp? max vertical ht?
30 ft, 30 inch
how wide do fire lanes need to be?
a. outside turning radius?
b. inside turning radius?
20’.
a. 54”
b. 30”
*if 150’ hose can reach entire building, you don’t need a fire lane
at what point does a building stair need 2hr fire rating? otherwise what is the fire rating?
4 stories or more. if less can provide 1 hour fire rating
corridor width typ? less than 49 people?
44” typ, 36” if less than 49 people
min height of space?
7’. or 6’-8” if less than 1/2 the space is at that height
overlap of door in corridor? max projection?
1/2 corridor, and 7”
guardrail typ ht? including railing?
34” - 38”, with railing 42”
how far from the handrail before needing a railing in between stair?
30” max from both sides
where in the IBC can one find the required separation of occupancies chart?
508.4
required number of exits:
1-49
50-500
501-1000
1001+
required number of exits:
1-49: 1 exit
50-500: 2 exits
501-1000: 3 exits
1001+: 4 exits
National, Local, or State Law:
Architecture Licensure
State
National, Local, or State Law:
Americans with Disability Act
National
National, Local, or State Law:
Zoning Ordinance
Local
National, Local, or State Law:
Building Code
State
National, Local, or State Law:
Masterplan
Local
National, Local, or State Law:
Historical Overlays
Local
National, Local, or State Law:
Fair Housing Act
National
National, Local, or State Law:
Covenants
Local
Per ICC 2017
a. Required floor clearance for individual with disability
b. Required floor clearance for them to be able to turn around
a. 52” x 30”
b. 67” x 67”
a. dead loads
b. live loads
c. lateral loads
a. weight of building
b. occupants, furnishing, rain, snow
c. seismic forces, wind, soil
Name 6 earth material from largest to smallest
- Boulder
- Cobble
- Gravel
- Sand
- Silt
- Clay (particles are flatter)
2 Examples of organic soil, can we build on them?
- Peat
- Topsoil
No you cannot
What is consolidation?
When the weight of the building pushes water out of particle. ex. clay
What is “plastic limit”
How much water a soil can absorb before starting to expand
What is “liquid limit” of a soil
Water content at which the soil transitions from semi-solid to fluid
What is “shear strength”
Soil shear strength is the resistance of particles sliding over each other due to friction or interlocking and possibly cementation or bonding at particle contacts (densely packed coarse grain soils exhibit higher shear strength)
Which drains better, well graded or poorly graded soil?
poorly graded (non-cohesive soil)
Which is better for foundations? well graded or poorly graded soil?
well graded (cohesive soil)
What is the water table?
elevation below which the soil is water saturated
What makes a site a “brownfield” site
A site that is contaminated- ex. gas station, chemicals in previous building, paint factory, dry cleaner
What is grubbing & clearing
taking out trees, plants, stumps
What is the “angle of repose”
the steepest angle that the side of the excavated area can be before the soild backslides into the pit
What are “solider beams”
when you put steal beams, drive them into the soil, and put wood between each (used to hold the earth back while we excavate)
What is “sheathing”
When you build a continuous underground wall, then dig out the middle of it.
*if you don’t want to build a wall, you can use the soil itself if you know the angle of repose
What is “soil mixing”
What is another option (more expensive)
When you dig down, mixing soil, water, cement to make columns before digging
can also use a “slurry wall” where you a. dig. b. concrete is poured through funnel & c. excavation begins
Crosslot bracing, rakers, & tie backs
all methods to hold back the earth.
(tie backs are great because the steal is not in the way of the excavation)
Types of footings to be aware of:
a. wall footings
*b. column footings
c. slab-on-grade
d. combined footing
e. cantilevered footing
*f. mat foundations
b. column footings used typ. at point load
f. mat foundations typ. used when there are many columns close together, doesn’t make sense to have individual column footings
Difference between
a. tie-beams
b. grade beams
a. tie beams only tackle horizontal loads (tie pipe caps together)
b. grade beams can also handle vertical loads (carry walls and other loads, larger than tie beams)
What is a shallow frost-protection footing?
when you run insulation into the earth to prevent it from freezing- that way you don’t have to excavate foundation below frost depth
Floating foundations
When you remove the exact weight of the soil equal to the added building weight.
