LARE Stewardship and Design Principles Questions and Answers

Question 1

A landscape architect is designing an accessible ramp for a historic courthouse plaza. To comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, which design approach is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Making the new ramp clearly distinguishable as a modern addition, using compatible materials that do not damage or obscure historic features.

Answer

The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation state that new additions "shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property." This means new work should be identifiable as contemporary but harmonious with the historic context, avoiding the creation of a "false sense of historical development." Demolishing historic fabric is to be avoided, and simply replicating historic details for a new feature is not the preferred approach.

Question 2

A landscape architect is developing a master plan for a large suburban development that bisects a significant woodland area. Which of the following design strategies best exemplifies the principle of stewardship by mitigating habitat fragmentation?

Accepted Answer

Concentrating development into dense pods and preserving the largest possible contiguous areas of woodland.

Answer

Habitat fragmentation occurs when a large habitat is broken into smaller, isolated patches, which can reduce biodiversity and ecosystem function. The most effective strategy to mitigate this is to concentrate development, preserving large, connected, and unfragmented patches of the existing habitat. Dispersing development maximizes the edge effect and breaks up the habitat, while narrow corridors are often insufficient for many species and do not replace the value of a large contiguous block.

Question 3

A landscape architect is designing a public park trail intended to be an accessible route. According to ADA standards, what is the maximum running slope permitted for a path before it is classified as a ramp and requires more stringent features like handrails and level landings?

Accepted Answer

1:20 (5.0%)

Answer

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design, any part of an accessible route with a running slope greater than 1:20 (5%) is considered a ramp. Ramps have stricter requirements, including a maximum slope of 1:12, handrails for rises over 6 inches, and level landings. A slope of 1:50 (2%) is the maximum allowable cross slope, not running slope.

Question 4

Which of the following design interventions in a public plaza most directly promotes the design principle of "prospect and refuge"?

Accepted Answer

Providing a variety of seating options, including benches placed under tree canopies and along the edges of planters.

Answer

Prospect-refuge theory, proposed by Jay Appleton, suggests that humans are instinctively drawn to environments where they can see their surroundings (prospect) from a position of safety and enclosure (refuge). Providing seating with a protective back, such as against a planter or under a tree, allows a person to feel secure while observing the open activity of the plaza. The other options address accessibility, aesthetics, or environmental function, but not this specific psychological principle of comfort and safety.

Question 5

A project is seeking SITES v2 certification for a corporate campus built on a previously developed brownfield. Which design strategy would most effectively address the goals of the "Site Design—Water" section of the SITES scorecard?

Accepted Answer

Designing a series of interconnected bioretention cells and rain gardens to capture and treat site runoff.

Answer

The "Site Design—Water" section of the SITES v2 Rating System focuses on conserving water and managing precipitation to protect water quality, often by mimicking natural systems. Designing bioretention cells and rain gardens is a primary strategy for capturing, slowing, and treating stormwater runoff on-site, which directly aligns with the credits in this category. While high-efficiency irrigation is beneficial, managing stormwater is a more foundational goal of this section. Material selection falls under a different category, and a community garden addresses human health and well-being.

LARE Test Practice Test

LARE Test Practice Test

LARE Stewardship and Design Principles Questions and Answers