Site - SITE

What are buoyant upload forces?

The buoyant force comes from the pressure exerted on the object by the fluid. When underground water pushes up on the building and causes the building to want to float like a boat which we dont want to happen

What is the difference between a building step-back and a building setback?

Building Setback - are minimum requirements that require lets say a building to be a certain distance from the road or a certain distance back in plan from another building Building Step-back - A step back happens in section so what it requires in cities is that you could go a certain amount of height up on the street and then you have to step your building back so that is what it is called a step-back then you could go another number of floors up and you had to step your building back again to maintain light and air to avoid the urban canyon effect.

The term "right-of-way" is used to describe Choose only ONE best answer. A - The right to have first opportunity to purchase real estate when it becomes available B - The right of taking land by entering on it in a peaceable manner C - A right belonging to a party to pass over land of another D - A right to cross a picket line during strike

C - A right belonging to a party to pass over land of another Example: Me owning land that you have to cross to get from from your land to the road and me giving you a right-of-way to pass across my land on some kind of shared driveway

Easements are generally placed on private property to accommodate which of the following? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Daylight B -Landscaping C - Access D - Setbacks

C - Access Easements give us access you cant build on that part of your property because there is a sewer pipe underneath and you need things to be able migrate past it

Foundation design in northern climates can require footings to be as deep as 5 feet below grade for which of the following reasons? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Protect against snow drifts B - Rest on undisturbed soil C - Be below frost level D - Resist earthquakes

C - Be below frost level

Which of these are considered frictional? which is considered cohesive? Clay Gravel Sand

Clay - Cohesive, as it relies on stickiness for strength Gravel and Sand - Frictional, they rely on internal friction for strength Silt - may or may not be considered cohesive but its almost always much less cohesive than clay is

What makes a site a brownfield site?

Contaminated with pollutants

What was the engineer worried about when the construction workers were drilling for a column and water kept filling the hole so they spent 3 days pumping water out of it as it kept filling up. The engineer brought in said to stop it immediately.

He was worried about changing the water table of the soil underneath the surrounding buildings which could cause them to heave, and buckle, and settle. So if there is surrounding buildings do not mess with the water table as there may be consequences.

Mini Pile procedure vs Helical Pile procedure

Mini Pile procedure = We are going to drill a hole in the soil, we are going to fill the hole with grout and we are going to stick a steel pipe or rod into the grout and these minipiles are also called; Pin-Piles or Micro-Piles. Helical Pile procedure = For helical piles which are also called screw piles they dont require any pre-drilling. When you put the pile in you dont have to pre-drill a hole and the pile has an inclined plane with teeth kind of like a screw and screwed down into the earth

Why do we dig down for foundations?

The foundations job is to transfer the buildings structural loads to the ground. 1st reason - To reach bed rock or soil competent enough to bear the weight of the building 2nd reason - In places where there is actually a winter we are going to dig down to a point where the water in the ground is less likely to suffer the heaving thats associated with the freeze, the thaw cycle. (so past water that will freeze at night then thaw during the day and its going to change its volume and it will heave the building - turn over) so you will dig past the frost line. Houses- usually dig past frost line 2-3' deep Sheds - dont need foundations can just sit on the ground Big buildings - you usually have to dig down deep to the bedrock but that can be expensive as it is very deep

We classify earth material by the size of the _______ and by the presence of ______ material and by its _______ content

Particle Organic Moisture

Provide an example of organic soil

Peat Topsoil *they must be cleared from the site and stored (for landscaping) because building cant bear on it.

eminent domain

Power of a government to take private property for public use.

From a structural geometry point of view, how do retaining walls differ from basement walls?

Retaining walls keep the earth back they are not interior they are for exterior. They have eccentric loading which means they have earth on one side but not on the other and its asymmetrical

when digging a trench to keep the soil from collapsing in we use what?

Reusable modular systems

What is the difference between first-right-of-refusal and right-of-way?

Right-of-way allows me to put a driveway so that you can get to the road. first-right-of-refusal it means you get first in line if a property a property goes up for sale. An example an elderly lady lives across the street gave me first-right-of-refusal which means if she had it drawn up contractually so that if she passes away and her property went up for sale i would have the first right to make a bid on it so i would be able to buy it if her house went up for sale.

The most common type of Shoring is?

The soldier beam with lagging (the wood boards between the wide flange steel beams that are driven into the ground and the lagging keeps the earth out and acts as a wall) When we are doing large excavations we need to create a wall to prevent the collapse of earth around us so we dont die and that wall is called Shoring

What is the liquid limit of a soil?

The water content at which the soil transitions from semi-solid to fluid - This can be an issue with cohesive soils with like clay or sometimes silt Plastic Limit: how much water a soil can absorb before starting to expand, and as you continue to add more water after the plastic limit its going to eventually start to flow and that is called the liquid limit

Deadloads are?

The weight of the building, they are permanent

Lighter buildings have ______ foundations

Shallow

Spread footings are what we typically use with ________ foundations

Shallow foundations

in a hot arid climate we rather have our building closer together because?

Shared shade

How do you provide waterproofing that keeps the water from going through the basement wall?

Sheets Liquid-Applied Barriers Special Concrete 2 levels of keeping water out: Water Proofing - surface treated to resist the passage of water under hydrostatic pressure Damp Proofing - designed to resist the passage of water only in the absence of hydrostatic pressure

When we are doing large excavations we need to create a wall to prevent the collapse of earth around us so we dont die and that wall is called what?

Shoring

A maximum height of a run of outdoor stairs without a landing is ____ ft

12' so we cant go 13' up and if we do go 13' up we need a landing somewhere in the middle

How do we provide the break in the soil? (in other words how do we keep the water saturated soil away from the foundation and away from the basement?)

2 flavors: 1. Drainage mat - its a sheet product that is 1/2" thick and an egg crate plastic form to allow water to fall down and has a filter fabric to keep the soil out of the spaces between the egg crate 2. Gravel fill - use gravel as a back fill or some other fill that is good for drainage

A permit is required for illuminated signs unless its less than ___-__ sq. ft. of projecting sign

2-1/2 sq. ft.

