Systems Final
What fire rating does a wall need to be if it is 4 feet away from an adjacent building for occupancy group M? See table 602.
2 hours
Sound transmitted directly into a structure at a high energy level is termed:
20Hz to 20,000Hz
According to IBC table 705.8, what percentage of a wall in a group B building may be an unprotected opening if it is 15 feet away from a property line or another building?
25%
How many times larger than the stair itself can the opening around it be before it is considered an atrium?
2x
When is the human ear the most sensitive?
3000-4000Hz
What is the minimum open width of an egress door?
32"
Signals to loudspeakers situated more than ____ feet away from the sound source should be delayed to ensure reinforcement arrives after the direct sound.
40
For most normal occupancy groups, a room with __ people requires two exits.
49
An airborne sound has a frequency of 2000 hz. Assuming the speed of sound is 1000 feet/second, what is the sound's wavelength?
6 inches
What percentage of the world's population is projected to live under water stress in the year 2025?
66% --
The total sum of 58dBA + 68dBA + 71dBA + 74dBA =
77dBA
A delay of more than _______ milliseconds between a direct sound and a strong reflection can sound like an echo.
80
Experts say that people exposed to eight hours or so a day of high noise levels can have permanent hearing impairment. Where would most experts place the safe eight-hour upper limit at?
84 dBA
The ear has a sharp drop in sensitivity at high frequencies.
False
The same phonemes exist in all languages.
False
Vertical-axis or top-loading washers have greatly reduced the need for hot water per wash cycle.
False
What is sound power?
An independent property of a sound source that quantifies the source's acoustical output.
._______ is the stage of fire at which everything combustible ignites.
Flashover
The outer ear is what shape?
Funnel or pinna
A space with highly reflective, minimally absorptive surfaces is characterized as being:
Live
Carpeting with padding can be used to produce a high degree of absorption in
Middle and high frequencies
Porous absorbers:
B. II & III -- Correct Answer
What group instituted guidelines for exiting, overall building safety, and fire extinguishment after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire?
Committee on Life Safety
._______ use natural systems to treat storm water and waste water to a high level of quality.
Constructed wetlands
._______ use natural systems to treat storm water and waste water to a high level of quality.
Constructed wetlands --
An impact can:
A. I & II B. II & III C. I & III D. I, III, & IV -- Correct Answer
Which of the following is most beneficial for dampening machine noise?
A. Installation of vibration isolators B. Seal openings at base to prevent noise leak C. Both A and B -- Correct Answer
Floor to ceiling structure-borne noise is made worse by which of the following conditions?
A. No air space between finish floor and structural deck B. No air space between structure and ceiling (below) C. Neither A or B D. Both A and B -- Correct Answer
Why is sufficient pressure at fixtures important?
A. Prompt and adequate flow of water for use B. Adequate pressure keeps the fixtures sanitary C. a and b
Why is sufficient pressure at fixtures important?
A. Prompt and adequate flow of water for use B. Adequate pressure keeps the fixtures sanitary C. a and b --
Which of the following is false?
A. Reverberation can be considered as a mixture of previous and more recent sounds B. The converse of reverberation is articulation C. An articulate environment keeps each sound event separate rather than running them together D. None of the above -- Correct Answer
Using greywater for non-potable use results in which of the following benefits (choose two):
A. reduced water use D. reduced building operating costs
Absorption techniques are useful and effective in all of the following EXCEPT which one?
Where listeners are in the free field.
Absorption techniques are useful and effective in all of the following EXCEPT which one?
Where listeners are in the free field. --
What are the two basic building attributes that govern how high and how large (in plan) buildings can be?
construction type and building occupancy
Which of the following elevator components do straight-piston hydraulic elevators NOT have?
counterweight
The town of Lenexa forwarded the storm water management plan "Lenexa 2020" in order to both correct existing storm water problems AND:
create a park and recreation system for residents and tourists
A highly absorptive, non-reflective environment is
dead.
