ARC PPE case studies

ARC PPE · Put your knowledge to work in context.

The Architect Registration Examination - Practice Program Examination (ARC PPE) is an independent, unofficial study resource for candidates preparing for the architect registration examination. It is designed for aspiring architects, intern architects, and candidates working through the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) who need to test their readiness across the full breadth of professional practice. The ARC PPE case studies are 5 cases and about 4,290 words.

The Handshake Start: Contract Risk on a 24-Unit Multifamily

You are managing principal of a six-person architecture firm negotiating a 24-unit, four-story multifamily building for a developer who has not yet closed on the land. The developer's draft agreement sets a fixed fee of 312,000 for design through construction administration and a 14-month schedule, and includes a clause requiring "all services necessary to obtain a certificate of occupancy" plus "unlimited design revisions until the owner approves." It also asks you to begin schematic design immediately, before signature, on a handshake; sets payment on a 90-day cycle; and requires 2 million in professional liability coverage with a waiver of the statute of limitations down to three years after substantial completion.

858 words, about 4 min 2

Adaptive Reuse Test-Fit: Program Area, Records Load, and a Second Stair

A county client asks you to test-fit a 38,000 nsf office program into a vacant 1955 department store. Each of the three floors is 45,000 gsf, with a 22 ft column grid.

865 words, about 4 min 3

Certificate of Substantial Completion, Retainage, and a Lease Deadline

You are architect of record for a 14.8 million, three-story ambulatory clinic under a standard-form contract with 5 percent retainage and a clause allowing substantial completion of a designated portion when the architect certifies in writing. In month 16 the contractor submits pay application 09 for 1.42 million, including 100 percent of the fire alarm rough-in, and requests a certificate of substantial completion for floors 1 and 2 so the owner can occupy them.

849 words, about 4 min 4

Medical Office on a Sloped Site: Parking Math, Detention, and a Hostile Audience

A developer proposes a 52,000 sf, two-story medical office building on a 6.8-acre suburban parcel. Zoning allows 40 percent maximum lot coverage, a 35 ft front setback, 15 ft side and rear setbacks, and requires parking at 1 space per 250 sf of gross floor area.

861 words, about 4 min 5

Fire-Rated Shaftwall Concealment, a Conflict of Interest, and an Offer to Seal

You are architect of record for a $9 million renovation of an occupied 1962 elementary school and are providing construction administration. During a walkthrough you discover that the shaftwall assemblies around two stairwells were installed without the specified mineral wool insulation.

857 words, about 4 min