No segment of a ramp can be more than ____ ft

30 ft (because the maximum rise cant be more than 30")

If you have a porch or a retaining wall that is more than ___ " off the ground you are going to need guard rails to make sure that no one falls off and gets hurt

30"

__" minimum where our grade is going to to meet the building atleast __" below the top of the foundation

8"

I've put these in alphabetical order. Rearrange them in order of most to least competent for supporting a building. Clay Gravel Sand Silt Choose only ONE best answer. A Gravel Sand Silt Clay B Silt Gravel Sand Clay C Clay Sand Silt Gravel D Gravel Clay Silt Sand

A Gravel Sand Silt Clay (Silt and Clay could at times switch places on the list depending on how much organic material is mixed in with the silt because if this more organic material mixed in with the silt it may be less stable)

The most important factor for locating a new retail center is... Choose only ONE best answer. A - Accessibility to market area traffic B - The availability of utilities C - A well-drained level site D - Its proximity to employment zone areas

A - Accessibility to market area traffic for commerce its all about traffic so thats why every strip mall is always located on an intersection that is likely to get traffic from two different directions

Increased moisture content in bearing soils can have which of the following effects? Check the three that apply Choose ALL answers that apply. A - Change in volume B - Reduction in bearing capacity C - Increased cohesion D - Excess surface runoff E - Decreased compatibility F - Sewer backups

A - Change in volume (especially happens with clay) B - Reduction in bearing capacity (as we get to the plastic limit and the liquid limit) D - Excess surface runoff (if we have a whole bunch of rain)

What is a tremie?

A tremie is the name of the funnel and the straw system used that brings the concrete down to the bottom of the trench in the slurry wall system

What is the difference between active and passive methods of removing radon?

Active method involves a fan. a pipe that has a fan to bring the air out through the pipe. Its really cheap if we do it during construction we dont know if theres radon in the soil or not but its inexpensive to deal with during construction so what we are going to do is put a layer of gravel underneath the basement floor slab and that will create an area of air under there and we are going to run a pipe from under there that runs up to above the roof through the building Uranium thats decaying = Radon Since radon typically happens in the soil it really effects people who spend a lot of time on the first floor or especially the basement. So if you have bedrooms in the basement you will want to test for radon.

what is the difference between an Alta Survey and a topographical survey?

An ALTA/ACSM survey shows things like improvements, easements, rights-of-ways, utilities, property lines and other things impacting the land ownership. Its like a lawyers survey. A topographical survey is measuring the contours of the land

how are tiebacks held into the earth

Answer - GROUT We would rather use tieback as if you are using crosslot bracing or rakers they take up a lot of space in the excavated area as they are used to hold up the shore walls Tiebacks are essentially nails, giant rods that we are going to use to hold the excavation shore wall back. So what we are going to do is we are going to drill holes every X feet in the horizontal members of the all and remember from our discussion on concrete those horizontal members are called "WALERS" the holes are then grouted so they are filled with grout and steel rods or cables are inserted and then the cured grout serves as one anchor and the other end is going to be anchored against the waler and we are going to use a hydraulic jack to pull the whole thing tight so we are going to pull the wall tight with the soil behind it. Once the floor is in on either crosslot bracing, rakers, or tiebacks the floors can take the responsibility of keeping the excavation wall from inward collapse

How wide do fire lanes have to be?

Atleast 20' across You cant have a firelane that is under overhang because if a fire truck comes up and needs to extend its ladder there cant be an overhang above that would limit the access to that ladder and must be atleast 10' from a building over hang

What is the difference between crosslot bracing and rakers?

Crosslot bracing goes all the way across the excavation |_______|_______|_______| |_______|_______|_______| |_______|_______|_______| Rakers only go partway across and terminate at the earth instead of going all the way to the other side of the excavation. (more of a kickstand approach) |\ /| | \ / | | \ / |

I've put these in alphabetical order. Rearrange them in order of largest to smallest particles. Boulders Clay Cobbles Gravel Sand Silt Choose only ONE best answer. A Clay Gravel Sand Silt Boulders Cobbles B Clay Silt Sand Gravel Cobbles Boulders C Cobbles Boulders Gravel Clay Silt Sand D Boulders Cobbles Gravel Sand Silt Clay

D Boulders Cobbles Gravel Sand Silt Clay *if it takes more than 2 hands to lift up its a Boulder *if it can be lifted with one hand its a Cobble *if one piece can be easily held between two fingers its Gravel *too small to be easily picked up by your fingers, but large enough where you can see the individual particles we call that Sand *particles too small to be seen by the naked eye but when viewed under magnification, the particles are spherical, In this case suspended in water are Silt * particles too small to be seen by the naked eye but when viewed under magnification, the particles are plate-like in shape are Clay

Which of the following site orientation factors is critical for residential units? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Bedrooms should face away from harsh winds. B - As many units as possible should be entirely masked from breezes. C - West facing units are at a premium. D - Each unit should receive sun for at least part of a winter day.

D - Each unit should receive sun for at least part of a winter day.

The process of stripping existing vegetation from a site can cause... Choose only ONE best answer. A - Pollution B - Disorientation C - Defoliation D - Erosion

D - Erosion we talked about retention ponds in sites that have a low slope we also have retention ponds that are just used for construction so just to capture all the rainwater run off that happens during construction or to prevent some of the soil thats carried by the runoff from going down into the storm water system we may put filled bags to allow water through but not soil

A nonconforming but legal structure that existed prior to the enactment of a land use ordinance is said to be Choose only ONE best answer. A - An easement B - Dedicated C - Aggrieved D - Grandfathered

D - Grandfathered an expression saying you are still allowed to do something even though they changed the rules. You're grandfathered in because you were doing it even before they changed the rules so the new rule may not apply to you. Not all new rules have grandfather clauses but some do.

