16266 Sustainable Urban Design and Development University

Week 12 – Review Session: Sustainable Urban Design and Development

20 questions

40 min

Answer key

Exam info

Subject: 16266 Sustainable Urban Design and Development
Exam type: University
Questions: 20
Duration: 40 min
Answers: ✓ With explanations

Questions (20)

Q 1.
Which built-environment strategy most directly reduces operational energy demand by reducing the need for heating and cooling?
- A.
  Passive design
- B.
  Metering
- C.
  Rainwater recycling
- D.
  Adaptive reuse
Q 2.
A building insulation product has a higher R-value and a lower U-value. What is the most appropriate interpretation?
- A.
  It generally provides better thermal insulation and greater resistance to heat flow.
- B.
  It transfers heat more quickly than an element with a lower R-value.
- C.
  It reduces visible light transmission while having no effect on thermal performance.
- D.
  It is suitable only for buildings located in temperate climates.
Q 3.
Which option best represents a life-cycle approach to sustainable construction?
- A.
  Assessing environmental, social and economic impacts from material extraction through operation, maintenance and eventual demolition or reuse.
- B.
  Evaluating only the carbon released during the construction of a new building.
- C.
  Comparing only the initial purchase prices of two building systems.
- D.
  Reviewing only the building's performance during its first year of occupation.
Q 4.
A designer retains the structure of an older commercial building and converts it to residential apartments. Which strategy is being applied?
- A.
  Adaptive reuse
- B.
  Embodied-carbon accounting
- C.
  Building Management System implementation
- D.
  Green infrastructure planning
Q 5.
Which two indicators are most useful when evaluating the thermal performance of an opaque building element?
- A.
  R-value and U-value
- B.
  Solar Heat Gain Coefficient and Visible Light Transmittance
- C.
  Reflectivity and emissivity
- D.
  Embodied energy and embodied carbon
Q 6.
What is the main purpose of conducting a climate risk assessment for an urban development?
- A.
  To identify hazards and exposure, test vulnerability and guide design or delivery responses.
- B.
  To eliminate every possible climate hazard affecting a city.
- C.
  To calculate only the operational energy of the proposed buildings.
- D.
  To determine the lowest initial construction cost.
Q 7.
A coastal precinct faces sea-level rise, storm conditions and erosion pressure. Which response best reflects climate-resilient planning?
- A.
  Avoiding exposed development, reducing consequences where possible and planning for adaptation and recovery.
- B.
  Building on the most exposed land because it is closest to existing transport.
- C.
  Focusing exclusively on short-term economic growth and postponing all adaptation planning.
- D.
  Replacing all natural coastal systems with hard engineering.
Q 8.
Which development would most clearly support compact, sustainable urban development?
- A.
  A mixed-use precinct located near public transport and local services
- B.
  A low-density housing estate separated from employment and services
- C.
  A single-function industrial precinct with no public transport connection
- D.
  A residential area designed around private-car dependence
Q 9.
An architect uses external shading, suitable orientation and natural ventilation to reduce mechanical-conditioning demand. Which concept is being applied?
- A.
  Passive design
- B.
  Renewable energy procurement
- C.
  Water metering
- D.
  Construction waste segregation
Q 10.
Which measure is most directly associated with high-performance building envelopes?
- A.
  High-performance insulation, low-emissivity glazing and prevention of thermal bridging
- B.
  Rainwater tanks and greywater reuse
- C.
  Automated scheduling and data logging
- D.
  Construction supply-chain auditing
Q 11.
What does a Building Management System primarily enable building operators to do?
- A.
  Automate scheduling, make smart adjustments and log building-service data
- B.
  Select all construction materials without considering product data
- C.
  Replace the need for maintenance throughout a building's life
- D.
  Approve development applications
Q 12.
Which action would be the strongest example of energy-efficient retrofitting of an existing building?
- A.
  Upgrading insulation, glazing and building services while retaining the building's use and value
- B.
  Demolishing the building without recording its existing performance.
- C.
  Installing additional decorative lighting without improving controls or efficiency.
- D.
  Changing the floor finish while leaving the building services unchanged.
Q 13.
Which distinction between operational carbon and embodied carbon is correct?
- A.
  Operational carbon arises during building use, while embodied carbon arises from extracting, producing, transporting, constructing and maintaining materials.
- B.
  Operational carbon is produced only by construction workers, while embodied carbon comes from solar panels.
- C.
  Both categories refer exclusively to the carbon released during demolition.
- D.
  Embodied carbon includes electricity used by occupants, whereas operational carbon occurs during material production.
Q 14.
Why should indoor environmental quality be considered from the early design stages of a new development?
- A.
  Early decisions can integrate comfort, daylight, ventilation and occupant wellbeing into the building rather than relying on later corrections.
- B.
  Indoor quality has no relationship with the design of the building envelope.
- C.
  Early design eliminates the need to consider occupant comfort after completion.
- D.
  It allows the building to consume more energy while guaranteeing better comfort.
Q 15.
Which combination best represents integrated climate resilience for an urban precinct?
- A.
  Resilient buildings and infrastructure, natural systems, governance and finance, and transport and economic networks
- B.
  Flood-resistant buildings only, without emergency governance or transport planning
- C.
  More paved car parks, with no consideration of ecosystems or community capacity
- D.
  A single drainage upgrade implemented without checking flood exposure or future climate conditions
Q 16.
A development requires less potable water by using captured rainwater for irrigation. Which sustainability strategy is being applied?
- A.
  Rainwater recycling
- B.
  Energy metering
- C.
  Heat recovery ventilation
- D.
  Low-emissivity glazing
Q 17.
Which planning response most effectively reduces urban heat while supporting stormwater management?
- A.
  Urban trees and vegetated areas that provide shade and slow or absorb stormwater
- B.
  Removal of all urban vegetation to increase surface area for parking
- C.
  Widening roads without adding permeable surfaces or shade
- D.
  Installing more fossil-fuel heating systems in public spaces
Q 18.
What is the main benefit of solar photovoltaic systems in a sustainable building?
- A.
  They generate renewable electricity and can reduce reliance on grid-supplied fossil-fuel energy.
- B.
  They eliminate the need for an energy-efficient building envelope.
- C.
  They directly reduce construction waste.
- D.
  They guarantee that a building has no climate-related risk.
Q 19.
A project team wants to reduce construction waste while tracking progress toward sustainability targets. Which approach is most appropriate?
- A.
  Set measurable sustainability KPIs and monitor them through the relevant construction stages.
- B.
  State a general ambition to be sustainable without assigning measures or indicators.
- C.
  Consider sustainability only after construction has been completed.
- D.
  Use cost as the only criterion and exclude waste or environmental performance.
Q 20.
Which statement best captures the relationship between sustainable design, life-cycle thinking and professional practice?
- A.
  Sustainability targets should be translated into design and construction decisions, then evaluated across the building's full life.
- B.
  Sustainability principles matter only after an environmental incident has occurred.
- C.
  Life-cycle thinking means selecting materials without considering their origin or performance.
- D.
  A sustainable development should be evaluated only by its appearance in photographs.

Answers and explanations are in mode.