Does an exit access corridor have to be fire rated?
depends on occupancy group
How far is the allowable egress path for an interior open stair?
depends on occupancy group
Occupied rooms in commercial buildings need two exits.
depends on occupant load
All of the following are readily available sources of potable water EXCEPT:
desalinated sea water
All of the following are guidelines for good waste water systems EXCEPT:
don't use more than one vertical stack
Reclaimed water, or effluent, can NOT be immediately used for:
drinking --
The fixture required by the IPC that people use to get fresh water is called a:
drinking fountain
Which stair type is universally acceptable as a means of egress?
enclosed stair
How are open interior stairs and enclosed stairs considered differently by the International Building Code?
enclosed stairs are considered exits, while open stairs may be part of the exit access system
Which vertical trasportation device can move the most people from floor to floor in a given amount of time?
escalator
Excessive loudness, an acoustic defect, is most often due to:
excessive reverberation
The measured path from an occupied space to an exit is called:
exit access travel distance
The part of the egress system that leads from the exit to the public way is called:
exit discharge
Residential developments cannot shrink the size of roadways.
false
Which type of stair cannot be used in new construction?
fire escape
Each of these factors contributes to the danger a material poses if on fire except:
fire rating
What is the correct term for a wall that is directly adjacent to another structure and is designed to prevent fire from spreading between the two buildings?
fire wall
The measure that indicates how quickly fire would move across or through a building material is called:
flame spread
Which of the following building elements is not considered to be part of a primary structural frame?
floor joists
What is the accepted maximum number of floors escalator banks ascend/descend?
four
Which elevator has the highest operating height?
gearless traction
Which elevator is the fastest?
gearless traction
Which type of automatic fire alarm was the earliest invented?
heat activated
All of the following are non-combustible materials except:
heavy timber
Which type of elevator is commonly used for a 2 story building?
hole-less hydraulic
Which of the following cases does NOT increase the allowable length of a dead end corridor
if dead end is on ground floor
Which stage of fire generates no visible flame, smoke, or heat?
incipient
To promote acoustic intimacy in a space, use any combination of the following strategies EXCEPT:
increase reverberation
Untreated grey water can only be re-used for:
irrigation
Untreated grey water can only be re-used for:
irrigation --
What is the main purpose of a trap?
it provides a seal between building and sewer
What one factor causes the most deaths in the Iroqouis Theatre fire?
lack of proper egress
A fixture used for handwashing is a:
lavatory
Which of the following is the appropriate order of priorities in fire safety strategy?
life, structure, operations, stuff
The human ear responds to sound intensity (or pressure):
logarithmically
Rooms for speech need ____ reverberation times.
low
The overall strategy of eliminating or reducing the impact of stormwater runoff, both in terms of volume and toxic content, is called:
low impact development
All of the following are attributes of distributed sound systems EXCEPT:
manifest clear localization of source
What frequencies are porous absorbers best at reducing?
middle high
Parking lots can be made more low-impact-development friendly by all of the following strategies except:
multiple connections to municipal storm sewer system
Are exit ramps and exit stairs considered different types of elements by the international building code?
no
Stormwater runoff is basically clean
no
In order to optimize the amplified hearing environment, the far throw of a centralized cluster of loudspeakers should be ________ the near throw.
no more than two times
Can an exit path go from an upper floor to an enclosed fire stair to an atrium and then outside?
no, enclosed stairs must be continuous to exterior door
Which building element is generally not required to be fire protected, regardless of construction type?
non-bearing walls
A building material that cannot be ignited is called:
non-combustible
For elevators, what is a buffer?
piston or spring in the pit that provides last-ditch safety measure
Which water source is generally the cleanest?
precipitation
Sound, in architectural acoustics terms, is best described as:
pressure variations in an elastic medium
Egress windows are required for which occupancy type?
residential
Where do most fire deaths occur?
residential buildings
Which elevator type has the range of a straight piston hydraulic without the need for a hole drilled into the ground?
roped hydraulic
Which of the following professional obligations of an architect does life safety fall under?
safety
What aspect of fire causes most deaths?
smoke
Which type of fire alarm is most utilized in normatively occupied buildings?
