PPP study cards Flashcards
What three factors are used by an architect to determine building code requirements for a particular?
- OCCUPANCY: Each group is classified by a letter and a number.
- CONSTRUCTION TYPE: For example, Type 1, Type V.
- LOCATION: Setbacks, alleys, public streets, and property lines.
Overhead
The general costs of operating a business that cannot be directly assigned to a project. Rent, drafting supplies, taxes, professional
dues, insurance, theft, and depreciation are all examples. Salaries and benefits qualify only if the employee or principal is not doing project related work.
Which of the following is NOT a component of the project development budget? (A) Topographical survey (B) Moving expenses (C) Maintenance costs (D) Inflation
(C) Maintenance costs
This is a long term cost to the owner and a factor in the life cycle cost of a building, not part of the project development budget.
This type of budgeting first occurs during programming and is revised as
the project develops. It includes costs for the entire project, helps determine a project’s feasibility and establishes guidelines for the design process.
Budget items include:
Site acquisition, construction cost, site development (roads, parking,
landscaping), equipment and furnishings, professional services (architectural, engineering and surveying fees), inspection and testing, financing (interest, loan and administrative fees), inflation (a factor is included for rising costs during construction), contingency allowance, and moving expenses.
Site development and equipment and furnishings are sometimes included
in the construction cost and not listed as separate items.
Coordinates
Measurements from a fixed vertical (north/south) or horizontal (east/west) line used to locate a point. The vertical origin line is referred to as Y, and the horizontal origin line is referred to as X.
To locate a point, a grid system is established from the point of origin. Distances are measured from the Y and X axes.
Non-Conforming Use
A special distinction for buildings that pre-date, or no longer comply with a zoning ordinance, as a result of recent changes in
the code. This type of building is allowed to remain in use, but if major alterations are to be made, the building must then satisfy
the code requirements.
The architect will provide the owner with a program;
(A) as part of an architects basic services.
(B) if requested by the owner.
(C) only if the architect is familiar with the
owner’s requirements.
(D) never, due to the liability exposure.
(B) if requested by the owner
Although the owner is responsible to provide the architect with a program, according to the Standard Form of Agreement
Between Owner &Architect the architect is required to review owner supplied information. However, if the owner requests that the architect develop a program, then it will be considered an additional service.
Proforma Statement
A means of determining a Project’s construction budget by listing labor and construction costs.
Easement
A legal right for one party to use a portion of another party’s parcel of land for access. For example, a utility easement allows the utility access to a portion of private property in order to install and maintain utility lines. No permanent structures may be built over the easement area.
In addition to access, there are several other types of easements. These include conservation easements which prevent the development of environmentally significant land, scenic easements which might protect a view, and joint use easements which allow two or more property owners to share a common feature.
An access easement that allows one party or the public to traverse someone else’s property grants right of way.
A client proposes construction of a vacation home on an undeveloped plot of land. What are the architects principal concerns in analyzing this site?
- Views
- Pedestrian and automobile accessibility
- Soil conditions
- Solar orientation
- Utility access
- Municipal service
- Wind patterns
- Zoning
- Easements
- Deed restrictions
- Land values
As a result of the suburbanization of America, cities have had to accommodate a vehicle-dependent society. What are the negative aspects of this automobile traffic in urban areas?
- Loss of the pedestrian environment.
- Sidewalks eliminated, pedestrians forced onto bridges or into underground passages.
- Neighborhoods divided by highway and increasingly wider streets sometimes resulting in isolated poverty.
- Trees cut down.
- Street parking replaced by parking garages.
- Demolition of neighborhoods and historic buildings.
What information Is included in a topographic survey?
Site features, both man-made and natural, including variations in ground elevation.
These features include:
- Site contours: existing contours are shown with a broken line, proposed/moditfied contours are shown with a solid line
- Property boundaries: including metes & bounds and easements
- Existing buildings and landmarks
- Utility locations & capacities
- Roads, circulation, access
- Vegetation
- Any natural features such as a stream, pond, views, etc.
It is the owner’s responsibility to engage the services of a land surveyor (considered a professional service) and to then provide the information to the architect if requested. AIA Document G601, Request for proposal-Land Survey, may be used between owner and surveyor.
When designing to incorporate cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles, what design solutions can be implemented to avoid a conflict?
- Create a separate bicycle path; use abandoned rail road tracks, utility easements, etc.
- Eliminate street parking and add a designated bicycle path.
- At major intersections of pedestrian and bicycle paths they should be separated.
- One-way streets serve to channel and regulate vehicular traffic. For cyclists, however, they can limit direct connections. This may force cyclists onto heavily trafficed arterial streets or lead to cyclists traveling in the wrong direction. On one-way streets,
provide a designated, parallel bicycle path separate from the street.
