Sustainable Sites Flashcards
What’s a site assessment?
Assesses site conditions before design to evaluate sustainable options and inform related decisions about site design (Hydrology and Geology)
Site assessment takes into consideration factors like
soil
habitat
space preservation
human uses of the facility
Design considerations upon Topography
Contour mapping, unique topographic features and slope stability risks
Design considerations upon Hydrology
Flood hazard areas delineated wetlands, lakes, streams, shorelines, rainwater collection and reuse opportunities
Design considerations upon Climate
Solar exposure, heat island effect potential, seasonal sun angles, prevailing winds, monthly precipitation and temperature ranges
Design considerations upon Vegetation
Primary vegetation types, greenfield area, significant tree mapping, threatened or endangered species
Design considerations upon Soils
Prime farmland, healthy soils
Design considerations upon Human use
Views, adjacent transportation infrastructure, adjacent properties, construction materials with existing recycle or reuse potential
Design considerations upon Human health effects
The proximity of vulnerable populations, adjacent physical activity opportunities, proximity to major sources of air pollution
What determines the site’s ability to support the building
the site and the function of the building
Define a development footprint Vs Building Footprint
- Includes all areas that will be affected by the project’s activity. It includes the building, access roads, parking lots, sidewalks, other hardscapes, and any other type of building like a storage shed, etc.
- Area covered by the building structure but does not include parking lots, landscaped areas, etc.
How do you make the site development dense?
trying to keep the building footprint to a minimum and maximize open space
Define Open Space
the area that is both vegetated and pervious.
are usually defined by local zoning requirements; else, LEED defines it as the area of the property minus the development footprint.
Benefits of Open Space
Reduce heat islands
Improve rainwater management
Protect ecosystems
Causes of erosion
Construction vehicles
Grading
Foot traffic
Unprotected topsoil
Some methods to limit erosion and sedimentation are:
Mulching Erosion control blankets Sediment (silt) fencing Berms and constructed ponds Seeding Straw bales
Runoff´s definition
rainwater and melted snow that run off streets, lawns, farms, and construction and industrial sites
Main concerns of rainwater management
- related to the volume and timing of runoff water (floods)
- potential contaminants that the water is carrying (fertilizers, topsoil, chemicals, etc)
To reduce the quantity of rainwater runoff…
- limit the number of impervious surfaces
- reuse rainwater
- adopt some low impact strategies
(RAINWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN)
Define an impervious surface
A surface having a perviousness of less than 50%
Strategies to reduce impervious surfaces
having smaller footprints and more open space.
create strips of vegetation that are low enough to capture rainwater
open grid paving
Strategies to manage Rainwater
Rain gardens, or planted areas
Bioswales and vegetated filters
Dry ponds
whats an ESC plan ?
Stabilization & Structural Methods
Heat island definition
temperature differences between developed and undeveloped areas