What is the term for the boundaries, property lines, or limits of a parcel of land, as defined by distances and compass bearings? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Chaining B - Datum C - Benchmarks D - Metes and bounds

D - Metes and bounds

Topography is the most critical criterion when routing which of the following utility lines? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Water B - Electrical C - Natural gas D - Storm sewer

D - Storm sewer Water is under pressure from the municipal system (municipal = relative to a city or town) typically from a water tower and the static head that a water tower provides. So water can usually go up and down hills without too much trouble if the hills are little and not taller than the water tower itself. Electrical doesnt get effected by gravity Natural gas is under pressure as well Storm sewer we generally want the water to keep moving down hill we rather not have to pump it back up with pumping stations

How do we keep basements dry?

Drainage and Waterproofing DRAINAGE 1. Well maintained gutters, roof drains, downspouts. 2. someplace to discharge the roof water far away and downhill of the building 3. sloped site away from the building to bring surface rainwater away from the building 4. a break in the soil so that water that would otherwise press against the foundation wall will instead drop down 5. a perforated pipe to accept the water that has dropped down and carry it away to daylight some place below the building or to the storm sewer.

I have a building that needs a deep foundation but that is expensive. How can I bear on a shallow foundation to save money?

We are just going to take the soil under a shallow foundation and enhance it. So we have dug a big hole and have put better soil in it or improved the soil that was in there before. The several options: - we can pressure inject the footings or compaction area with grout so we are going to have this array of cylindrical holes fairly close together and we are going to fill them with dry grout or concrete mixture and were gonna compact them bam, bam, bam. by jamming it down its going to make the concrete itself stronger but also the act of compaction is going to improve the strength of the soil between the grout or concrete holes and then we can put a shallow footer on top of the whole thing this composite soil thats alternately soil and grout or soil and concrete - Or we could use what are called rammed aggregate piers which is the same principal but with crushed stone compacted into drilled holes in the ground and these rammed aggregate piers are also called; Stone Columns. Aggregate pier installation - we are going to drill down and we are going to take stone and just and crush it down where the shallow foundation rests on enhanced soil below it.

How do we know the stability, strength, compaction, characteristics, drainage characteristics, organic content, plastic limit, and overall content of earth?

We test it then we are going to write a geotechnical report Small Buildings - we generally use rules of thumb based on typical soil content in the area so we typically arent going to test it Larger Buildings - dig pits and look, load pits with concrete blocks and see what happens to soil and what it can bear Deeper Foundations - test "borings" around the site with drilling rigs. we'll bring the soil encountered at different depths back to the lab and look at its characteristics (particle size, organic content)

What is the difference between a zoning ordinance and a variance?

Zoning ordinance = the rule Variance = the exception to the rule granted to you if you ask for it and they say its okay

What are caissons?

a large water tight chamber open at the bottom from which the water is kept out by air pressure and in which construction work may be carried out under water

What is ripwrap?

its rock and that rock is used to protect a shoreline or a stream embankment or other place where the water meets the land and helps prevent erosion

What is the difference between a cofferdam and a check dam?

- A cofferdam is a temporary structure used to keep out a body of water. - Check dam used to slow down rain water and erosion ^ if we have a steep slope especially if we have a stream or some kind of place where during heavy rains there might be water rushing down it we can stack up some boulders or a little choke point and what thats going to do is slow down the water in the event of a really heavy, torrential rain and by slowing down the rain we hope to avoid mudslides and erosion that would be bad for our site If we have a shallow site to control to control the water that goes off the site to control erosion and to deal with it there are 2 options. 1. Retaining Ponds that will hold all the water from the runoff 2. underground stormwater management where water is collected at the lowpoints into gutters or pipes

Zoning ordinance establish what?

- Establishes density that is allowable on the site - allowable uses on the site - Parking requirements in terms of maximum or minimum of parking spots - setbacks on the site, so how close to the road you can build They are laws that are passed by the local government

Fire Lane Requirements

- Must be atleast 20' wide - atleast 10' away from a building over hang to allow for overhead clearance for the ladders - outside turning radius of 54' and an inside turning radius of 30' - must carry atleast 35 tons

What is the maximum slope of a ramp?

1 to 12

What is the maximum cross slope for an ADA Ramp?

1) 1:48 (if we want to drain water from our outdoor ramp so there isnt any puddles we cant have it more than 1:48 going across the width way not up or down the ramp)

1) For curb cuts the landing up top has to be atleast ___' wide 2) The curb cut itself has to be atleast ___' wide 3) with a __% slope on the flair on either side 4) __% maximum slope going down to the curb itself

1) 5' wide 2) 4' wide 3) 10% 4) 8.33%

1.________________: exhibit higher shear strength - because of that they can carry heavier building loads per square unit of area 2. ______________: exhibit less shear strength - because the grains can more easily shift past one another under pressure so therefore can hold less weight 3. _____________: sand, clay, and silt, have an even lower shear strength since they can move around even more so there more prone to changes from water and therefore have an even lower shear strength and can carry less building

1. Densely packed coarse grain soils 2. Loosely packed coarse grain soils 3. Smaller grained soils

What kind of soil do we use if? 1. We are going to have backfill against a basement wall to allow water to fall before theres hydrostatic pressure against the building 2. If we want to support the building we use

1. For drainage we want to use a Poorly-Graded Soil 2. for support we want to use Well-Graded Soil

How can your foundation blow the budget?

1. Foundations that are below the water table, where the excavation has to be waterproofed or continually pumped dry. 2. If you could have a building that could have a shallow foundation but because of the structural geometry you have chosen with point loads and columns or linear loads on walls that are too high for shallow foundations to support on that particular soil and you have to instead use deep caissons or piles thats pretty expensive 3. Foundations that interfere with a neighboring buildings foundation and that would require temporary shoring or permanent improvement of the adjacent foundation

4 types of piles

1. H Piles (which are wide flanges that we are going to drive into the ground) 2. Steel Pipe Piles 3. Precast Concrete Piles 4. Wood Piles

The inverse measure of graded (1/Graded) = Sorted so..... 1. So a well graded soil = _______ sorted soil. 2. Poorly sorted soil = _______ graded soil. 3. So generally if its Well Graded and Poorly Sorted it is good for _______ 4. If it is Poorly Graded and Well Sorted it is better for _______ Poorly Sorted soil = Sediment sizes are mixed (different sizes)

1. Poorly sorted soil 2. Well graded soil 3. Support for your building 4. Drainage

The part of a building that is above the ground is called what? The part that is below the ground is called what? Below all of that space that transfers the load of the building to the earth is called?

