Some people took the summer off.
We see in Archizam traffic that the number of you studying for your #ArchitectureRegistrationExams in the summer goes way down.
Here are some problems to help you get back into studying!
I think that summer vacation is a great time to get in that reading and studying I have just been "meaning to get around to."
That week at the beach or the lake house with its peaceful evenings and lazy days make a great time to get that "required reading" in.
So I thought I would provide you with 5 REAL WORLD-ish examples of information that you must know to pass your #AREs. I call them mini case studies, but since you have the liberty of the internet for these examples, you must know what references are required, and where to look for them.
A client bought an existing concrete block and steel roof truss, non-sprinklered warehouse building. The client took a section of the warehouse space and built offices, a meeting room, and a kitchenette. The warehouse is for the storage of metal products and no fabrication takes place in the warehouse. Do any of these spaces need to be fire separated from the warehouse and/or office spaces? If so, what rating is required? If the warehouse is 3,000 SF and the offices are 2,000 SF,
What is the maximum occupancy of the building, and how many exits are required?
What is the minimum size required for those exits?
What is the maximum travel distance allowable to an exit?
How many are there and what are the Construction Types? What is the difference between Type A and Type B? Which construction type is not broken between Type A and Type B? What impact do sprinklers have on construction types? What should the walls of a Type IIB building be constructed of? How thick does a piece of lumber have to be to qualify as "timber framing?"
Steve is the sole practitioner of his Architecture firm - ABC Architects. He needs to hire an employee to keep up with his workload. What should Steve consider to determine whether or not his firm will remain profitable? What is the Overhead rate of ABC Architects? If Steve owns his office but leases the computers and printers from a tech company - What type of expenses are each of those considered? What is the breakeven rate? What factors go into determining the billing rate that Steve should charge for his new employee? What kind of insurance should ABC Architects hold and why???
Katie Architect has worked for her company for 6 years. She feels that she is ready to assume the role of Project Manager for the company. As a Project Manager, what will her responsibilities be? If Katie's firm is organized in a horizontal studio fashion - who and what will she be managing? What is the alternative firm organization? What factors affect the team will she need to assemble? When the owner asks for the project schedule, what are her options for (visual) representation? What is a work plan and what does it include and represent? What is a "Top-Down Approach" and what is the alternative? What is a Consultant and what roles can they take? When should consultants be involved in the project? Who is responsible for ensuring all project documents meet current code requirements?
Steve from the above ABC Architects gets a strip mall development project with a "crazy owner" who can not decide on a project delivery method.
The Owner thinks he wants to have several contractors bid on the project to compare project costs. What would you call this method of project delivery? What are the pros and cons of this method of project delivery? Which AIA contract should be used for this?
The project comes in far over the owner's budget - What options does the Owner have at this point?
One week later, the owner decides that he wants a Construction Manager to work on the project to make sure everything stays on schedule and within budget. What are the two delivery options when using a Construction Manager? Which of the two methods does the Construction Manager hire the contractors and accept responsibility for the project? Which AIA Contract should Steve the Architect recommend to the owner for this?
During the construction of the project, the Architect is asked to visit the site to keep the crazy owner informed about progress. How often must these site visits occur? What document outlines how often this should occur?
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