Comprehensive Lecture Review – Urban Design, Building Technology & Codes

These Q&A flashcards cover key definitions, principles, code provisions, material facts, and design concepts from the lecture notes, supporting comprehensive exam review.

What street pattern is considered ideal for mountainous terrain?

The Meander pattern.

Which contour-tracing feature connects points of equal elevation on a map?

Contour lines.

What is typically the FIRST step in conducting an on-site survey?

Personal reconnaissance notes, sketches, and photographs.

Name the three primary human factors architects consider in design.

Physical, Physiological, and Psychological factors.

Which passive design strategy discourages fungal growth indoors?

Maximizing sun exposure (daylighting).

In tropical Manila, on which façade are floor-to-ceiling picture windows best placed?

On the East side.

What term describes the visible form of built-up areas or ‘townscape’?

Urban form.

What street type opens at only one end and provides a turnaround?

A Cul-de-sac.

What soil attributes are referenced by bearing capacity, stability, erodibility, and fertility?

Key engineering and agronomic properties of soil.

Which topographic-map color is conventionally used for contour lines?

Brown.

What local nighttime wind blows from land toward water?

Land breeze.

Which climatic element is NOT a direct factor in human thermal comfort: solar radiation, humidity, air movement, or latitude?

Latitude.

In a retreat center on hilly land, where is the sanctuary usually sited?

At the summit or ridge of the site.

What design term denotes one’s sense of ownership of personal space?

Territoriality.

What process reshapes existing landforms to suit site circulation and function?

Grading.

Which major road classification is NOT considered a ‘limited-access’ road?

Boulevard.

Which New Urbanism principle is NOT promoted: on-street parking, slow-speed streets, hidden parking lots, or road widening to lessen traffic?

Widening of roads to lessen traffic.

What is the architectural concept of ‘sense of place’?

When well-designed buildings and spaces evoke identity and meaning for users.

Name two fundamental ways plazas can be categorized.

By their form and by their function.

Which urban-space quality describes ease of moving through an environment?

Permeability.

According to Maslow, what theory organizes human needs in a hierarchy?

Hierarchy of Needs.

What is the most practical basic street layout for flat urban sites?

Grid layout.

Which architectural survey component records prominent landmarks for permit applications?

Vicinity/Location Map.

In body-urban analogies, what do streets and walkways represent?

The veins (or nerves) of the city.

What color code is used on Philippine contour maps?

Brown (same as international convention).

Define ‘placemaking’.

Creating places for people that embody meaning, identity, and quality.

Which soil failure condition might justify a mat footing?

Differential settlement of underlying soil.

What concrete test determines workability on site?

Slump test.

Which admixture slows concrete setting in hot weather?

Retarder.

At what age is specified concrete compressive strength typically reached?

28 days.

What is the standard concrete mix ratio for Class A?

1:2:4 (cement : sand : gravel by volume).

What is the minimum concrete cover for footings exposed to earth?

75 mm.

Which waterproofing system is torch-applied bituminous membrane best suited for?

Decks and basements that may need a protective topping.

What kind of glass shatters into small granules for safety?

Tempered glass.

Which masonry filler flows easily into voids without segregation?

Grout.

Name the L-shaped bolts embedded in concrete to secure structural steel.

Anchor bolts.

What wooden element supports treads in a traditional timber stair?

Carriage.

What reinforcement bars counteract shrinkage stresses in slabs?

Temperature bars.

How are steel bars typically arranged in a CHB wall?

10 mm Ø bars @ 0.40 m vertical and 0.60 m horizontal spacing.

Which test specimen checks concrete compressive strength in the lab?

Cylinder compression test.

What is the minimum CHB wall-footing reinforcement for a 0.60 m ­wide footing, 3 m long wall?

3 pcs 12 mm main bars with 12 mm ties @ 0.30 m o.c.

What differential movement occurs when soils settle unevenly?

Differential settlement.

Define ‘bus bar’.

A heavy copper/aluminum conductor distributing large currents.

What is a service drop?

Overhead conductors from utility pole to building service entrance.

In plumbing, what device provides pipe-cleaning access with a removable cap?

Clean-out.

What is the minimum drain size for a residential water closet (Philippines)?

75 mm.

Which venting method serves two side-by-side fixture traps?

Common vent.

What is the required minimum slope for <102 mm horizontal drainage pipes?

2 % (1:50).

Which acoustic unit measures loudness level?

Decibel (dB).

