conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide a description for a book titled Land Development Handbook about Companies, A/E, Building with the genre: Crafts, Hobbies & Home, Home Improvement & Design.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The the author Companies is an A/E firm operating in 18 states. It was rated by Building Design and Construction magazine as one of the top 20 commercial design firms, and routinely appears in Engineering News-Record's annual list of the top 50 design firms.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide the first five paragraphs for the book.. End with the sentence ' In effect, when the strength of the soil is less than the down-slope force component of the soil weight and other applied loads, the result is slope movement.'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Land Development Handbook
  Analysis and construction of an embankment that is strong, incompressible, and stable requires specifying a soil with certain engineering properties and characteristics. Ideally, the specified soil is within haul distance of the site or, even better, available as excess at the site. Of course, the embankment is only as stable as the underlying foundation soil.
  The mode of failure of an embankment depends on the strength of the fill material, the strength of the underlying soil, and the drainage characteristics of both. Fills on deep soils with low strength fail due to inadequate bearing capacity. Reducing failure potential in such cases includes the use of lightweight fill material, flat slopes for the embankment, or a counterweight buttress at the toe. If the weak underlying soil stratum is not very thick, it may be more economical to remove and replace it with an adequate foundation soil. In the worst case, where neither of the two preceding remedies is feasible, some structural support will be needed.
  Organic silts, organic clays, and peat are highly compressible. Although these soils may have sufficient bearing capacity to support the embankment without failing in shear, excessive settlements are the concern. Remedies for neutralizing excessive settlement include preconsolidating soft clays by careful overloading, slow construction, or removal of the inadequate material. Analyses for preconsolidation measures require calculations for primary and secondary consolidation rates. The cost for delaying construction, until secondary consolidation is achieved, must be evaluated against the cost for removal and replacement.
  The potential for failure exists when embankments are placed on thin layers of soft clays, particularly if the clay layers are inclined in an unfavorable orientation. The failure occurs by sliding horizontally or at the angle of the clay layer. The clay layer gains strength as it consolidates under construction and embankment loadings. If the imposed stresses increase faster than the consolidation, failure results. This type of failure occurs during or soon after construction for this reason. In this situation, construction and fill placement must proceed at a slower pace to allow the clay to consolidate. Also, lighter embankment material may be used or the embankment slopes could be flattened. Again, removal and replacement of the clay layer can also be a consideration.
  Slope failure occurs whenever the available resisting forces are less than the activating forces causing instability. In effect, when the strength of the soil is less than the down-slope force component of the soil weight and other applied loads, the result is slope movement.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide four more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Within a development, it is not uncommon for the water supply of an individual homeowner to come from a private well, nor is it uncommon for a single private or public well to serve many houses. Using a ground water supply presents challenges different from a conventional public system for quantity and quality—whether sufficient water is available and whether it is of potable standards. Additionally, once the ground water source is identified as usable, measures must be exercised to keep the source from pollution.
  It should be noted that private wells (or systems with less than 15 connections or serving less than 25 people) are not regulated under the SDWA. One out of every seven people in the United States (about 15 percent) has a private drinking water supply, such as a well, cistern, or spring.
  While ground water is available nearly everywhere, the difficulty is recovering ground water; due to the depth of the water table, it may prove costly. In a development where the same aquifer will potentially be used by numerous households, assurances must exist that there is sufficient water yield for everyone and that natural replenishment of the aquifer is compatible with the amount used.
  Ground water exists in two major subsurface zones, the boundary of which is the water table. Above the water table, the pore spaces of the aeration (or unsaturated) zone are filled with air and water. The high fluctuation in moisture content in this zone is affected by such things as temperature, humidity, precipitation, vegetation, and the intrinsic properties of the porous media. Below the aeration zone (and the water table) lies the saturation zone. Here, the pore spaces contain only water, which is available for consumptive use. Although the shape of the water table generally follows the ground surface, its depth fluctuates seasonally and is affected in part by climate and geologic conditions.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide the last five paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The city of New Haven proposed expansion of the Sound School at City Point adjacent to New Haven Harbor, a prime Long Island Sound location. The project included the reuse and transformation of the existing sewage treatment plant foundations into an expanded Regional Vocational Aquaculture Center that linked new construction with the existing Sound School located adjacent to the harbor.
  Improvements included renovation of 24,000 square feet of existing buildings, the addition of a new 42,000-square-foot building, hazardous waste remediation, wetland restoration, parking improvements, and street improvements incorporating sidewalks, landscaping, and ornamental lighting. Associated with the work are several marine structures including a new 150-foot-long pier, construction of a walkway over an abandoned outfall sewer, a new all-tide boat launch, a rail-mounted boat launch and evaluation, and repair of an existing sheet pile cofferdam bulkhead.
  The project began with a value engineering study balancing a wish list program against an established budget. Ultimately, the building contained classrooms, vocational shops, and laboratories. Working closely with an array of specialty consultants to accommodate a unique development program and special equipment needs, the design team was responsible for architecture; civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, geotechnical, and marine engineering; surveying, soil testing and borings; cost estimating; and value engineering.
  This Hampton Campus of the Northern Virginia Community College went through a master planning effort as part of the campus expansion. Because of its location under military flight paths, strict limitations were placed on potential building sites and heights that had to be maintained. The master planning effort also integrated additional site elements related to improved campus circulation and open-space utilization including:
  The 7.5-acre Merrifield Town Center property is located in the heart of the redeveloping Merrifield Community of Fairfax County and a half mile from a metro station. The flanking five-story buildings, connected via an elevated pedestrian bridge, frame the reconstruction of Strawberry Lane. Upper levels include additional retail/office space and 270 residential condominiums with rooftop open-space amenities such as intensive greenroofs, a swimming pool, and a trellis. The total building program includes 105,500 gross square feet of retail, 327,500 gross square feet of residential space, and parking for approximately 1000 vehicles. The buildings' east facade enhances Gallows Road with pedestrian walks and street-level retail. Development along the western edge provides for the transition to the developing Merrifield Town Center and includes an urban park replete with a water feature. As the first phase of redevelopment in this area, Merrifield Town Center sets the urban design precedent for continued expansion in this burgeoning community.