1. The super structure 2. The sub structure 3. The foundation

6 types of shallow foundations

1. Wall (strip) Footings - (linear load wall bears on footing) 2. Column Footings (you brace at grade if subject to lateral loads with grade beams or tie beams to make sure they dont slip past eachother and stay rigid as they connect to column footing to column footing) 3. Slab-on-grade (use when we have low loads, and when we dont have to worry about frost) 4. Combined Footings 5. Cantilevered Footings (use this if we are up against the property line as we cant allow the footing to go beyond property line and we cantilever substructure out) 6. Mat Foundations (we have so many columns so close together it really doesnt make sense to make a separate column footing for each column its better to make one footing for all of them that connect as they are poured at once as a mat foundation)

If we have dug below the water table as part of our excavation efforts, we have two options to keep the excavation area dry. what are they?

1. build a waterproof enclosure around the excavated earth so the water cant get in. 2A. Continually pump the water out as it seeps in 2B. Continually pump the water out that is around the excavated area so outside of the area they are digging in and on the side of it so the water never seeps in

1. offset footers prevent what in retaining walls 2. A key in the bottom of the footing prevents what? 3. a deadman prevents what in a retaining wall? (the bottom slipping out)

1. prevent overturning 2. prevents sliding 3. prevents undermining

Give examples of what geotextiles are used for? (geotextiles are permeable fabrics and when used in association with soil it has the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect, or drain.

1. the netting to act as roots and replace what would be a short retaining wall. They can also do the same under a footing and they would act the same way roots would to stabilize the soil. 2. Geotextiles as filter fabric to protect fill from the introduction of soil but allow water to pass and as part of the drainage mat for the same purpose 3. geotextiles can be draped on a hill to limit erosion or as silt fencing (its the fabric for landscaping basically it keeps the soil out)

a Fire Lane must be atleast ___' away from a building over hang to allow for overhead clearance for the ladders

10'

Which of these is the weird one? In other words, which changes its structural behavior most over time? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Clay B - Gravel C - Sand D - Silt

A - Clay When a building is built on clay the weight of the building can push the moisture out of it causing it to compress its volume this process we call CONSOLEDATION

A very large building is more likely to have a _________? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Deep Foundation B - Shallow Foundation

A - Deep Foundation

Spread footings in a cold climate like North Dakota will typically be _________ than spread footings in a warm climate like Mississippi? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Deeper B - Shallower

A - Deeper Because of frost depth and so its deep enough so its not going to freeze or thaw and eventually heave. If it is on a hill we are going to step down the foundation so it always stays below the freeze thaw depth

Which of the following technologies is most commonly used in groundwater remediation projects? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Extraction/treatment B - In situ aeration C - Biological barriers/filters D - Gas chromatography

A - Extraction/treatment

Building failure can often be traced to unstable subsoil conditions. Which of the following subsurface conditions is likely to cause differential settlement of building foundations? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Large beds of clay contained in gravel B - Small boulders dispersed in gravel C - Stratified rock D - A deep layer of dry sand and gravel

A - Large beds of clay contained in gravel Clay is very unpredictable

If the location of the leak is far from the actual penetration of the waterproofing sheet, the sheet is more likely ________. Choose only ONE best answer. A - Loosely applied sheet B - Fully adhered sheet

A - Loosely applied sheet Loosely applied sheets allow water to get behind them and when there is a failure and the water gets behind them it will just fall and it may go in a different place farther down than the actual leak

In cold climates, vapor barriers are desirable below attic insulation because they Choose only ONE best answer. A - Minimize moisture migration B - Serve as secondary waterproofing C - Support the insulation D - Provide protection from insect infestation

A - Minimize moisture migration because they minimize more moisture migration into the insulation and if you are going to have a vapor barrier you want it on the winter warm side

Methods to reduce potential vertical movements to a proposed building due to expansive clay soil conditions would include the following. Check the four that apply. Choose ALL answers that apply. A - Over-excavate below footing grade and fill with compacted gravel B - Waterproof that foundation to reduce filtration C - Extend footings and foundation to a depth of consistent ground moisture D - Drain surface water away from building foundation E - Plant trees near the building to stabilize the ground F - Control roof water runoff

A - Over-excavate below footing grade and fill with compacted gravel C - Extend footings and foundation to a depth of consistent ground moisture D - Drain surface water away from building foundation F - Control roof water runoff

In a residential development composed of large building lots, on-site sewage disposal for each lot is permitted subject to the suitability of the soil. Which of the following soil investigations should the architect request? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Percolation test B - Evaporation test C - Test for soil alkalinity D - Test for soil density

A - Percolation test If we need an on-site sewage disposal so if we need a septic system we need to make sure the soil can accept the moisture that comes in from the waste water and we do that in a percolation test where we dig a hole soil and fill it with water and just wait for the water to percolate into the soil and the time it takes to percolate into the soil tells us how big of an area we need as our leach field

Restrictive covenants are typically developed on behalf of Choose only ONE best answer. A - Property owners B - City officials C - Design professionals D - Civil engineers

A - Property owners

Which of the following environmental impacts should be considered in a site analysis? Check the four that apply. Choose ALL answers that apply. A - Reflections B - Air movement C - Archeological finds D - Pedestrian access E - Sun and shadow patterns F - Topography

A - Reflections B - Air movement E - Sun and shadow patterns F - Topography

Which of the following pieces of information are typically included in a subsurface report? (Check the four that apply). Choose ALL answers that apply. A - Results of field tests B - Results of laboratory tests C - Recommended types of foundations D - Soil sieve analysis E - Boring location plan F - Recommend treatment for contaminated soil

A - Results of field tests B - Results of laboratory tests C - Recommended types of foundations E - Boring location plan