Define ‘reverberation’.

Persistence of sound in an enclosed space due to repeated reflections.

Which law relates sound-intensity drop to distance?

Inverse Square Law.

What electrical property combines resistance and reactance in AC circuits?

Impedance.

What device converts AC to DC in elevators?

Rectifier.

In lightning design, CU in the Zonal Cavity Method stands for what?

Coefficient of Utilization.

What do traveling cables provide in elevators?

Flexible electrical connection between car and fixed shaft points.

What is the maximum allowable load per lighting outlet per PEC?

100 watts (typical residential).

Which code controls green-building requirements in the Philippines?

The GB Code (Green Building Code) – a referral to PD 1096.

Under NBCP, how wide is a standard parallel-parking slot?

2.15 m x 6.00 m.

How many parking slots must a private elementary school provide?

NOT 1 per five classrooms (statement in notes marked False).

What minimum vertical clearance must arcades provide above sidewalks?

3 m.

Define ‘Setback’ per NBCP.

Horizontal distance 90° from outermost building face to property line.

What is the BHL for Institutional structures in NBCP?

15 m (unless otherwise approved).

Within how many days must dangerous-building occupants vacate after notice?

15 days.

For minor repairs, which structure still REQUIRES a building permit?

Sheds/outhouses over 12 m² (not classed as minor).

How long before excavation must neighbors be notified in writing?

At least 10 days prior.

Which occupancy group covers mental hospitals under the NBCP?

Group D1 (Institutional).

What parking dimension does BP 344 prescribe for accessible slots?

3.70 m x 5.00 m minimum.

What maximum gradient is allowed for accessibility ramps?

1:12 (8.33 %).

What minimum clear width should walkways for PWDs provide?

0.90 m.

Which stiff, ductile ferrous metal is produced by smelting pig iron and removing impurities?

Steel (basic definition).

What non-ferrous alloy of copper and zinc resists tarnish?

Brass.

Which hardwood panel is made of fine particles graded from coarse center to fine surfaces?

Particle board.

What is the unit for electrical pressure causing electrons to move?

Volt (electromotive force).

In acoustics, what is ‘masking’?

Obscuring one sound by another louder or similar frequency sound.

Which sound-propagation phenomenon is bending around obstacles?

Diffraction.

Piezoelectricity refers to electricity generated by what?

Mechanical stress on certain crystals (e.g., quartz).

What plumbing stage installs piping before fixtures are set?

Rough-in.

Which air-conditioning component draws low-pressure refrigerant from evaporator?

Compressor (vapor pump).

What building code zone allows up to 3-storey townhouses (R-4)?

Residential 4 under NBCP permits up to 3 storeys.

In structural analysis, what is the axis through an area used for inertia calculations?

Centroidal axis.

Which beam has supports at both ends and one overhanging portion?

Overhanging beam.

State Varignon’s Theorem.

Moment of a force about a point equals sum of moments of its components about that point.

What is Hooke’s Law?

Within elastic limit, strain is proportional to stress.

What are zero-force members in a truss?

Members carrying no axial load under specific loading conditions.

Define ‘moment of inertia’ for an area.

Second moment of area measuring resistance to bending.

What stress occurs when equal/opposite forces tend to elongate a body?

Tensile stress.

What is the usual modulus of elasticity symbol?

E.

Which New Urbanism recommendation increases service efficiency?

Increasing density of a place.

Which principle of urban design emphasizes maintaining historic patterns?

Respect for traditional urban development pattern.

What are ‘anchors’ in a shopping mall layout?

Large retailers at ends serving as magnets to draw foot traffic.

Ergonomics relates built space to what?

Human scale for efficient, comfortable interaction.

Maximum aisle width between handrails required for stairs serving ≥50 people?

At least 1.12 m.

What is the prescribed minimum height clearance under awnings over sidewalks?

2.40 m.

What is the NBCP definition of an indigenous family dwelling?

A native-material house for owner’s family occupancy only.

Which geometric volumes did Marcel Breuer use at the Whitney Museum?

Inverted pyramids symbolizing new art perspectives.

‘Trulli’ houses in Italy are examples of which solid form?

Cone.

Which Renaissance architect first completed Florence Cathedral’s dome?

Filippo Brunelleschi.

What Egyptian writing system uses pictograms?

Hieroglyphics.

Who proposed the first design for the new St. Peter’s Basilica?

Donato Bramante.

What is the large Buddhist temple in Indonesia?

Borobudur.