*may not be as durable
The 3 things we use for foundations to protect against earthquakes
a. rubber dampers
b. hydraulic shock absorbers
c. base isolation pads
What is the difference between a “caisson” & a “pile”
When do you need to use a pile
a caisson is drilled and filled with concrete
a pile is hammered in
Need to use a pile when you don’t have cohesive soil. if you tried to drill a caisson the soil would just collapse on itslef
What is “integral waterproofing”
Adding a mixture that fills in the pores of the concrete. Makes concrete less likely to allow water through
Difference between “filling” and “back filling”
back filling is when you replace soil we had once removed as part of the excavation
In order to avoid overturning, sliding, or undermining of walls below grade, what do we use?
a. in timber
b. in concrete
a. dead man
b. key
What is earth reinforcing
When you add “netting” between layers of soil to hold itself together. it is an alt. to retaining walls. “geotextile” can also be used as footing
topo site conditions to be familiar with:
a. peak
b. valley
c. cliff
d. berm
e. swale
difference between
a. cofferdam
b. check dam
c. swale
a. keeps out body of water. temporary water tight enclosure within a body of water to create a dry working environment for construction projects ex. bridges
b. with steep slope, we can stack boulders to slow down water in heavy rain.
built across a channel or swale, used to prevent erosion by trapping sediment and reducing the scouring effect of runoff water in ditches and water ways
c. shallow, open chanel lined with plans that mange storm water runoff, can be in parking lot for ex.
two ways to deal with water on shallow site
a. retaining ponds (florida)
b. underground storm water management
what is erosion
the process of wearing away and moving soil from one location on earth’s surface to another
zoning ordinance vs a variance
zoning ordinance: rule
variance: exception to the rule granted to you
right of way vs easement
right of way: maybe neighbor needs driveway through your property to get to theirs, get an agreement
easement: could be utility lines running through your property- can’t build above them (can be from government)
what is first right of refusal?
to give someone the right to make first bid on property if its up for sale
eminent domain
government can pay or force you to sell property for the good of public
can removing vegetation cause erosion?
yes
What is SWPPP
Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan
a plan that spells out how pollution will be handled from site during construction.
Needs to comply with NPDES= national pollutant discharge elimination system
What are some storm water retention options (4)
- Detention Ponds (stores water temporarily)
- Retention Ponds (typ maintains water at a certain level)
- Bioswale
- Cistern
What is the “swell factor”?
The percent increase in volume of soil when it’s excavated from the ground
What does soil in its “bank” state mean?
the soil in its natural state (ie before excavation)
how much is 1 bank cubic yard = x cubic ft?
27 cubic ft (3x3x3)
what are riparian zones?
buffer areas adjacent to a body of water. sometimes wet sometimes dry, usually heavily vegetated and important for flood and erosion control
what is a catch basin?
a drainage structure (box) that collects water from paved surfaces and directs it away from an area
answer in % and fraction
- min slope for swales to prevent standing water
- max cross slope for ada walkways
- max slope before accessible ramps are required
- 1% or 1/100
- 2% or 1/48
- 5% or 1/20
- what is the venturi effect (bernoulli principle)?
- what is the bar effect?
- occurance of wind flowing fast through breezeways and narrow openings
- the occurrence of air flowing over a street canyon at a 45 degree angle
how many accessible entrances are required?
60% of public entrances must be accessible
- what is the equinox
- what dates?
- how many nighttime hours on the days of equinox at 22 degree north latitude?
- what is the solstice and how many are there?
- what dates?
- when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in nearly equal daylight and darkness
- March 21 & Sept 21
- we don’t care about the latitude, always 12 hours on equinox
- when the sun is at its farthest point north or south of the equator. occurring twice a year
- Dec 21 winter solstice & June 20 summer solstice
What is an MSE wall?
Mechanically Stabilized Earth walls (block of dirt with thin mesh between for reinforcement)
soil treatment:
solidification/stabilization
the soil below contaminants made impermeable by mixing cement or heating and melting the soil. Very expensive and therefore not very common
soil treatment:
soil vapor extraction
vapor extraction wells vacuum out contaminant gasses and vapors from the soil for treatment. They are often situated around the perimeter of the contaminated area and businesses can remain in operation while they are sucking the gasses out. Many of the other examples can’t run concurrently with occupied buildings
soil treatment:
incineration
controlled burning of contaminated soil or solids to make them safe. on or off-site
soil treatment:
bioremediation
microorganisms injected into the soil to eat the contaminants.
soil treatment:
soil washing
water, with or without detergents, flushes the soil and washes it the way you might clean dirty clothes
soil treatment:
solvent extraction
like soil washing, but solvents used with water
soil treatment:
dechlorination
chemical treatment used to remove chlorine atoms and detoxify chemicals in the soil
soil treatment:
phytoremediation
select vegetation planted to patiently absorb contaminants through their roots over time.