Local government authorities impose which of the following land use restrictions? Check 4 that apply. A - Setbacks B - Covenants C - Height and Area Limitations D - Accessibility Acts E - Parking Requirements F - Zoning

A - Setbacks C - Height and Area Limitations E - Parking Requirements F - Zoning Covenants are language thats put in the deed by the property owner dictating how the property can be used in the future for example if you want part of your land not to be built on ever and remain wild you can put that in the deed or home owner associations will put covenants in the deed to keep the neighborhood character like the roofing color

The practice of balancing cut and fill is used in Choose only ONE best answer. A - Site grading B - Sediment control C - Land reclamation D - Footing excavation

A - Site grading So cut and fill that is a strategy where the amount of earth removed, the amount of earth thats cut from a site is roughly equal to the amount used on the site for embankments (a wall or bank of earth or stone built to prevent a river flooding an area) or other improvements. so youre going to remove on the site about as much quantity in cubic feet as the earth you are going to put back and what that does it really significantly lowers construction costs because hauling away and removing fill is very expensive and purchasing and trucking in new fill is very expensive so we want to haul away nothing and truck in nothing if we can

Which of the following would be the best design-with-climate strategy in the layout of a new town in a cool region such as Winnipeg or Minneapolis?(so we are talking about blocking wind and allowing sun) Choose only ONE best answer. A - The town structure should be densely grouped; larger building units may be grouped close together but spaced to utilize sun-heat effects, and the layout should provide a sheltering effect against winds. B - The preferred design is an open and free layout of buildings that tend to merge with nature. C - The town structure should be dense and provide shade, and unit dwellings or groups of buildings should create court-like areas. D - Buildings should be separated to utilize air movements, and the character of the town fabric should be loose and scattered.

A - The town structure should be densely grouped; larger building units may be grouped close together but spaced to utilize sun-heat effects, and the layout should provide a sheltering effect against winds.

Since contamination in soil typically leads to groundwater contamination, which of the following cleanup technologies can be used to remediate the unsaturated zone? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Vapor extraction B - Biodegradation C - In situ incineration D - Photolysis

A - Vapor extraction In vapor extraction we are going to drill extraction wells and then we are going to suck gas out of the soil and with that were gonna suck pollutants out for treatment above ground so somewhere above the groundwater because we know eventually the pollution in the soil will get to the ground water so we are trying to take the contamination out of the unsaturated zone before it gets to the saturated zone (water table) and then using a vacuum blower gonna suck it out and we are going to treat it above ground

Which of the following statements is more often true? Choose only ONE best answer. A - We want buildings to settle the same everywhere. B - We want buildings to settle more in some parts than others depending on the weight of the building, the number of floors, the type of structural system and type of soil the building is bearing on

A - We want buildings to settle the same everywhere. We dont want differential setting that means walls crack, doors dont open, floors get sloped, windows crack,

if we arent using shoring for keeping the earth back when excavating can do what?

A benched excavation (using the angle of repose - its the steepest angle that the side of the excavated area can be before the soil backslides into the pit.) ___ \______ \____________/

Types of caissons

A caisson with bell goes down till it hits the bedrock A socketed caisson goes into the bedrock.

Assuming a constant slope between the contour lines 70 and 75 what is the elevation at point A? The distance between 70 and 75 is 16' and Point A is 4' from the 70 Contour line. A - 70.25 ft B - 71.25 ft C - 72.25 ft D - 73.25 ft

B - 71.25 ft 75 - 70 = 5 4 / 16 = 1/4 1 / 4 x 5 = 1.25 70 + 1.25 = 71.25 - The difference between elevation from on contour line and the other is 75' - 70' which equals 5'. - In plan we are 4' out of the 16' distance between contour lines which is 1/4 the distance - If you take 1/4 of that 5' elevation difference so we are approximately 1/4 of the way up from the 70' contour line so 1/4 x 5 = 1.25 so we are going to be 1.25 feet higher than the lowest point there which is 70' - that is gonna get us to 70' + 1.25 which equals 71.25'

Costs for cutting and filling earth on site are typically calculated by which of the following? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Square yards B - Cubic yards C - Acres D - Tonnage

B - Cubic yards

Which of the following principles should guide residential zoning adjacent to a central business district? Choose only ONE best answer. A - It should be prohibited because land costs are too high. B - It should be maintained as a viable community asset. C - All substandard existing units should be converted to commercial use. D - Future units should be available to low-income and elderly families only.

B - It should be maintained as a viable community asset. It should be mixed and not just a central business district all the big cities are mixed

Which of the following defines the sudden loss of shearing resistance in a cohesionless soil? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Plasticity B - Liquefaction C - A collapsing soil D - An expansive soil

B - Liquefaction

The diagrams above indicate which of the following about the relationship between wind and the mass of high-rise buildings? A - Wind acts the same on all surfaces regardless of mass and material differentiation. B - More wind turbulence is created at the street level of wide, smooth-surfaced facades. C - Wind turbulence is increased at street level by stepped building forms. D - Wind turbulence is of minimum concern in the relationship between high-rise buildings and the street.

B - More wind turbulence is created at the street level of wide, smooth-surfaced facades. The wind hits the building and goes straight down to the streets By having step backs breaking up the massing of the building so that wind would otherwise hit the building and go straight down, hit the building and then they hit intermediate rows so they can break up the wind

Is concrete waterproof? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Yes B - No

B - No Not even close.... 1. Water moves through the pores in the concrete 2. Gap between the segments of concrete the water can move through that 3. Tie holes leak 4. Small cracks that occur as the concrete cures and shrinks

Which drains water better? Choose only ONE best answer. A - Well graded soil B - Poorly graded soil

B - Poorly graded soil Well graded soil - Just like concrete, when there is a wider variety of sizes in terms of pieces of gravel (different aggregate sizes) the small pieces tend to fill in the void between the bigger ones the whole thing packs much tighter and this is better for a building bearing on it we call these well graded soils and they can pack more for better foundation support Poorly graded soil - are not as good for support but they are better for drainage because the small ones (aggregates) dont fill in the spaces as they are all the same size aggregate theres more gaps and more places for water to move through them