Typically who is responsible for securing the building permit, and at what phase of the project is it secured?
(A) The architect, at the end of the construction
documents phase.
(B) The architect, at the beginning of the construction administration phase.
(C) The contractor, at the end of the construction
documents phase.
(D) The owner, at the end of the construction
documents phase.
(C) The contractor, at the end of the construction documents phase.
According to AIA Document A201, General Conditions, the contractor generally secures and pays for all permits, fees, licenses, and inspections. The permit is secured after the execution of the contract, which is the end of the C.D’s phase.
Name and define one commonly accepted method of applying sustainability to architectural design
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.
Developed by the Green Building Council and introduced in 2000, this is a tool for evaluating the environmental performance of a construction project. Through the use of this voluntary system, the design team can
track their progress toward earning a LEED certification. This certification recognizes that the project has met certain sustainability prerequisites regarding: site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, use of
green building materials, and indoor environmental quality. It also means that the project has earned the minimum credits to achieve a Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum rating.
The LEED mission “encourages and accelerates the global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted standards, tools and performance criteria
Define the term Green as it applies to building materials and sustainable design
This term is meant to evoke the color of lush and healthy vegetation and refers to the environmentally friendly quality of the material. Due to their complex composition and methods of manufacturing, building materials cover a broad range of “greenness”. Common characteristics include: sensitivity toward nonrenewable resources such as oil and ore, non-toxic, recyclable content and recyclability of the material itself, energy and water efficiency, and sensitivity to the “greenness” of its own manufacturing process. An excellent way of promating sustainability through the use of green products is to incorporate indigenous stone or plant material into a project.
A green building is one that is sited, built, operated or renovated using the principles of sustalnabillty. Typically, the Initial cost can be 5% to 15% more than a conventional project. However, the life cycle cost savings of a green building are generated from energy and maintenance efficiency as well as worker productivity due to improved lighting and ventilation design.
What are the negative aspects of development in a rural area?
Negative environmental impact includes: alteration of natural land forms and drainage patterns, a reduction of air quality, displacement of indigenous wild life and vegetation, an Increase in traffic, and greater demand on infrastructure.
Regarding building codes, what is IBC?
Through the Joint efforts of various model code organizations, the International Code Council (ICC) was established in 1994. They developed a single comprehensive and coordinated set of model codes with the intention of unifying the existing national coses. These codes include: Building, Fire, Electrical, Mecthanical, Zoning, Energy Conservation, etc. Their model building code is called the Buifding code (IBC) and it contains no regional limitations.
Define Occupancy Classification
A category based upon the user-group for which a building or portion of a building is intended. The number of occupants and
their activity determines the classification.
When two or more of these groups co-exist within the same building, a fire-rated separation is required between them.
An occupancy use permit is issued by a government authority certifying that a project complies with the specific use(s) for which it was intended. The occupancy designation cannot be changed unless the building is altered to conform with the requirements of the new use.
The occupant load is defined as the number of people for which the means of egress of a building is designed.
When does a client review the design of a project?
At the end of each design phase (schematic design and design development) and upon completion of the construction documents.
While these are typical client review points, it is essential that the architect understand and be flexible to the individual needs of the client in order to maintain a positive, professional relationship. Especially on larger projects where the completion of each design phase may take many months it may be important to schedule progress review meetings in order to inform the client of the project development and to seek the client’s input.
How does a project budget account for inflation?
An Inflation factor based on the current cost of construction and various inflation rate estimates gauge what the cost of construction will be at the midpoint of construction. The difference between the midpoint cost and the original cost is added into the budget.
For example, a new library with a construction cost of $10,000,000 has a construction schedule of two years at an inflation rate of .5% per month. At the midpoint of construction the inflation factor will be $600,000 [($10,000,000 x .005) x 12 months = $600,000] which is added to the project budget to account for inflation during scheduled construction.
Furthermore, if the construction schedule is exceeded by 9 months the owner will be liable for an additional $450.000
($50,000/month x 9 months = $450,000) in inflation costs.
How do natural lighting conditions affect one’s choice of orientation for a building.
While many theories of building/sun orientation exist, most agree that principal facades ideally face south (in the northern
hemisphere) for optimal living conditions (warmth in winter and coolness in summer).
The quality of light is also a concern. Southern light tends to be direct, bright, and intense while northern light is more evenly
diffuse. Most importantly, all of these generalities must give way to regional and local conditions. The location of a 2nd building or other microclimate condition may trump any general rule of orientation.
