Project-Planning-Design Exam Questions & Answers
ARE 5.0 Project Planning & Design (PPD) • NCARB
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Sample Project-Planning-Design Questions
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In high-rise building construction, which advantages does the use of composite floor decking offer over the use of flat plates? Check the four that apply.
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Composite floor decking advantages:
(A) Composite action reinforces slabs, improving strength.
(C) Metal decks serve as working platforms, speeding construction.
(D) Decks act as permanent formwork, eliminating temporary formwork.
(E) Lightweight concrete can be used to reduce structural weight.
(B) Shear connectors are required for composite action, so this is incorrect.
(F) Steel generally increases sound transmission compared to flat plate concrete, so false.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Building Systems and Assemblies, Structural Systems
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Steel Construction
An architect's client is focused on lighting energy savings and daylighting design in a new 3,000 ft commercial building addition to expand showroom and office square footage. The client requests reasonable daylighting measures in the design.
What should the architect recommend to the client?
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Daylight-responsive control systems automatically adjust electric lighting based on available natural light, reducing energy use and improving occupant comfort.
Isolating lighting to a single zone (A) limits effectiveness.
Limiting daylight access (C) reduces benefits.
Increasing sunlight near tasks (D) can cause glare.
Thus, providing daylight-responsive electric lighting control is recommended.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Environmental Conditions and Context, Daylighting
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Lighting Design
Which of the following is considered when using natural light as the primary source of ambient light to improve building quality and reduce energy costs?
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Using natural light as a primary source of ambient lighting is a sustainable strategy to improve indoor environmental quality and reduce energy consumption. However, careful control of daylighting is essential to avoid glare and overheating.
Exterior shading devices (such as louvers, overhangs, and fins) are critical in managing solar heat gain and glare by controlling direct sunlight before it enters the building envelope. They help maintain visual comfort and reduce cooling loads, directly impacting energy costs and occupant comfort.
Operable windows on opposite walls facilitate cross ventilation, which is beneficial for natural ventilation but does not directly control daylighting quality or energy use related to lighting.
Clear glazing window wall systems maximize daylight penetration but can increase solar heat gain if not properly shaded, thus increasing cooling loads.
Single switched lighting controls are a basic electrical feature and do not influence daylighting quality or energy efficiency related to natural light.
NCARB's PPD guidelines emphasize integrating exterior shading as a passive design strategy to optimize daylight use and reduce reliance on mechanical cooling and artificial lighting, improving building performance sustainably.
ARE 5.0 Project Planning & Design -- Environmental Conditions and Context
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Sustainable Design and Daylighting
NCARB Guidelines on Daylighting and Energy Efficiency
Heavy steel columns and rigid connections between columns and beams
Vertical steel trusses in the external walls
Light steel columns and flexible connections between columns and beams
Vertical steel trusses in the internal walls
Which structural design concept minimizes the cost of steel structure needed to resist wind and earthquake loads in high-rise buildings?
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Using vertical steel trusses in the external walls (B) allows for efficient lateral load resistance by creating a stiff, braced perimeter that resists wind and seismic forces with less material compared to internal bracing or heavy columns.
Heavy steel columns and rigid connections (A) require more steel and complex joints, increasing cost.
Light steel columns with flexible connections (C) provide less stiffness and require more members.
Internal steel trusses (D) reduce usable space and complicate architectural layouts.
External vertical trusses optimize structural efficiency and cost, as supported in NCARB PPD guidelines for high-rise construction.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Structural Systems
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Steel Structures
An architect has just received client approval of the Schematic Design documents for a three-story, outpatient medical clinic. The clinic is located within a mixed-use development governed by
a City-approved Planned Development (PD) document. The medical clinic design utilizes standardized departmental layouts and includes outpatient clinics, as well as treatment spaces,
administrative spaces and public/lobby spaces.
The site needs to accommodate four different vehicular traffic flows: patient traffic, staff traffic, service and delivery traffic, and emergency services traffic. In addition, a pedestrian plaza
must connect to the mixed-use development sidewalks. The plaza must provide space for bicycle parking and will serve as the future bus stop.
The site design addresses several challenges related to building orientation. The southeast facade, with excellent visibility from the highway, is the location of all service equipment. The
building entrance faces northwest, convenient to the parking but not visible from the highway.
The client believes future patient volumes will outgrow the clinic. The PD document allows for a planned Phase 2 development on the adjacent vacant site to the southwest. Phase 2 would
include a second building (2 story, 80,000 BGSF) and/or a parking deck.
Other considerations for the project include:
Protected tree requirements are defined in the PD document.
Easy pedestrian access must be provided from Sycamore Boulevard.
All required parking for the clinic must be accommodated on site.
Programmed area includes 109,450 Departmental Gross Square Feet (DGSF) / 130,184 Building Gross Square Feet (BGSF).
Exterior material percentages are dictated by the PD document and shall not exceed specific percentages for Primary and Secondary Finishes.
All service equipment needs to be screened; see PD document for restrictions.
Signage opportunities are important to the client.
Acoustical privacy is a concern of the healthcare system.
The following resources are available for your reference:
Drawings, including a perspective, plans, and exterior elevations
Building Program, including client's departmental program and detailed program for Treatment 01 (Infusion)
Exterior Material Cost Comparisons
Planned Development Document
IBC Excerpts, showing relevant code sections
ADA Excerpts, showing relevant sections from the ADA Standards for Accessible Design
After construction, the owner asks the architect to integrate sustainable features that would offset building operational costs and have minimal changes to the existing design and future development.
Which of the following sustainable features should the architect consider?
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels are the most appropriate sustainable feature to offset building operational costs with minimal design changes, especially in a mixed-use development with planned future expansion.
Building-mounted vertical sunshades (A) require design integration and may affect exterior finishes and daylighting.
Ground-mounted PV panels (C) require additional land and site preparation, which could conflict with future development plans and site constraints.
Roof-mounted PV panels maximize use of existing roof space, reduce energy costs, and are relatively easy to integrate with minimal impact on building massing or future phases.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Environmental Conditions and Context, Renewable Energy
Planned Development Document
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