LARE key terms

Collection of factual data about a site, including topography, soils, vegetation, climate, utilities, zoning, and views, gathered before design begins. It records existing conditions without judging their design implications.

Interpretation of site inventory data to identify opportunities, constraints, and relationships that shape a design. It turns raw measurements into design guidance such as buildable areas, valued views, and drainage problems.

Written statement of a client's needs and intentions, covering activities, space requirements, quantities, budget, and performance goals. It defines what the design must accomplish before form is explored.

Loose schematic drawing of circles or blobs showing functional areas and their desired adjacencies, relative sizes, and access relationships. Used early to test zoning and circulation before committing to geometry.

Mapping a site's gradients into classes, typically 0 to 5, 5 to 10, 10 to 15, and over 15 percent, to locate buildable ground, drainage patterns, and constraints. Steeper classes mean higher construction cost and erosion risk.

The area of landscape visible from a specified viewpoint, mapped using sightlines and topography. Used to protect valued views, position buildings and trails, and assess visual impacts of proposed change.

Minimum horizontal distance a building, parking area, or other improvement must be held from a property line, street, or water body, as required by zoning or code.

Zoning measure equal to total building floor area divided by lot area. A ratio of 2.0 on a 10,000-square-foot lot allows 20,000 square feet of floor area in any number of stories.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design: shaping places with natural surveillance, access control, territorial reinforcement, and maintenance to reduce crime and fear. Applied through lighting, sightlines, and planting design.

Drawings and specifications, prepared after design development, that fully define the work for permitting, bidding, and construction. They form the legal basis of the contract and must be coordinated with each other.

Written requirements describing materials, products, workmanship, quality, and execution for each part of the work. Usually organized by divisions and sections and read together with the drawings.

Standardized numbering system that organizes specifications into divisions and sections by trade or work type, such as concrete, planting, or site utilities, giving project manuals a common structure and language.

Written modification to bidding or construction documents issued before bids are opened to clarify, correct, or add information. Bidders acknowledge receipt, and the addendum becomes part of the contract documents.

Formal written question from the contractor asking the design team to clarify or interpret the contract documents. Responses are logged by number and may later lead to a change order.

Product data, samples, mockups, or shop drawings sent by the contractor for review and approval before installation, confirming that proposed materials and fabrication comply with the contract documents.

Written amendment to the construction contract, signed by owner and contractor, changing the scope of work, contract sum, or contract time. Usually priced from a proposal and reviewed by the design professional.

Stage at which the work is sufficiently complete that the owner can occupy and use it for its intended purpose. It commonly starts warranties, ends liquidated damages, and precedes the punch list.

List of incomplete, damaged, or nonconforming items identified during the final inspection. The contractor must correct these items before final payment and final completion are certified.

Measured drop of a cone of freshly mixed concrete when the mold is lifted, indicating consistency and workability. Very stiff or very wet mixes are hard to place, consolidate, and finish.

Keeping concrete moist and at a suitable temperature after placement so cement hydrates and the material reaches its intended strength and durability. Typically maintained for several days.

Compacted layer of graded crushed stone or gravel placed beneath pavement, pavers, or slabs to spread loads, drain water, and provide a stable working platform. Thickness and gradation are specified.

Mechanical densification of soil, aggregate, or asphalt by driving out air voids, using rollers or plate compactors. It increases bearing capacity and reduces settlement and is verified by density testing.

Permeable synthetic fabric placed in or on soil for separation, filtration, drainage, or reinforcement. Common uses include separating aggregate from subgrade and wrapping French drains and underdrains.

Open grid of high-strength polymer that interlocks with aggregate to reinforce soil. Common in segmental retaining walls, steep slopes, and bases over soft ground.

Wall of stacked modular concrete blocks, often with geogrid layers extending into the backfill, resisting earth pressure through mass plus reinforcement. Heights beyond published limits require engineered design.

Concrete made with graded aggregate and little or no sand, creating connected voids that let water drain into a stone reservoir below. Needs careful mix design and regular cleaning to stay permeable.

Wire mesh basket filled with stone and stacked to form retaining walls, revetments, or channel linings. Flexible and free-draining, but wire can corrode and stone can shift under load.

Layer of graded stone placed on banks, slopes, and outlets to resist erosion by flowing water. Stone size is matched to expected velocity, and a geotextile filter often goes beneath.

Line on a plan connecting points of equal elevation, showing the shape and steepness of the land. Closely spaced contours mean steep slopes; widely spaced contours mean gentle ground.

Vertical distance in elevation between one contour line and the next. A two-foot interval shows more detail than a ten-foot interval and is chosen to suit drawing scale and terrain.

Elevation of a single specific point, marked on a plan with a number and often a crosshair, such as a high point, low point, inlet, or finished floor where contours are not precise enough.

Fixed reference point of known elevation, such as a survey monument or marked nail, from which other elevations are measured. Grading plans identify the datum and the benchmark used.

Earthwork of removing soil where proposed grade lies below existing grade (cut) and placing it where grade is higher (fill). Balancing cut and fill on site reduces hauling and import costs.

Shallow, gently sloped channel, usually vegetated, that conveys and slows stormwater. Swales reduce runoff velocity and can filter pollutants when combined with check dams or dense planting.

Vegetated swale with engineered soil and often a perforated underdrain, designed to slow, filter, and infiltrate runoff rather than simply convey it. Sized to treat a water quality volume.

Basin that stores stormwater temporarily during a storm and releases it slowly through a controlled outlet, lowering downstream peak flows. It is normally dry between storms.

Dimensionless ratio of rainfall that becomes surface runoff for a given surface, roughly 0.9 for pavement, 0.2 for lawn, and 0.05 for dense woodland. Used in the Rational Method.

Time required for runoff to travel from the hydraulically most distant point of a watershed to the point of analysis. It sets the storm duration that produces peak flow.

Barrier of fabric on posts, set along the downhill edge of disturbed ground, that intercepts sheet-flow runoff and settles sediment. It must be trenched in and maintained to work.