Architectural Design and Patterns Flashcards
7 cards from real CMA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Architectural Design and Patterns flashcards as text
A 'kit-of-parts' design strategy is MOST advantageous when:
Answer: Multiple similar buildings need to be constructed efficiently with standardized components
A kit-of-parts approach defines a limited set of standardized components that can be assembled in varied combinations, improving efficiency and quality control for repeated building types.
In the context of urban design and architecture, 'permeability' refers to:
Answer: The degree to which a place offers pedestrians multiple routes and visual access through it
Urban permeability describes how readily pedestrians can move through and between buildings and blocks, with high permeability supporting walkability and urban vitality.
Which of the following BEST describes the 'additive' versus 'subtractive' approach in formal architectural composition?
Answer: Additive assembles distinct parts into a whole; subtractive carves or removes mass from a geometric solid
Additive composition builds form by joining distinct elements, while subtractive composition begins with a primary geometric solid and removes material to create secondary spaces and openings.
The concept of 'dominant, subdominant, and subordinate' elements in architectural composition is drawn from which discipline?
Answer: Musical composition theory applied to visual and spatial design
Musical composition theory uses dominant, subdominant, and subordinate relationships to organize elements by prominence, a concept architects apply to create visual hierarchy in facades and massing.
A 'cut section' through an architectural drawing reveals information that an elevation does NOT, specifically:
Answer: The interior spatial volumes, floor-to-floor heights, and thickness of construction assemblies
A cut section exposes the interior spatial sequence, structural depth, floor-to-floor relationships, and construction assembly thicknesses that are invisible in exterior elevation drawings.
In hospital design, 'single-corridor' versus 'double-corridor' ward planning PRIMARILY affects:
Answer: Staff circulation efficiency, natural light access to patient rooms, and infection control
Single-corridor plans allow all patient rooms to receive exterior windows but increase nurse travel distances, while double-corridor plans improve staff efficiency but may limit natural light to inner rooms.
The 'nine-square grid' exercise used in architectural education PRIMARILY teaches:
Answer: Compositional principles of figure-ground, center, edge, boundary, and hierarchy within a defined field
The nine-square problem uses a 3×3 grid to explore fundamental compositional relationships—center vs. edge, solid vs. void, hierarchy—as a foundation for architectural design thinking.