The purpose for a perforated pipe by the footing is to? A - Increase hydrostatic pressure on the wall B - Reduce hydrostatic pressure on the wall C - Maintain uniform hydrostatic pressure on the wall D - Decrease vapor pressure in the basement

B - Reduce hydrostatic pressure on the wall because we have the water coming in but we dont want it building up against the wall its going to drop down through the fill and its going to go into the perforated pipe

A roof overhang on which of the following facades of a building built in the northern hemisphere will provide seasonal adjustment for solar radiation? Choose only ONE best answer. A - North B - South C - East D - West

B - South because in the summer time the sun is high and a roof overhang will provide shading and in the wintertime the sun is low and that same sun overhang may be geometrically set up to allow the sun to come in Again, in internal load dominated buildings bringing the sun in from the south may not be desirable for bigger buildings or tighter buildings

Which of the following site conditions affects the development potential of a parcel of land? Check the four that apply. Choose ALL answers that apply. A - Economic climate B - Wetlands C - Endangered species D - Acid rain E - Hazardous waste F - Existing infrastructure

B - Wetlands C - Endangered species E - Hazardous waste F - Existing infrastructure

Replacing soil that we had once removed as part of an excavation is called?

Backfilling

What is the difference between filling and backfilling?

Backfilling is a subset of filling Backfilling - replacing soil that we had once removed as part of an excavation When we do backfilling we are going to do it in LAYERS and these layers are called LIFTS. These lifts are going to be between 4"-1' deep and if we have to compact it we will do it in between

If you are building a tall building you need to build it on very stable _____ ________ to rest your building on

Bedrock foundation

Zoning ordinances promote social vitality within a city when they include Choose only ONE best answer. A - Strict zoning by land-use category B - High rise buildings in a park-like setting C - Mixed use and overlay zoning D - Flexible car-parking ratios

C - Mixed use and overlay zoning Generally if we want cities to be walkable and livable we need to start balancing the car and the pedestrian better.

The characteristics of an existing structure that will directly affect the thermal environment of adjacent new construction is its... Choose only ONE best answer. A - Mechanical systems B - Texture C - Shadow pattern D - Footprint

C - Shadow pattern

Water-detention areas are used primarily for which of the following? Choose only ONE best answer. A - To create swimming and recreation areas B - To provide aesthetically pleasing vistas C - To control surface water runoff D - To act as reservoirs in periods of drought

C - To control surface water runoff

What is the difference between a caisson and a pile?

Caissons are drilled holes and filled with concrete(caisson), Piles are elements that are hammered in. They are both deep foundations. Caisson are drilled holes that are filled with concrete (caisson) and piles are sticks that are manufactured at a factory and then driven into the earth. A socketed caisson goes into the rock. A caisson with bell goes down till it hits the bedrock When drilling for Caissons with a bell at the end we want a cohesive soils so it does not collapse and the soils hold together and if the soils arent cohesive enough to keep them from collapsing you can take the same approach as the slurry wall with the slurry that keeps it from caving in and as you pour the concrete it brings the slurry back up for reuse The belled out surface at the bottom of the caisson allows for a greater area of soil to bear the weight of the building

You are developing a 200 acre site with a goal, for the entire site, of 8.5 units per acre. you have developed 50 acres of the site so far at 4 units per acre for the portion of the site. What should the density, in units per acre be for the remaining 150 acres?

First take a look at what they are asking. so you have a site and you have developed a quarter of it at 4 units per acre and you need to make the rest of it such that the entire thing is 8.5 units per acre. so the other 3 quarters is going to be more denser to make the 4 units per acre go up to 8.5 units per acre so that 3 quarters will also be higher than 8.5 to make it average out at 8.5 acres per unit overall since you already did a quarter that is at 4 units per acre which is less. so we are going to start with: (25% x 4 units per acre) + (75% x ?) = 8.5 acres per unit so one quarter of the site 25% multiplied by 4 units per acre so a quarter of the site at 4 units per acre + the remaining portion of the site 75% times the remaining density which we are solving for = 8.5 acres per unit now we simplify that to: we take 25% of 4 we get 1 and we leave 75% of ? which is the density we are solving for and you get 8.5 units per acre. 1 + (0.75 x ?) = 8.5 The we are going to subtract 1 from both sides so we have: (0.75 x ?) = 7.5 then (0.75 x ?)/.75 = 7.5/.75 = 10 units per acre * so we are doing 3/4 of the site at 10 units per acre at something that is higher than 8.5 units per acre to counteract the 1/4 of the site that we already developed at a less density than 8.5 units per acre density

What is "Grubbing and Clearing"?

If we have a site with a bunch of trees on it grubbing and clearing is taking out the trees, the plants, the stumps and we usually do this with heavy machinery because we want to prepare the site for the foundation If you want to save trees for the site you dont dig past the trees canopy (top) when grubbing and clearing the site

What is integral waterproofing?

In integral waterproofing we are taking the concrete and we are using a special admixture that kind of stops up the pores of the concrete and it makes the concrete less likely to allow water through

What is soil mixing?

In soil mixing we are going to create walls and keep in mind that we have to put down the structure for these walls before we start digging. so this is the same kind of principle. We are going to make walls for the excavation but we are going to do it before we start digging. We are going to do it by drilling down and mixing the soil in columns in successive (following one another) columns with portland cement and water mixed w/ soil one soil column at a time one by one then eventually creating a whole perimter or circular column stacks of soil that is a wall ( | | | | | | ) and once it is a full perimeter we can start digging and excavating

I need to improve the foundation of an existing building as part as of a renovation/expansion. How can I do that?