smoke detector
Which stage of fire produces wisps of smoke, but no heat or flame?
smouldering
What term measures the ratio of absorbed sound energy to total sound energy of materials?
sound absorption coefficient
Which type of life safety element can positively affect building size, height, travel path length, and other egress attributes?
sprinklers
.A fire hose may be connected to a ________, usually located inside an exit stair enclosure.
standpipe
Which water source is the easiest to tap?
surface bodies --
What is the difference between a swale and a bioswale
swales do not remove toxicity, bioswales do
Noise reduction (NR) is best defined as:
the difference in sound intensity between two adjacent rooms
Transmission loss (TL) is best defined as:
the ratio of re-radiated to incident sound energy (at a barrier)
The absorption coefficient for an acoustic material is:
the ratio of sound absorbed to incident sound
What is the primary disadvantage of internal roof drains for flat roofs?
their pipes come down inside the building
A floor with 783 occupants requires ___ number of exits.
three
What is the main purpose of a building stormwater system?
to collect and remove stormwater from building and site
What is the primary objective of pitched roof stormwater drainage systems?
to prevent water from affecting building foundations
gearless traction
traction
STC (sound transmission class) is a single-number rating that expresses the:
transmission loss of a barrier
In an interior space, noise reduction is a function of:
transmission loss of the barrier, and absorption in the source room
Increasing the intensity of a sound by ten decibels sounds
twice as loud
Increasing the intensity of a sound by ten decibels sounds:
twice as loud
Which of the following building materials is acoustically absorbent?
unfinished CMU
All of the following are main strategies to control impact noise EXCEPT:
use heavy, monolithic materials
When minimizing impact noise from footfalls, all of the following are valid strategies EXCEPT:
using massive, monolithic materials
Sound can be borne through all of the following mediums EXCEPT:
vacuum
Which of the four minimum required fixtures does not usually require a trap?
water closet
Acousticians use the Sound Transmission Class (STC) of a material or assembly when controlling noise for any of the following situations EXCEPT:
when designing recording studios.
Heavy timber is granted special status by the IBC because:
when ignited, the charred outer layer retards further burning
Landscape designs that aim to eliminate the need for irrigation are called:
xeriscape
Can rooms have direct exits to the exterior?
yes
Do building sewer pipes extend through the roof?
yes
Have the lessons learned in tragic fires resulted in improved safety measures for buildings?
yes
Proper design of a building wastewater system is required by code.
yes
Can doors from a room swing out into an exit access corridor?
yes, but door cannot unduly restrict exit access
Do manual fire alarms alert the fire department?
yes, if connected to a fire control center
Which of the definitions below describes conventional, Western practice of building-related water use when it comes to high-quality, municipally treated water?
Municipal water is used for all building water needs. --
._________ is the persistence of sound after the sound source has ceased.
Reverberation
The unit used to express the acoustic absorption of a material of given size is:
Sabins
According to table 706.4, what is the minimum fire rating of a fire wall?
2 hours
What amount of fire rating is the wall separating an exterior exit stair and the building required to be?
2 hours
High-frequency tones are most easily absorbed and least diffracted.
True
Sound envelopment is enhanced by lateral (side wall) reflections that reinforce the direct signal.
True
Sound travels as easily against airflow as with the airflow in ductwork.
True
Structure-borne sound travels much more rapidly than airborne sound.
True
The 'phon' is a measure used to describe
comparative loudness by frequency
Which of the following materials is both non-combustible and protected?
concrete
Which type of stair cannot be used in new construction?
. fire escape
What fire rating does the wall (or walls) around an enclosed fire stair - the ones not touching the interior of the building - need to possess?
0 hours
A four story building has three staircases, all of which are to be considered part of the egress system. How many of these can be open?
1
Which reverberation time is most appropriate for speech in a lecture hall?
1.0s
If egress from a room requires two exits, how far apart should the doors be from each other?
1/2 the longest diagonal distance in the room
What is the maximum suggested slope (in degrees) for an inclined moving walkway?
