CLARB CLARB Environmental Systems and Sustainability Questions and Answers

Question 1

What is the primary goal of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification as applied to landscape architectural projects?

Accepted Answer

To recognize sustainable site and building design that measurably reduces environmental impact

Answer

LEED certification recognizes projects that achieve measurable sustainability goals across categories including water efficiency, site ecology, materials, and reduced environmental impact.

Question 2

What does the 'urban heat island effect' describe in built environments?

Accepted Answer

The elevated air and surface temperatures in urban areas compared to surrounding rural areas

Answer

The urban heat island effect occurs when built surfaces absorb and re-emit solar radiation, raising urban temperatures significantly above those of surrounding natural or rural areas.

Question 3

Which green infrastructure practice filters stormwater through engineered soil and plants while also allowing infiltration into the ground?

Accepted Answer

Bioretention cell (rain garden)

Answer

Bioretention cells (rain gardens) are shallow landscaped depressions that capture, filter, and infiltrate stormwater through engineered soil media and plant roots.

Question 4

What is the purpose of a vegetated (green) roof in sustainable landscape design?

Accepted Answer

To reduce stormwater runoff, improve building insulation, and mitigate the urban heat island effect

Answer

Green roofs reduce stormwater runoff volume and peak flow, improve building energy efficiency through added insulation, and help cool the urban environment by mitigating the heat island effect.

Question 5

In sustainable site design, what does 'impervious cover' refer to?

Accepted Answer

Hard, sealed surfaces like pavement and rooftops that prevent rainwater from infiltrating the soil

Answer

Impervious cover includes any sealed hard surface—pavement, rooftops, compacted gravel—that prevents rainwater infiltration, increasing runoff and reducing groundwater recharge.

CLARB - Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards Practice Test

CLARB - Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards Practice Test

CLARB CLARB Environmental Systems and Sustainability Questions and Answers