Site Planning + Design Flashcards
Development term that refers to the geographic region and population from which a facility attracts visitors/customers. (ex. a neighborhood from which the customers of supermarket resides)
Catchment Area
Ratio of people to the land, but excludes streets, open spaces and parks (could total as much as 25% of the overall site)
Net Density
Ratio of people to land , but includes everything such as streets, open spaces and parks
Gross Density
Normal conversation from 3 feet away (in dB)
60-65 dB
City traffic from inside a car (in dB)
85 dB
Level at which short term exposure can cause permanent damage (in dB)
140 dB
Densely packed units are grouped around shared common public space (residential)
Clustering Development
Legal term used to describe the cluster concept, and can be used for residential, commercial or industrial developments
Planned Unit Development (PUD)
Federally funded programs, these are a type of Planned
Unit Development that involves rehabilitating an existing (often urban) property.
Urban Redevelopment/Urban renewal
Slope Calculation
g=V/H (100)
g: grade or slope
V: rise/vertical run
H: run/horizontal distance
Angle between the sun and the horizon
Azimute
Measure of the reflectivity of a material
Albedo
Material’s ability to absorb light
Conductivity
Type of trees ideal for providing shade in Summer, but allows the warming sun pass through the branches and warm the building
in the Winter.
Deciduous Trees
Type of tree that does not shed their leaves, making them perfect for areas where you want a year-round wind break.
Conifer trees (needle leaf evergreens)
Soil Types
- Gravel: drains well, able to bear loads
- Sand: drains well, good foundation when graded
- Silt: stable when dry or damp, not wet. Swells when frozen
- Clay: plastic when wet, stiff when dry. Poor drainage, very expensive
Soil levels
- Level A: Topsoil, essential for growth of plants and takes a long time to develop
- Level B: Minerals, it lies below the plants’ roots and contain minerals, it can support life.
- Level C: Weathered and fractured rock with little biological activity
- Level D: Solid Bedrock
Laboratory method of experimentally determining the optimal moisture
content at which a given soil type will become most dense and achieve its maximum dry density
Proctor compaction test
A test to determine the absorption rate of the soil for a septic or “leach field.” The
results of this test are needed to properly design the septic system.
Percolation test
Location of frost line
Top of footings should be at or below the frost line (which avoids damage to the foundation due to moisture changes int he soil throughout the year)
A holding pond or catch basin that prevents excessive storm water runoff on a site from overloading the storm sewer system by temporarily holding the water and releasing it at a controlled rate
Retention pond
Construction designed to allow sediment to settle while water drains into the ground
Bioswale
A schedule technique that identifies specific individual tasks within a project and their relationship among one another
Critical path method
Multilane roads in each direction with parking lanes separated by a planting median or wide planting areas in both sides. Has right of ways 100-130 ft.
Boulevard
Building uses that do NOT comply with current zoning regulations but were allowed when the structure was originally built
Nonconforming use
A short distance, medium speed road with a right of way of about 80’
Avenue
Parking lot areas should not exceed what percentage?
5%
When a jurisdiction issues a variance in exchange for a developer’s commitment to provide specific public amenities
Incentive zoning
A schedule technique that identifies specific individual tasks within a project and their relationship among one another
Critical path method
When wind speeds accelerate due to the narrowing of the area in which they have to pass through and is caused by natural earth formations, vegetation arrangements, and building placement
Venturi effect
Building uses that do NOT comply with current zoning regulations but were allowed when the structure was originally built
Nonconforming use
Roadways should not exceed what slope percentage?