12
If an escalator is longer than __ feet, it needs support at the midpoint.
18
Vibration reduction takes which two forms?
Dampening and isolation
.________ is the artificial process by which sea water is made potable.
Desalination
________ is the artificial process by which sea water is made potable.
Desalination --
Which component of an electric sound system eliminates howl, rough sounds and poor sound quality in general?
Equalizer
Installation of absorbent material directly on a wall or ceiling is the most effective means.
False
Sound travels faster than the speed of light.
False
Which water distribution method is good for buildings that are small enough to be served by the pressure available in water mains?
Gravity up-feed
Frequency of sound is expressed in which of the following units:
Hertz
An impact can:
I, III, & IV
The vent stack of a typical building liquid waste system: I.channels rain water to flush out pipes II.vents sewer gasses to the environment III.provides smooth flow in waste pipes IV.allows air to oxidize waste
I.channels rain water to flush out pipes III.provides smooth flow in waste pipes
Ground water: I.is a relatively pure water source II.may have a prized taste due to dissolved minerals III.is the easiest water source to tap IV.is subject to contamination
I.is a relatively pure water source II.may have a prized taste due to dissolved minerals IV.is subject to contamination
Porous absorbers: I.must be mounted vertically II.are lightweight and fibrous III.work best at high frequencies IV.works best at low frequencies
I.must be mounted vertically III.work best at high frequencies
In water-scarce areas such as ancient Persia (modern day Iran), water has many roles and meanings, including:
I.spirituality II.social order III.commodity for trade
The vent stack of a typical building liquid waste system: I.channels rain water to flush out pipes II.vents sewer gasses to the environment III.provides smooth flow in waste pipes IV.allows air to oxidize waste
II & III
Construction tested and approved for protection against fire is called:
III-B
The abbreviation 'IIC' stands for:
Impact Isolation Class
What are phonemes?
Individual and distinctive sounds that good architectural acoustics must be able to support to maintain intelligibility.
Which of the following are the three basic elements that all electric sound systems consist of?
Input devices, amplifiers, and loudspeakers.
When it comes to on-site sewage treatment, what are septic tank drainfields (or leachfields)?
Perforated pipes in trenches of gravel for waste water infiltration
What is sound pressure?
The deviation from ambient air pressure that is caused by sound waves.
Roof drains occurring somewhere in the middle of flat roofs are more desirable stormwater systems than scuppers through the parapet. Why?
The joint between the wall and roof is more vulnerable to leakage
How are fibrous materials, panel resonators, and volume resonators related?
They are the three families of devices for absorption
How are room criteria (RC) curves used?
To evaluate the acceptability of background mechanical system noise for typical space types.
A surface that is sealed to prevent heat loss or gain is also sealed acoustically.
True
Chemicals or oil can substitute water in waterless toilets.
True
For absorbent materials, absorption is normally higher at high frequencies than at low ones.
True
What do fibrous materials, panel resonators, and volume resonators do to sound?
absorb
Materials with an absorption coefficient > .20 are acoustically:
absorptive
Reducing noise _______, as a strategy, has the most potential to affect architectural decisions.
along its path
In a distributed array design the spacing of loudspeakers should
be equal or less than the distance between the listener and the loudspeaker
The Chicago Fire of 1871 provided lessons for building design in all the following categories except:
building egress
Which strategy addresses fire spread through radiation?
building separation
Which of the following is TRUE regarding fire ratings for non-atrium located elevators?
buildings higher than 4 stories require a 2 hour rated enclosure
Which type of automatic sprinkler system is most commonly used in restaurant fume hoods?
carbon dioxide
Which type of absorber can be tuned to specific frequencies?
cavity
All of the following are aborptive materials commonly used in concert halls except:
cavity resonators
The natural or man-made sinkholes used in the Yucatan peninsula to access groundwater are called:
cenotes
The best configuration for loudspeakers to localize sound to its source is:
centralized cluster
The image depicting a part of the human ear, shows a(n):
cochlea
The escalator safety feature that prevents clothing and other things from being pulled down between the step and the landing is called:
comb plate
