ARE 5.0: PA case studies
ARE 5.0: PA · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Programming & Analysis (PA) is one of the six divisions of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE 5.0), the exam series NCARB administers as one part of the path to architectural licensure in the United States. PA sits at the front end of a project: it tests whether you can gather and interpret the information that shapes a design before drawings begin - site conditions, environmental and contextual constraints, zoning and building code requirements, and the client's functional program - and then translate that information into defensible planning decisions. The ARE 5.0: PA case studies are 5 cases and about 4,086 words.
1The Creek-Side Glass Wall
Your client has purchased a 1.8-acre parcel for an 18,000 sf two-story wildlife education center. The lot slopes about 6 percent down toward a creek along the north property line.
861 words, about 4 min2Fitting a 30,000 sf Athletic Club on a 21,000 sf Lot
A developer holds a 120 x 175 ft (21,000 sf) parcel in a C-2 district. The envelope limits are: FAR 1.5, maximum height 40 ft, front setback 15 ft, side setbacks 8 ft each, rear setback 20 ft, maximum lot coverage 60 percent, and a minimum 15 percent of lot area in landscaped open space.
755 words, about 4 min3The Corner Service Station Clinic
A health system holds a purchase option on a 0.6-acre (26,100 sf) corner parcel occupied until 1998 by a service station. The Phase I identified a 10,000-gallon gasoline UST and two dispenser islands.
761 words, about 4 min4Warehouse to Library, Maker Space, and Hall
A 1965 warehouse measures 200 x 120 ft (24,000 sf) on a 40 x 40 ft column grid, five bays by three. Clear height is 20 ft to the deck and 13 ft to the bottom of the steel joists.
827 words, about 4 min5Glass Curtain Wall on a Six-Lane Arterial
A nonprofit is buying a 0.5-acre (21,780 sf) corner lot at a six-lane arterial carrying 28,000 vehicles per day on the south and a two-lane street on the west. Climate zone 2A, cooling-dominated.
882 words, about 4 min