ARE 5.0: PDD cheat sheet

Break-even multiplier equals 1.0 plus the overhead (indirect) rate; a net multiplier below that value produces a loss, above it produces profit.

Utilization rate = direct billable labor hours / total paid hours; professional firms commonly target roughly 65-80% depending on staff role.

AIA B101 is Owner-Architect; A101 is Owner-Contractor; A201 is the General Conditions; B102 is Owner-Architect without a predefined scope of services.

Copyright in instruments of service stays with the architect; the owner receives a nonexclusive license to use them for the project.

Statute of limitations runs from the date of injury or discovery; statute of repose bars claims a fixed number of years after substantial completion regardless of discovery.

Claims-made professional liability policies respond to claims reported during the policy period; occurrence policies respond to negligent acts occurring during the period.

Standard of care is the skill and care ordinarily provided by architects under the same or similar circumstances, not the highest possible skill or perfection.

Contract types: stipulated sum (lump sum), cost plus fee, and cost plus guaranteed maximum price; a GMP shifts cost-overrun risk above the cap to the contractor.

Critical path is the longest-duration chain of dependent activities; it has zero total float and any delay along it delays project completion.

Total float = LS - ES = LF - EF; free float = early start of the successor minus early finish of the activity.

Earned value: CV = EV - AC; SV = EV - PV; CPI = EV / AC; SPI = EV / PV. CPI or SPI below 1.0 signals over budget or behind schedule.

Crashing adds labor, equipment, or overtime to critical-path activities to shorten duration at extra cost; fast-tracking overlaps phases and increases risk.

A change order is a written modification signed by owner, architect, and contractor; a construction change directive orders work before price and time are agreed.

Retainage commonly withholds 5-10% of each payment until substantial completion, then releases per contract terms and lien waivers.

A work breakdown structure decomposes scope into work packages, each with an assigned owner, duration, and cost code for tracking.

Risk responses are avoid, mitigate, transfer (insurance, bonds, hold-harmless), and accept; the architect does not control contractor means, methods, or site safety.

Floor area ratio = total gross floor area / lot area; lot coverage = building footprint / lot area. Zoning caps both.

Net-to-gross ratio = net assignable area / gross building area; office efficiency typically falls around 70-80%.

IBC occupant load factors (gross): business 150 sf, mercantile 60 sf, residential 200 sf, storage 300 sf; assembly unconcentrated 15 net, concentrated 7 net; educational 20 net.

Two means of egress are generally required where occupant load reaches 50; travel distance limits are commonly 200-250 ft for business occupancies depending on sprinklers.

Site analysis inputs include topography, soils, solar azimuth and altitude, prevailing winds, views, noise, utilities, and the zoning envelope.

The buildable envelope is the allowed footprint after setbacks and height limits, multiplied by the floor area ratio to test achievable area.

Bubble diagrams test adjacencies and relative areas; an adjacency matrix weights required proximity between each pair of spaces.

Program documents address goals, facts, needs, and concepts: problem-seeking establishes requirements before problem-solving proposes solutions.

IBC allowable area = tabular base area increased for frontage (up to 75%) and for sprinklers (200% multistory, 300% single story).

Egress width per occupant: 0.2 in sprinklered and 0.3 in unsprinklered for components other than stairs; stairways 0.3 in sprinklered and 0.4 in unsprinklered.

Sabine reverberation time T = 0.05 V / A (imperial), with V in cubic feet and A in sabins; doubling absorption roughly halves T.

STC rates airborne sound isolation between spaces, NRC rates absorption within a space, and IIC rates impact isolation of floor-ceiling assemblies.

Thermal rule: U = 1/R total, and assembly U-value is the reciprocal of the sum of the layer resistances plus surface films.

Passive strategies precede active systems: orientation, insulation, thermal mass, shading, and natural ventilation before mechanical equipment.

Sprinkler trade-offs increase allowable height and area, lengthen allowable travel distance, and reduce required fire-resistance ratings.

Structural rule of thumb: beam or girder depth approximates span/20 to span/12 for steel and concrete; wood joists are sized from span tables.

CSI MasterFormat organizes specifications and cost data into numbered divisions, with Division 00 for bidding and Division 01 for general requirements.

SectionFormat organizes each specification section into Part 1 General, Part 2 Products, and Part 3 Execution.

Typical order of precedence: agreement, general conditions, supplementary conditions, specifications, drawings; drawings govern quantity, dimension, and location.

Drawing scale conventions: site plan 1"=20' or 1:200, floor plans 1/8"=1'-0", enlarged plans 1/4"=1'-0", details 3/4" to 1-1/2"=1'-0".

Estimate accuracy narrows through design: schematic design roughly plus or minus 15-20%, design development plus or minus 10%, construction documents plus or minus 5%.

BIM levels of development: 100 conceptual, 200 approximate geometry, 300 specific design, 350 coordination, 400 fabrication.

Specifications govern quality of materials and workmanship; drawings govern quantity, dimension, location, and relationship of components.

Clash detection on a federated model resolves MEP, structural, and architectural conflicts before they reach the field.

Bid bond guarantees the bidder will enter the contract; performance bond guarantees completion; payment bond guarantees payment to subcontractors and suppliers.

An addendum modifies bidding documents before proposals are received; after award, changes are issued as change orders or construction change directives.

Substantial completion means work is sufficiently complete for its intended use; it starts warranties, supports occupancy, and typically triggers retainage release.

The punch list records incomplete or defective work observed at substantial completion; final payment follows correction and lien waivers.

Liquidated damages are a pre-agreed per-day amount for delay representing the owner's estimated loss and are enforceable only if not a penalty.

The architect reviews pay applications against observed work and the schedule of values; certification does not guarantee the contractor's compliance.

Architect site visits observe progress and quality for the owner; the architect does not supervise means, methods, or site safety.

Under AIA A201, mediation is typically a condition precedent to arbitration or litigation, and claims must be initiated within the stated claim period.