BLArch Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Sustainable Design and Green Infrastructure 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary goal of Low Impact Development (LID) in landscape design?
- Maximize impervious surface coverage
- Mimic natural hydrology by managing stormwater at the source (Correct answer)
- Increase stormwater runoff velocity
- Eliminate all vegetation from development sites
Correct answer: Mimic natural hydrology by managing stormwater at the source
LID aims to mimic natural hydrology by managing stormwater at its source through infiltration, evapotranspiration, and reuse rather than rapid conveyance.
Question 2: Which LEED credit category is most directly associated with landscape architecture's contribution to sustainable site design?
- Energy and Atmosphere
- Materials and Resources
- Sustainable Sites (Correct answer)
- Indoor Environmental Quality
Correct answer: Sustainable Sites
The Sustainable Sites credit category in LEED directly addresses site ecology, stormwater management, heat island reduction, and landscape design practices.
Question 3: What is a bioswale primarily designed to do?
- Provide structural support for retaining walls
- Channel and filter stormwater runoff through vegetation and soil (Correct answer)
- Increase impervious surface area along roadways
- Provide outdoor security lighting corridors
Correct answer: Channel and filter stormwater runoff through vegetation and soil
Bioswales are vegetated channels designed to slow, filter, and infiltrate stormwater runoff, removing pollutants through biofiltration and sedimentation.
Question 4: The concept of 'net-zero water' in sustainable design refers to:
- Eliminating all water features from a site
- Using only recycled water for irrigation purposes
- Balancing water consumption with water harvesting and reuse on site (Correct answer)
- Prohibiting all stormwater discharge from the site
Correct answer: Balancing water consumption with water harvesting and reuse on site
Net-zero water means the site balances its total water consumption with water captured and reused from rainfall and other on-site sources.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes the urban heat island effect?
- The cooling effect created by urban parks and green spaces
- Higher temperatures in urban areas compared to surrounding rural areas due to heat-absorbing surfaces (Correct answer)
- The effect of tall buildings shading urban streets
- Reduced wind speeds caused by urban building configurations
Correct answer: Higher temperatures in urban areas compared to surrounding rural areas due to heat-absorbing surfaces
The urban heat island effect occurs because dark, impervious urban surfaces absorb and re-emit solar radiation as heat, making cities significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas.
Question 6: Which sustainable design principle involves modeling design solutions after natural systems and processes?
- Biomimicry (Correct answer)
- Rectilinear planning
- Hardscape maximization
- Monoculture planting design
Correct answer: Biomimicry
Biomimicry is the design principle of modeling solutions after natural systems and processes, working with nature's strategies rather than against them.
Question 7: In sustainable landscape design, what does the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) primarily certify?
- The energy efficiency of buildings on a site
- Sustainable land development and management practices in the landscape (Correct answer)
- The organic certification of plants used in a landscape
- The structural integrity of site furnishings
Correct answer: Sustainable land development and management practices in the landscape
SITES is a comprehensive rating system developed to evaluate and certify sustainable land design and management practices, functioning as a landscape-focused equivalent to LEED.
BLArch Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Sustainable Design and Green Infrastructure 1
What is the primary goal of Low Impact Development (LID) in landscape design?