1) A = bh = 16*15 = 240 . . . . square units
2) There are a number of ways to decompose the shaded area, or to construct the shaded area. We'll do the latter.
The shaded area is 1/2 of a 4x4 square plus a small triangle below the center of the "butterfly". The latter has a base of 2 and a height of 1, so an area of
.. (1/2)*2*1 = 1
The total area is 4^2/2 +1 = 9 . . . . square units