Define the following:
- Conditional Use
2. Variance
- Granted by a zoning board to achieve a purpose deemed by the board to be in the public interest. A school or hospital located
in a residentially zoned area, for example, may have been granted this type of permission. - Special permission to deviate from the standard zoning regulations. It is sought by presenting the desired deviation before a local administrative authority (generally a board of zoning appeals or a board of adjustment).
While both a variance and conditional use allow one to build outside the standard zoning regulations, the primary difference is that a variance is granted for the benefit of an individual owner, while con’ditional use is granted for the general public welfare.
Which of the following city planning patterns
incorporate early concepts of zoning?
I. The gridiron street system
II. The Garden City, 1898
III. The Cite Industrielle, 1917
IV. Haussman’s plan for Paris, 1850s
(A) I and II only
(B) II and III only
(C) II, III and IV
(D) III and IV only
B. II and III only
In Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City, Howard developed a concentric system of relationships among public buildings, commercial buildings, housing, industry, and agriculture that combines the best of the city with the best of the country. By relegating urban aspects to specific concentric bands, Howard incorporated one of the earliest concepts of zoning.
In Tony Garnier’s Cite Industrlelle, Gamier created a set of drawings of an imaginary industrial city where public, residential, and industrial areas are clearly separated. While many of Garnier’s inventions in Cite, like the extensive use of reinforced concrete, would prove extremely influential on future Modern masters like Corbusier, it is his clear concept of separated land use that makes Gamier a pioneer in zoning.
The Gridiron Street System: while one of the earliest urban patterns, the gridiron system does not necessarily incorporate zoning.
Haussman’s Design for Paris,1853-1870, is a paragon of Baroque Planning rather than zoning.
As it applies to architecture, define Sustainability.
According to the World Commission on Environment and Development, it should be our aim to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
And according to the AIA, it is the ability of society to continue functioning into the future without being forced into decline through exhaustion or overloading of the key resources on which that system depends.
It is a broad social, environmental, and economic concept that addresses the needs of the future, the effect of buildings on the environment, and attempts to define the limits for consumption of resources.
According to the World Commission on Environment and Development, it should be our aim to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
And according to the AIA, it is the ability of society to continue functioning into the future without being forced into decline through exhaustion or overloading of the key resources on which that system depends.
It is a broad social, environmental, and economic concept that addresses the needs of the future, the effect of buildings on the environment, and attempts to define the limits for consumption of resources.
According to AIA Document B101-2007, circumstances such as changes in building codes, which are beyond the architect’s control, are considered changes in the architect’s services and the architect is entitled to appropriate compensation and adjustment to the schedule.
What are the four key elements that affect a project development budget?
- Scope - The size of the building or project.
- Quality - The quality of materials & methods of construction.
- Cost - The project budget itself.
- Time - The allotted time for project completion.
Balance among these four elements is key to a successful project. Adjustments can be made to one or more elements in order to maintain this balance.
For example, the scope of the project may need to be reduced in order to meet the budget and maintain the quality of materials.
However, to maintain the scope of the project, alternate materials may need to be considered in order to meet budget requirements.
Define the following:
- Plat Map
2. Metes-and-Bounds
- A land plan. A component of a survey, typically furnished by a civil engineer, and
drawn to scale, it indicates the bearings and dimensions of property lines.
This legally recorded document may also contain easements, streets, restrictions,
lot and block numbers, and is the main reference for any site development.
- Indicates the legal boundaries of a specific tract of land and defines the bearings and dimensions of the property lines.
Starting and closing at the RO.B. (point of beginning), the property lines are defined by their length and their angle relative to north and south. The length is described in feet, using the decimal system, and the angle is represented by compass direction, degrees, minutes, and seconds. For example, one property line may read 172.6’ south 51° 20’ 12” west.
Property boundaries are measured horizontally as a series of lines between points. They are not a measurement of the surface distance. For example, the length of a sloped property line will be shorter than the actual surface distance.
Name a significant drawback of the New Town Concept developed in Great Britain as a result of the New Town Act of 1946.
This concept originally aspired to produce self-sufficient, planned communities. In actuality, these towns remained suburban and dependent on larger urban centers, mostly for employment.
Crawley, Harlow, Stevenage, Basildon etc. in England and Columbia, Maryland and Reston, Virginia in the United States,
for example.
Typically criticized for their standardized rigidity and lack of the dynamics found in a town that has developed over time.
After completing the Schematic Design phase, what is the most significant reason NOT to proceed directly into the Design Development phase?
Insufficient project financing.
A preliminary cost estimate is compiled at the end of the Schematic Design phase and it may be determined that the project is over budget.
At this point, adjustments can be made to the size of the project (scope), less expensive materials can be specified
(quality), or the owner may request more time to arrange adequate financing (cost).
If none of these alternatives is acceptable, the feasibility of the project is questionable.
