California Supplemental Examination (CSE) case studies
California Supplemental Examination (CSE) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The California Supplemental Examination (CSE) is the California-specific licensing exam that the California Architects Board requires in addition to the national Architect Registration Examination. Where the ARE tests generic professional competence, the CSE tests whether you can practice inside California's particular regulatory environment: the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) and how it is administered, accessibility under Chapters 11A and 11B alongside federal ADA and fair housing obligations, seismic design and retrofit expectations, fire and life safety including wildland-urban interface provisions, energy and CALGreen requirements, land use and CEQA, California contract and project-delivery practice, and the Board's own laws and professional-conduct rules. The California Supplemental Examination (CSE) case studies are 5 cases and about 4,003 words.
1Deferring the Elevator in a Historic Adaptive Reuse
A 1924 two-story unreinforced-masonry warehouse in a locally designated historic district is being converted to ground-floor retail with eight residential units above. The shell gets new seismic bracing, a new storefront and entry, and the upper floor is rebuilt with new partitions, plumbing, and HVAC.
827 words, about 4 min2Chapter 7A, Fire Flow, and a Dead-End Driveway
Six townhome units in three duplex buildings are proposed on a 25 percent slope in an unincorporated area designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The only access is a private driveway 20 feet wide and 480 feet long that dead-ends at the site with no turnaround, and the fire code official has not yet commented.
806 words, about 4 min3Soft-Story Retrofit With Added Load and a Liquefiable Site
A five-story, 1964 wood-frame apartment building has 40 units over a one-story tuck-under parking level with an open front at grade. The city has adopted a mandatory soft-story retrofit ordinance keyed to ASCE 41 with a Collapse Prevention objective.
798 words, about 4 min4Density Bonus, Demolition, and the Class 32 Exemption
A 48-unit, five-story infill project is proposed on a 1.8-acre site 1,200 feet from a major transit stop. The site holds a 12-unit rent-controlled apartment built in 1958 that would be demolished; four units are occupied by lower-income households.
777 words, about 4 min5Sealing, Site Visits, and a Lender's Certification
A sole practitioner holds an AIA B101-2017 agreement, with California amendments, for a 22,000-square-foot retail and office building. During two months of medical leave, an unlicensed project designer completed the construction documents; on returning, the principal sealed the set without reviewing the electrical and mechanical coordination sheets, and the permit issued.
795 words, about 4 min