In the world of renovation theres something called underpinning and its the renovation but for the underground portion. There are 3 reasons why we might have to underpin a foundation. 1. Building renovation makes the new building heavier, so we need to beef up the foundation because we made the building heavier because we just made our building heavier than it was made to be when the original foundation was poured. 2. Existing foundation was never really sufficient and has has had problems so it needs to be improved 3. Adjacent sitework weakened my foundation The 3 ways to Improve the foundaton 1. We can extend the foundation to some deeper strata (a layer or series of layers of rock in the ground) with more competent support because the soil can bear more. 2. Make the foundation wider so that it rests on more soil, the bearing of the building will be dispersed over more soil and so the soil itself can handle more because the weights being distributed better. 3. improve the earth with imported fill or grout. where we have fill or grout that we are putting underneath our foundation so even though our foundation is not sufficient right now, once we manufacture a better soil underneath we will be okay. There are 2 ways to support the building while youre improving the foundation below. 1. Trench Support - we can dig up part of it like if we dug up every 6' out of 12' around the perimeter so we dig some up and leave some untouched and so on. So you will be working on your 6' and the other 6' will be left in place and once you fix your 6' you will fill it back in and you will work on the other half of it and move on to the next 6' and so on. 2. Needle Beam Support - Dig up the entire perimeter and you use what are called needle beams as temporary support for the entire foundation If you are going to put down a new foundation there are 3 types of foundation. 1. Put a new footing under the old one so it will have double footing the new footing below the existing that can be wider as well 2. New piers or caissons under the old foundation so you will have the existing foundation and underneath it you will have new piers or caissons that will help support it. 3. To put minipiles the small pipes or rods we are going to drill a hole and put grout into the hole and then we are going to insert the pipe or rod into the grout and we are going to do that through the existing foundation. The advantage of this is that it doesnt require any temporary support and can be done with minimal excavation so this is the least intrusive of the 3 options.

What is earth reinforcing (Hint: an alternative to retaining walls)?

In this scenario we are going to take earth and we are going to compact it into layers each with a net of steel , plastic, or glass fiber (these are known as support strips) and we are going to roll these out to stabilize the soil in the same way that tree roots prevent things a tree from turning over it is the same idea. So we are going to put some soil down then roll out this netting and put a layer of soil down then the netting and so on and the netting itself is going to hold up the wall, the weight of the soil on top of the netting will hold up the wall. Or we dont have to use a wall at all we can just use the netting itself on a slope and the netting itself will hold back the earth in the way that tree roots prevent erosion in a field

Liveloads are?

It includes things like Occupants, Furnishings, and other non-permanent loads also includes things like rain and snow loads

what is Sheeted Excavation aka sheet piling?

It is another type of shoring (When we are doing large excavations we need to create a wall to prevent the collapse of earth around us so we dont die and that wall is called Shoring) * In this we have steel sheets and they are going to be driven into the ground directly to form a continuous underground wall and then after we have this underground wall that is already driven into the ground then we are going to start digging out of the middle of it and as we dig down that wall is what keeps the soil outside our excavation from collapsing on us - Steel is the most common type of sheet piling we might also use wood timbers, plastic, aluminum, plastic, composites, or pre-cast concrete. If we are against another building we often have to keep the shoring in and cant take it out

solar envelope

It is the greatest volume you can build on a site that will not shade nearby sites during a given time period(too much of the day)

What is a floating foundation?

Its a variation on a mat foundation but in a floating foundation we are going to carefully calculate the weight of the building and carefully calculate the weight of the soil on the site we are removing and we are going to make them be equal. If we do this and you think about it we havent really added anything to the site from a soil perspective and so our buildings are going to "float"

What is a pile cap?

Its common that each pile is not strong enough to hold its own column above it so we are going to group a bunch of piles together in clumps then we are going to top them with a pile cap. Then that pile cap can receive the column thats going to be on top of it and transfer the load from the column the the clump of piles

In what situations would you use a minipile or helical pile instead of a full sized one?

Minipiles are kind of like giant nails that we are going to put into grout thats in the ground. Helical piles are like giant screws that we are going to screw into the ground. ANSWER - Shoring up an existing building where excess vibration associated with ramming piles would be a problem - in or near a building where quiet is desired and the ramming noise would be disruptive - anywhere where large amounts of soil displacement would be less than optimal

Billboards have to include the _____ of the _____ or _____ that is responsible for maintaining them

Name of the person or company

On which of the proposed sites would the use of solar energy be most limited? Site A Site B Site C Site D

Site C You can see site c has buildings to the west, the south, and the southeast and so as the sun path moves along in the winter time to the south they have these tall buildings of 20 stories or higher we see by the legend. We have these tall buildings that are blocking our view so again its the kind of basic and rather simplified view that as long as we can get access to the sun we should be okay thermally.

slurry walls used to hold back the earth during excavation are expensive. Under what condition do they become economical?

Slurry walls are used in situations with soft earth or high groundwater table They are economical to the extent or degree as they produce buildable areas and locations that would be accessible through low cost excavation strategies

How do i know when i need to file a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP)?

Small projects are generally exempted, but projects that disturb at least one acre of land are typically required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the EPA to file a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) so you actually have to file a plan to describe whats going to happen to the pollution thats gonna runoff from your site during construction and that plan has to comply with what is called the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

Assuming a project site of 50,000 square feet of land area and 10,000 square feet of gross building floor area. At a ratio of 3 square feet of parking area to 1 square foot of gross building area, how many parking spaces are required at 400 square feet per car?

So we need 3 square feet of parking to one square foot of gross building area so we have 10,000 square feet of gross building area and we have 3 square feet of parking for every square foot of gross building area (so the parking lot should be 3 times the size of our building which is typical) 10,000 SF x 3 = 30,000 square feet of parking required 30,000 SF of parking / 400 sq ft per car = 75 parking spaces

What is shear strength (as it applies to earth materials)?

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. 1. Densely packed coarse grain soils: exhibit higher shear strength - because of that they can carry heavier building loads per square unit of area 2. Loosely packed coarse grain soils: exhibit less shear strength - because the grains can more easily shift past one another under pressure so therefore can hold less weight 3. Smaller grained soils: sand, clay, and silt, have an even lower shear strength since they can move around even more so there more prone to changes from water and therefore have an even lower shear strength and can carry less building

What are soldier beams?

Soldier Beams are where we are going to take wide flange steel beams and we are going to drive them into the soil and inbetween each wide flange steel beam we are going to put wood boards that we call "lagging" so the more we dig down we are going to put lagging between the steel beams and thats going to keep the earth out as we going deeper and deeper

What is the difference between a grade beam and a tie beam?

