ARE 5.0: PPD study plan

Build a comparison matrix of four structural systems (steel, cast-in-place concrete, wood, masonry) recording typical bay spans, lateral-force-resisting strategy, and framing depth.

Draw a schematic building section that reserves horizontal and vertical zones for structure, supply and return air, plumbing, and power, and dimension each zone.

Assemble a material properties sheet for eight common finish and assembly types listing fire rating, acoustic performance, and moisture sensitivity.

Trace the path of a duct, a drain stack, and a conduit run from origin to termination through your section and mark every point where they fight for the same space.

Calculate the U-value of three different wall assemblies from layer R-values and compare each against a target value you set in advance.

Position the air barrier, vapor retarder, and insulation in three envelope assemblies and write a dew-point justification for each placement decision.

Sketch summer solstice, equinox, and winter solstice sun paths for a chosen latitude and derive shadow angles for a horizontal and a vertical shading device.

Classify a site by climate zone and select three passive strategies, stating the specific building feature each strategy requires.

Analyze a hypothetical site for solar exposure, prevailing wind, drainage, noise, and access, and rank the findings by design impact.

Lay out a building footprint on that site that responds to orientation, setback, and stormwater run-off constraints, and justify each move in writing.

Size a daylighting strategy for a 30-foot-deep open office using window head height, sill height, and room depth relationships.

Compare two massing options for the same program and document how each changes heat gain, daylight, and usable area.

Build a program adjacency matrix for a mixed-use building and derive a block-and-stack diagram from it.

Overlay the structural grid from week one onto the block-and-stack diagram and resolve at least three conflicts between bay size and room module.

Produce a reflected ceiling plan coordinating light fixtures, air diffusers, sprinkler heads, and structural framing without clashes.

Write a one-page sequence describing how program, structure, and building systems decisions constrain one another across design phases.

Determine occupancy classification and required fire separation for each tenant in a mixed-occupancy building and record the triggers that change the answer.

Trace exit access travel distance and path of egress travel from the farthest point of a floor plate to exit discharge and flag every point of noncompliance.

Select fire-rated wall and floor assemblies from a code table and enter them into a wall type schedule with hourly ratings.

Integrate the mechanical shaft and egress stair into the structural grid without reducing required clear width.

Calculate occupant load and required egress capacity for a floor plate using occupant load factors, then verify the number and width of exits.

Determine allowable building height and floor area from construction type and occupancy, then apply a frontage increase and show the arithmetic.

Apply accessibility requirements to a restroom layout and a parking layout, dimensioning clear floor space, turning radius, and accessible stall counts.

Map zoning constraints including setbacks, floor area ratio, and height limit onto a massing study and identify the binding constraint.

Prepare a schematic-level cost estimate for three building types using unit costs per square foot and per unit, and state the assumptions behind each number.

Itemize every budget line beyond hard construction cost, including contingency, escalation, soft costs, site work, and owner allowances.

Quantify how a change in structural system or envelope performance shifts the estimate by a defined percentage and identify which line items move.

Compare the twenty-year life-cycle cost of two HVAC options using first cost, energy use, and replacement intervals.

Complete a full-length timed practice exam under test conditions and score each of the five domains separately.

Re-study the two lowest-scoring domains and rewrite each missed concept as a corrected one-sentence rule you can apply cold.

Rehearse two integrated scenarios that combine program, structural, envelope, code, and cost decisions in a single narrative.

Condense all eight weeks of notes into a one-page decision checklist organized by design phase.