soil treatment:
air sparging
air injected into the soil to aid the vapor extraction process
soil treatment:
passive treatment wells
groundwater is contaminated, so we’ll intentionally insert a barrier to the aquifer. As the groundwater interacts with the barrier, the chemistry of the groundwater is changed (for the better)
soil treatment:
fastest to slowest soil treatments (6)
- offsite soil washing: running water over the soil offers a fast ~1 month option for small contaminations or small sites.
soil washing is generally not cost-effective unless the soil is very polluted or we’re in a hurry.
gravel is easier to clean with soil washing than silt and clay - capped site: fast option for sites where we will not be constructing something that penetrates the soil over the cap- ex. parking lot.
soil capping does not remove the contaminated soil, but rather “sweeps it under the rug” - underground umbrella - onsite soil washing: often the fast option for large sites. will rent and erect equipment capable of washing the soil and position it on site.
generally expensive and only addresses certain types of contaminants in certain types of soils. so its a rare option - bioremediation:injecting pollution-eating bacteria into the ground- takes longer to clean the site ~6 months.
cheaper than soil washing and can remediate more different types of contaminants than soil washing. - vapor extraction: sucking out the polluted gasses from underground. takes about the same time as bioremediation. maybe a bit longer ~1 year.
relatively inexpensive, useful for a large range of contaminants.
DOES NOT WORK below the water table where the soil is always saturated - phytoremediation: plant species that naturally take up pollutants in their roots.
takes years
difference between:
1. active floodplain
2. regulatory floodplain
3. geologic floodplain
- the river might flood to that level in this year’s heaviest rainfall event. and no one would be surprised. DO NOT build at this level
- we have to build above this level. there might be a 1 to 100 chance that the river will flood to this level in the next 12 months. that is what a “hundred-year floodplain” means
- in some past event, maybe hundreds of thousands of years ago, the river flooded to this level. we don’t worry about building here because there is a 1 in 100,000 chance that the river will flood to this level in the next 12 months
forumla for gross-up factor
= rentable / usable
ex. 1.25 gross-up factor means for every SF of office, .25 is for common space.
*the smaller the number, the better
what is defensible space design, and what are the 3 tenets?
defensible space design is a way to design urban residential areas to help residents feel more connected to their surrounding & better able to protect their homes
- territory- define boundaries of public and private space, ex low shrubs, eyes on the street views etc.
- access- narrow streets with s-curves, one-way streets, and turn restrictions. security fencing, gates, personnel
- surveillance- windows, doors, porches facing street, lighting, camera
how many SF in an acre?
clue: 7-11
43,560 SF = 66 x 660
what is loamy soil?
equal part sand, silt & clay. plants do well in loamy soil because it holds moisture, drains well and allows air to reach roots
Low albedo means the material will absorb more or less sun?
more solar energy, and reflect less (think asphalt (.04) vs snow (.85)
High R-value means what?
a material has a high resistance to heat flow, indicating it is a good insulator and will effectively prevent heat from transferring through it
What doe low U-value mean?
lower U-value indicates better insulation and less heat loss through a building material
What is a trombe wall, and what is it used for?
a wall that absorbs solar heat and releases it into a building
for passive heating
What is a roof pond and what is it used for?
a water reservoir on a roof that helps regulate a building’s temperature
for passive cooling
used mostly in arid, warm climates
a. detention pond
b. retention pond
a. usually totally dry, but area that can hold stormwater runoff temporarily, then slowly releases it
b. permanently holds water and stores it. removes pollutants due to longer water retention time
cisterns
underground temporary storage containers (usually made of plastic). stores water that can be used for many things- ex. irrigating your landscape
ways to combat urban heat island effect
- green space, parks, trees- send water back into the atmosphere
- light colors, reflect sunlight back
- avoid AC when you don’t need it, uses a lot of electricity which uses coal and natural gas that puts more CO2 into the atmosphere which warms it up
-green roofs
hot-arid climate
-thermal mass
-shade
-small windows
-thick walls
-water features
-courtyards
-low-e windows
-bottom of valley, south of pond are better locations
-compact in plan
-a little longer on the e/w direction
hot-humid climate
-large openings for breezes
-long thin plan e/w dimension, promote breezes
-orient to breezes
-tall ceilings
-ceiling fans
-sprawling building forms
-top of hill, south of pond
-vapor control layer on the outside (warm side of insulations)
temperate climate
-long e/w direction
-insulation
-south facing windows
-buffers for winter winds
-minimize north face of building, maximize south face
-3/4 up a hill is best
-Deciduous trees are best on south side (shed leaves in winter)
cold climate
-compact building form to minimize heat loss
-insulation
-low u-value windows
-air tightness
-evergreens on windy side
-1/4 of the way up hill
-north side of pond
-vapor control barrier on inside (warm side) of insulation
