COSC 354 - Exam 1 Questions Answered Correctly Latest Update 2025-2026
7 Pillars of Sustainable Construction - Answers - Sustainable Design
- Durability
- Energy Efficiency
- Waste Reduction
- Indoor Air Quality
- Water Conservation
- Sustainable Building Materials
Sustainable Design - Answers - Also known as "Green Design"
- The holistic approach from the design team to provide the intention of minimizing or
circumventing negative environmental impacts
- Step 1 of the process
Durability - Answers - Selecting building materials that can stand the test of time.
- less frequent maintenance, less frequent replacements, which decreases the net-impact.
Energy Efficiency - Answers - Design strategies and techniques to minimize energy use during
the planning, build, and ongoing upkeep of any building or project.
Waste Reduction - Answers - Processes and strategies that minimize waste during the
construction of a project
- Promotes the need for recycling and using recycled materials.
- Pushes for the reuse of existing buildings (renovations) rather than new builds.
- Note: 32% of construction materials in landfills were because of demolition of buildings.
,Indoor Air Quality - Answers - Improving and Promoting indoor air-quality which in-turn promotes
healthy and comfortable spaces.
- The #1 compliant in a building is "comfort".
Water Conservation - Answers - Minimizing the use of water during the material production but
also during the use of the building.
- Low-flow water fixtures (toilets and urinals)
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Efficient Irrigation - or no irrigation (plants that don't need much water for survivability)
- Monitoring water use through technology
Sustainable Building Materials - Answers Using materials that have been created
usingrenewable or recycledmaterials, produced withminimal waste output andthose that are
designed forlong-term use andreusability.
Life Cycle Analysis - Answers The method to quantify the environmental impacts associated
with materials and buildings.
How is the Life Cycle Analysis Quantified? - Answers Through the Cradle-to-Grave analysis
Cradle-to-Grave - Answers Environmental impact from creation to usage
Cradle-to-Gate - Answers Environmental impact from creation to until leaves factory
Design-Bid-Build - Answers - Most Common
- contractor does not start work until the design is complete, and a bid is selected
- Three distinct phases that do not overlap
- no collab w design/ cons
- risk is contractors
, Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) - Answers - The owner contracts with two entities
- CM is brought on early in the design stage for constructability reviews.
-risk for owner
-all costs and fees are open book
Design Build - Answers - the owner contracts directly with one entity.
- This entity may be made up of a singular firm that does design and construction work, but also
could be a joint venture between a contractor and design firm.
- Typically, the selection process is made through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) step, so
Fees are not known at the time.
- collab w design and cons
- used in more complex projects
Preconstruction Design Phases - Answers - Planning / Programming
- Schematic Design (SD)
- Design Development (DD)
- Construction Documents (CD)
Planning / Programming - Answers owner will go through a Programming phase before the
architect is brought on.
written version of what is expected of the project.
7 Pillars of Sustainable Construction - Answers - Sustainable Design
- Durability
- Energy Efficiency
- Waste Reduction
- Indoor Air Quality
- Water Conservation
- Sustainable Building Materials
Sustainable Design - Answers - Also known as "Green Design"
- The holistic approach from the design team to provide the intention of minimizing or
circumventing negative environmental impacts
- Step 1 of the process
Durability - Answers - Selecting building materials that can stand the test of time.
- less frequent maintenance, less frequent replacements, which decreases the net-impact.
Energy Efficiency - Answers - Design strategies and techniques to minimize energy use during
the planning, build, and ongoing upkeep of any building or project.
Waste Reduction - Answers - Processes and strategies that minimize waste during the
construction of a project
- Promotes the need for recycling and using recycled materials.
- Pushes for the reuse of existing buildings (renovations) rather than new builds.
- Note: 32% of construction materials in landfills were because of demolition of buildings.
,Indoor Air Quality - Answers - Improving and Promoting indoor air-quality which in-turn promotes
healthy and comfortable spaces.
- The #1 compliant in a building is "comfort".
Water Conservation - Answers - Minimizing the use of water during the material production but
also during the use of the building.
- Low-flow water fixtures (toilets and urinals)
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Efficient Irrigation - or no irrigation (plants that don't need much water for survivability)
- Monitoring water use through technology
Sustainable Building Materials - Answers Using materials that have been created
usingrenewable or recycledmaterials, produced withminimal waste output andthose that are
designed forlong-term use andreusability.
Life Cycle Analysis - Answers The method to quantify the environmental impacts associated
with materials and buildings.
How is the Life Cycle Analysis Quantified? - Answers Through the Cradle-to-Grave analysis
Cradle-to-Grave - Answers Environmental impact from creation to usage
Cradle-to-Gate - Answers Environmental impact from creation to until leaves factory
Design-Bid-Build - Answers - Most Common
- contractor does not start work until the design is complete, and a bid is selected
- Three distinct phases that do not overlap
- no collab w design/ cons
- risk is contractors
, Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) - Answers - The owner contracts with two entities
- CM is brought on early in the design stage for constructability reviews.
-risk for owner
-all costs and fees are open book
Design Build - Answers - the owner contracts directly with one entity.
- This entity may be made up of a singular firm that does design and construction work, but also
could be a joint venture between a contractor and design firm.
- Typically, the selection process is made through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) step, so
Fees are not known at the time.
- collab w design and cons
- used in more complex projects
Preconstruction Design Phases - Answers - Planning / Programming
- Schematic Design (SD)
- Design Development (DD)
- Construction Documents (CD)
Planning / Programming - Answers owner will go through a Programming phase before the
architect is brought on.
written version of what is expected of the project.