10%
Consolidation of the soil before construction begins
Pre-compression and consolidation
Ultimate bearing capacity of the soil divided by a safety factor of 2-4 times
Safe bearing capacity
Removal of unsuitable soils and replacing with more stable soils
Fill
Compacting existing soils using equipment such as rollers, tampers, and rammers
Compaction
Remove excess water and control ground water
Drainage methods
The process of strengthening the foundation of an existing building or other structure
Underpinning
Consolidation of the soil before construction begins
Pre-compression and consolidation
The right for an insurer to pursue a third party that caused an insurance loss to the insured by the means of recovering the amount of the claim paid to the insured for the loss
Subrogation
Performance-based or goal-oriented criteria to establish review parameters for proposed development projects
Performance zoning
Intended to provide a reward-based system to encourage development that meets established urban development goals
Incentive zoning
The minimum height of a guardrail
42”
The process of strengthening the foundation of an existing building or other structure
Underpinning
Sudden loss of shearing in soil/ destabilizing of soil
Liquefaction
The right for an insurer to pursue a third party that caused an insurance loss to the insured by the means of recovering the amount of the claim paid to the insured for the loss
Subrogation
The ability to use a building for the proposed use, even though the zoning code normally would not allow it
Conditional use permit
The minimum distance between handrails on a stair
48”
The minimum height of a guardrail
42”
What area per car should be used to estimate the required size of a parking lot and related drives?
300 SF OR
400 SF per car if estimating for parking spaces, drives, and walkways
land measure that is 6 mi on each side
Township
1 mile square parcel of land containing 640 acres
Section
A square 24 miles on each side consisting of 16 townships
Check
When does a change in ramp or a curb ramp need to be used?
When the change in level is 1/2” or higher
The space between a building and outermost secured perimeter
standoff distance
1 acre is how many square feet?
43,560
Walkways should have a maximum gradient of __% and a maximum cross gradient of __%.
5, 2
The control of moisture that is not under hydrostatic pressure. Used for the protection of slabs and foundation walls below grade that are subject to continuous exposure to moisture
Dampproofing
A type of dampproofing that is added to concrete to repel water
admixtures
A type of dampproofing that is an asphalt of coal-tar pitch materials applied to an exterior of a foundation wall
Bituminous coatings
A type of dampproofing that used portland cement mortar troweled over the surface of foundation walls
Cementitious coatings
A type of dampproofing that uses built up layers of hot/cold applied asphalt felts
Membranes
A method used for above grade dampproofing
Plastics
A type of bulb that contains a gaseous mixture of vaporized mercury and compounds of bromine or iodine, very high white intensity
Metal halide
A sodium vapor bulb that contains a gaseous mixture of of vaporized sodium, very yellow in color and takes a long time to warm up
High Pressure Sodium
A type of semi-conductor and is extremely energy efficient, provides the whitest and most full spectrum light
LED
Bearing capacities of typical soils
Well graded gravels and sand: 3,000 PSF-12,000 PSF
Compacted sand and fill: 2,000 PSF-3,000 PSF
Silt/Clay: 1,000- 4,000 PSF
Bedrock: 10,000 PSF
Ramp guidelines
-Should not be steeper than 1:12 (83%)
-Minimum width of 36”
-Maximum run is 30’, maximum rise is 30”
-Ramp landings shall be minimum 60” in length.
-Walkways should have a maximum gradient of 5
percent (1:20), and maximum cross gradient of 2
percent (1:50)
Site Slope Percentages
Flat area(good for all activities): less than 4%
moderate: between 4 to 10%
steep-unusable: 10 to 50%
very steep, subject to erosion: +50%
Construction slope percentages
Storm drains: 0.3% min Street surface drainage: .5% min lawns- 25% max parking area- 5% max auto ramps: 8% max sidewalks and streets/paved driveways: 10% max.
Angle of repose
Loose wet clay/silt: 30%
Compact dry clay: 100%
Wet sand: 80%
Dry sand: 65%
Cul-de-sac
400’ max. with 80’ turnaround
2 lane highway with 9’0” shoulders
between 40’-42’
Width of typical surface street
11’ to 12’
Minimum curb radii @ minor streets
12”
Minimum curb radii @ major streets
50”
Length of landscape strips
7’ with trees, 4’ with grass and dirt