Tie beams only tackle horizontal loads so you dont put a wall load on top of it which is a vertical load on top of it. A grade beam like tie beams handle the bracing loads but can also handle their own vertical loads so we might do that if we had a wall on top of our tie beam we would reinforce that tie beam to the point it would become a grade beam and it can handle its own vertical loads They both tie the columns together at grade so we dont have to worry about the lateral forces that are associated with earthquakes and wind loads

So floating foundation did not work. What do we do to foundations for earthquakes now?

What we now use are this series of: - Rubber Dampers - Hydraulic Shock Absorbers - Base Isolation Pads So the combination of these 3 the structure is going to stay upright as the earth moves back and forth and these elements between the building and the footings allow the building to stay upright as the earth shakes

Lateral loads are?

Wind - things like tornadoes, hurricanes Seismic Forces Lateral Soil Loads - There are underground lateral loads on the basment walls from things like the weight of the soil and hydrostatic which is pressure from the water underground pushing sideways Loads specific to the foundation wall itself

What is the difference between a right-of-way and an easement?

a right-of-way allows someone to pass through. so if my property is between your property and the road so you cant get to the road you are kind of landlocked, you may pay me some money to make some portion of my property a right-of-way and so we may have a drive way going through my property that can get to yours and we will put that in the contractual form or deed and that part of my property allows whoever owns your property to drive across it. (allows me to put a driveway so that you can get to the road) An easement is kind of the same idea but not really. An easement is so that other parties can use the land. We do it for utility like wires or pipes so if part of my land has some underground utilities in it i may still be responsible for mowing the lawn over it but i cannot build on top of it. Easements can also be placed on your land for environmental reasons where i am not allowed to build in the first X amount of feet off the wetland there is an easement there. so you are not allowed to build on top of an easement because there is something else going on underneath it or there is something really precious about that particular piece of land.

Deadman

any type of anchor embedded in the supported soil and tied to the retaining wall

What is a shallow frost-protected footing?

for some reason if we dont want to go down to frost depth we do have another option if we are going to keep our building warm the building can actually be used to heat the soil beneath it so it never freezes we are going to run the insulation down through the earth to keep the earth warm along with the heat of the building

We need a capillary break behind a retaining wall to do what?

helps with hydrostatic pressure as the water hits the drainage fill behind the retaining wall it will drop before it hits the wall to limit the hydro static pressure and to get that water away we use a perforated pipe or weep holes through the wall

Plastic Limit:

how much water a soil can absorb before starting to expand as you continue to add more water after the plastic limit its going to eventually start to flow and that is called the liquid limit

Do you need a fire lane?

if you can reach from the road all the way all the way around the building with 150' of hose so using both directions (sides) of the building you can reach to the other side of the middle of the back of the building with 150' of hose you dont need a fire lane

if theres a sign erected by transportation authorities do you need a permit or if its a temporary sign?

no

What is the angle of repose?

the steepest angle at which material remains stable * so its the steepest angle that the side of the excavated area can be before the soil backslides into the pit. - you can use shotcrete or grout to help with holding the angle of repose by holding things together Frictional Soils (gravel and sand) have a angle of repose that = 34 Degrees Weak Cohesive Soils (and well graded soils) has an angle of repose that = 45 degrees Cohesive Soils (like clay) have an angle of repose that = 53 degrees

When do we use piles instead of caissons in deep foundations?

the two flavors of pile are: 1. End-bearing pile (sits on top of the bedrock) 2. Frictional pile (not as deep and the friction on the sides of the pile will keep it up) Answer: If we are in a place without cohesive soils like a place with sand (like a beach) we will have to use piles because if we drill for caissons the sand will just collapse in on itself so these are the places we are going to use piles instead of caissons

What is the water table?

the water table is the elevation level below which the soil is saturated with water. so if we dig down "x" amount of feet and lets ay we dog down 10' and beginning of 10' is when the soil is saturated it really cant hold any more water thats what we call the Water Table If we were to dig a well we would have to get somewhere below the water table so water can seep from the saturated soil into the hole we dug and we can bring that water up

How is waterproofing and drainage used when your building directly abuts an adjacent building? in other words if you want to build your foundation, how does this work if there is another foundation right next to yours?

theres no room to apply the waterproofing from the outside. So if you have a building that is adjacent what you need to do is Blindside Water Proofing. Left to Right: 1. adjacent existing foundation wall 2. Blindside waterproofing 3. Drainage Mat 4. Sheathing and formwork 5. new foundation wall so you are going to attach the formwork and you put it in place before you pour the concrete foundation so it becomes one wall of the formwork and you are going to take the drainage mat and apply it directly to the excavation sheathing along with the blindside waterproofing then the space for the rebar and concrete and the formwork on the inside of the abasement wall and the excavation sheathing is going to remain in place permanently because the drainage mat and blindside waterproofing is attached to it.

How Slurry Walls Work for excavation:

we have a clam bucket (pacman mouth looking bucket) which is the arm of the heavy machinery and we are going to use this to dig down so before we start excavation we are going to dig down all around the perimeter of the site and as we dig the sides of the wall on the earth will want to collapse in on us so we are going to keep them from wanting to collapse in by keeping a kind of slurry (heavy mixture of this soupy clay watery stuff, Betonite clay and water) and that mixture is going to hold the earth back from wanting to collapse in by creating hydrostatic pressure outward then we are going to make a concrete wall out of it. We cant pour concrete wall for the entire perimeter all at once so we are going to break the perimeter into little pieces and use barriers to seperate into segments in plan all around the perimeter then we are going to take one of our segments and put our rebar into it then take a giant funnel that has a straw underneath it (The funnel and straw system is called a "Tremie" which that pours concrete down into the trench and that also brings up the slurry which we will reuse as we will recapture it and store it into tanks for reuse. then we can start excavating

If you are doing a playground with _______ _______ is not acceptable from an ADA point of view because people who have difficulty walking or people in wheelchairs would have difficulty moving themselves over those surfaces

wood mulch