Sustainable Sites Flashcards
What is IESNA?
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. Publisher of lighting design and illumination standards.
What is pervious pavement used for?
Pervious pavement is used to reduce runoff by allowing runoff to filter through the pervious material.
What is solar reflectance?
Solar reflectance is a measure of the ability of a surface material to reflect sunlight in forms of visible, infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths, which is measured on a scale of 0 to 1. Black paint has an albedo of 0 and white paint has an albedo of 1.
What is heat island effect?
The heat island effect is a situation where the absorption of heat by hardscapes, buildings and dark materials then radiates to surrounding areas. The term describes the event where radiant air and surface temperatures in urban areas are higher than rural or suburban areas nearby.
What can cause the heat island effect?
- dark surfaces that absorb heat (black roofs, asphalt)
- vehicle exhaust
- air conditioners
- reduced air flow from tall buildings and narrow streets
What is solar reflectance index (SRI)
A measure of constructed surface’s ability to stay cool in the sun by reflecting solar radiation and emitting thermal radiation. It is defined such that a standard black surface (initial solar reflectance 0.05, initial thermal emittance 0.90) has an initial SRI of 0, and a standard white surface (initial solar reflectance 0.80, initial thermal emittance 0.90) has an initial SRI of 100.
What are the benefits of reducing heat island effect?
Reducing heat islands reduces air temperatures which would reduce the need to cool that air in buildings. Thus energy consumption is lowered
What do reflective materials help with?
reducing the heat island effect
What term defines paving systems that are open and allow moisture to soak into the ground below?
Pervious. there are many types of pervious paving systems.
What do impervious surfaces promote?
impervious surfaces promote water runoff instead of infiltration into the subsurface. This term is mostly used when discussing hardscape surfaces.
By what amount can heat island elevate temperatures in an urban area?
10 degrees F or more
Heat islands impact what LEED category(s)?
Sustainable Sites (SS) and Energy and Atmosphere (EA). Heat islands increase temperatures resulting in the need for more air conditioning (and more energy to cool the air).
What strategies are employed to reduce the heat islands?
strategies include using materials with higher solar reflectance properties in the site design, provide shaded areas, and reduce hardscape surfaces and install vegetated roofs.
What generally defines open space area?
Local zoning requirements.
What does the building footprint consist of?
The area on a project site used by the building structure and defined by the perimeter of the building plan.
What is light pollution?
Waste light from building sites that produce glare, is directed upward to the sky, or is directed off site. Waste light does not increase nighttime safety, utility, or security, and needlessly consumes energy.
What are examples of impervious surfaces?
Parking lots, roads, sidewalks, and plazas.
What helps reduce the heat island effect?
- light colored paving materials
- green roofs
- cool roofs
- shading underground parking
What is the development footprint?
The development footprint includes all areas of site affected by the development or project site activity. Includes hardscapes, parking lots, access roads, non-building facilities, and the building itself.
What is open space?
Open space is undeveloped land, but it differs from greenfield sites since open space could have been developed in the past and restored to an undeveloped state.
What does runoff contribute to?
Soil erosion and sedimentation of local waterways
Harvested rainwater can be substituted for what types of potable water uses?
Landscape irrigation, fire suppression, toilet and urinal flushing, and custodial uses.
What does a vegetated roof consist of?
Vegetation, growing medium, filter fabric, drainage, and a waterproof membrane.
What is a greenfield site?
A site not previously developed or graded that could support open space, habitat, or agriculture.
What is a previously developed site?
A site that was previously built on, has been graded, or contained a parking lot, roadway, or other structure.
What is a bioswale?
Landscape elements are designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water. They consist of a swaled drainage course with gently sloped sides filled with vegetation, compost, and or riprap.
What are types of sensitive habitat?
- Prime farmland
- Floodplains
- Endangered habitat
- Water bodies
- Wetlands
What is sedimentation?
When runoff deposits sediment into water ways, leading to a decline in water quality by blocking sunlight.
What is a BUG rating?
The backlight-uplight glare (BUG) method is used in LEED v4 for light pollution reduction. By selecting exterior lighting with specific BUG ratings the project team can easily reduce light pollution.
What is a floor area ratio (FAR)
The density of nonresidential land use, exclusive of parking, measured as the total nonresidential building floor area divided by the total buildable land area available for nonresidential structures.
What is a site assessment?
An evaluation of an area’s above-ground and subsurface characteristics, including its structures, geology, and hydrology. Site assessments typically help determine whether contamination has occurred and the extent and concentration of any pollutants. Remediation decisions rely on information generated during site assessments.
Construction activity pollution prevention should address what environmental protection measures?
- soil erosion
- waterway sedimentation
- airborne dust
What team member creates an erosion and sedimentation control (ESC) plan for construction activity pollution prevention?
Civil engineer
What does protecting and restoring habitat help with?
Promoting biodiversity
How should projects reduce runoff?
Replicating the natural hydrology and water balance of the site.
What are ways to manage runoff?
Low-impact development (LID) and green infrastructure
What is low-impact development (LID)?
An approach to managing rainwater runoff that emphasizes on-site natural features to protect water quality, by replicating the natural land cover hydrologic regime of watersheds, and addressing runoff close to its source.
Albedo
Albedo is the fraction of light that a surface reflects. If it is all reflected, the albedo is equal to 1. If 30% is reflected, the albedo is 0.3. The albedo of Earth’s surface (atmosphere, ocean, land surfaces) determines how much incoming solar energy, or light, is immediately reflected back to space.
