BLArch Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Sustainable Design and Green Infrastructure 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A rain garden is best described as:
- A garden that exclusively uses rainwater for drip irrigation
- A shallow, vegetated depression that collects and infiltrates stormwater runoff (Correct answer)
- A formal garden feature incorporating decorative fountains
- An elevated planting bed used for food production
Correct answer: A shallow, vegetated depression that collects and infiltrates stormwater runoff
Rain gardens are shallow, planted depressions designed to collect stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces and allow it to slowly infiltrate into the ground over 24–48 hours.
Question 2: What is the primary benefit of permeable pavement in sustainable landscape design?
- Lower initial installation cost compared to traditional asphalt
- Higher load-bearing capacity for heavy vehicle traffic
- Allowing stormwater to infiltrate through the surface into the ground below (Correct answer)
- Reducing the need for vegetation elsewhere on the site
Correct answer: Allowing stormwater to infiltrate through the surface into the ground below
Permeable pavement allows stormwater to pass through the surface into underlying aggregate layers and then into the soil, reducing runoff volume and recharging groundwater.
Question 3: Urban tree canopy contributes to sustainable design primarily by:
- Increasing impervious surface area around tree wells
- Providing shade, reducing heat island effect, intercepting rainfall, and improving air quality (Correct answer)
- Blocking views to increase site privacy for residents
- Reducing biodiversity by shading out ground-level vegetation
Correct answer: Providing shade, reducing heat island effect, intercepting rainfall, and improving air quality
Urban tree canopy reduces heat island effects through shading and evapotranspiration, intercepts rainfall to reduce runoff, sequesters carbon, and improves air quality simultaneously.
Question 4: Which stormwater management approach involves capturing and storing rainwater from rooftops for later non-potable reuse?
- Bioretention basin design
- Constructed wetland treatment
- Rainwater harvesting with cisterns (Correct answer)
- Detention basin with outlet control
Correct answer: Rainwater harvesting with cisterns
Rainwater harvesting captures and stores precipitation from rooftops in cisterns or tanks for later use in landscape irrigation or other non-potable applications, reducing demand on municipal water supplies.
Question 5: In sustainable landscape design, 'ecological connectivity' refers to:
- Installing solar panels on landscape pavilion structures
- Creating linked habitat corridors that allow wildlife movement through fragmented landscapes (Correct answer)
- Connecting site irrigation systems to reclaimed water supplies
- Linking surface stormwater channels to natural waterways
Correct answer: Creating linked habitat corridors that allow wildlife movement through fragmented landscapes
Ecological connectivity involves designing linked habitat corridors and green spaces that allow wildlife to move through otherwise fragmented urban or suburban landscapes.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a bioretention cell in green infrastructure?
- To drain water away from a site as quickly as possible
- To collect and treat stormwater runoff through engineered soil media, plants, and microorganisms (Correct answer)
- To provide recreational swimming areas in urban parks
- To increase soil compaction for structural support
Correct answer: To collect and treat stormwater runoff through engineered soil media, plants, and microorganisms
Bioretention cells are engineered depressions filled with specialized soil media and plants that collect, filter, and slowly release stormwater while removing pollutants through biological and physical processes.
Question 7: Which of the following landscape elements most directly reduces stormwater runoff volume from a building?
- Concrete plinth surrounding a building foundation
- A green roof with growing media and vegetation (Correct answer)
- A gravel mulch pathway leading to the entrance
- A decorative fence around the building perimeter
Correct answer: A green roof with growing media and vegetation
Green roofs absorb and retain rainfall in their growing media and through plant evapotranspiration, significantly reducing the volume of stormwater runoff from building rooftops.
BLArch Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Sustainable Design and Green Infrastructure 2
A rain garden is best described as: