Iran Nezam Architecture Supervision Exam cheat sheet

Setback (tarak-e eshteghal) is measured from the property line to the outermost building projection; balconies count when projecting beyond the permitted line.

Floor Area Ratio (FAR / zel-e sakhteman) = total above-grade gross floor area ÷ plot area; local zoning tables fix the maximum FAR per zone.

Building coverage ratio (dar sad-e ezafe) = footprint area ÷ plot area, capped separately from FAR, so a tall tower and a wide low block on the same plot differ.

Occupancy load per use drives egress width: assembly areas require more exit width per person than office or residential use; check the current national building code tables.

Solar orientation rule of thumb for Iranian plateaus: long axis east–west, main glazing south, with 30–60 cm overhangs cutting summer noon gain while admitting winter sun.

Accessibility ramp: maximum running slope 1:12, landing at every 9 m of run and at each direction change, handrails both sides, minimum clear width 1.20 m.

Stair geometry: riser 17–18 cm and tread 28–30 cm for public buildings; 2R + T should fall between 60 and 64 cm for comfortable ascent.

Daylight rule: window glazing area of roughly 1/8 to 1/10 of floor area is the code minimum for habitable rooms; deeper rooms need supplementary lighting.

Dead load is self-weight from material density × volume; live load comes from code occupancy tables, and seismic load is derived from the base shear formula V = C·W.

Seismic base shear: V = C·W, where C is the seismic coefficient from the design spectrum and W is the total effective seismic weight including a fraction of live load.

Concrete cover minimums: 25 mm for slabs, 30–40 mm for beams and columns in moderate exposure; increase for foundations cast against soil (typically 50–75 mm).

Concrete mix: characteristic cylinder strength f'c governs design; the water/cement ratio controls durability and strength - lower w/c means higher strength and lower permeability.

Steel connection hierarchy: in moment frames, connections must develop the plastic moment of the beam so hinges form in beams, not in welds or columns.

Bracing vs. moment frame: braced frames give high stiffness and low drift but concentrate force at connections; moment frames are ductile but drift more under wind.

Slab systems: one-way slabs span mainly in one direction (L/B ≥ 2); two-way slabs carry load in both directions and are common in Iranian residential construction.

Foundation choice follows soil bearing capacity: shallow spread footings for adequate bearing strata; piles or mat foundations where soft soil or high water table exists.

Cement types: Type I general purpose, Type II moderate sulfate resistance, Type III high early strength, Type IV low heat of hydration, Type V high sulfate resistance.

Aggregate grading affects workability and strength; well-graded aggregate reduces voids and cement demand, and the maximum aggregate size is limited by member thickness and rebar spacing.

Concrete curing: keep moist for at least 7 days (normal cement) or 3 days for high-early-strength; curing loss cuts strength and raises shrinkage cracking.

Brick (ajr) quality: fired clay brick should ring when struck, show no efflorescence, and have absorption low enough to prevent freeze–thaw damage in cold zones.

Gypsum and lime plasters are the traditional Iranian interior finish; gypsum sets fast and is not for exterior use, while lime tolerates moisture and improves workability.

Thermal insulation: mineral wool and EPS are rated by thermal conductivity λ (W/m·K); lower λ means better insulation, and thickness is set by the climate zone requirement.

Waterproofing membranes: bituminous sheet for roofs and foundations, cementitious coating for wet areas; all laps must be shingled so water flows over the lap, not into it.

Rebar grade naming: in the common Iranian designation, the number after the prefix indicates nominal yield strength in kgf/mm² (e.g., AIII / 400-grade bars).

Heating load = transmission losses (U·A·ΔT summed over the envelope) + infiltration/ventilation load; cooling load adds solar gain through glazing and internal gains.

U-value is the reciprocal of total thermal resistance: U = 1/(R_si + ΣR_layer + R_se); lower U means better envelope performance.

Elevator planning: one elevator per roughly 3,000–4,000 m² of office floor area as a starting check; verify with a traffic analysis for tall buildings.

Electrical load estimation uses demand factors: total connected load × demand factor gives design demand; diversity factors lower the service size for mixed occupancies.

Earthing/grounding: the earth electrode resistance must be low enough for protective device operation; TN and TT systems differ in where neutral is bonded and how faults clear.

Fire alarm zoning: each floor is normally its own detection zone, and audible/visual alarms must be audible above ambient noise throughout the occupied space.

HVAC duct sizing: equal-friction method keeps pressure drop per unit length constant; velocity method limits noise in occupied branches.

Plumbing venting: every trap needs a vent; a vent stack prevents siphonage of trap seals, and fixture units size the drain and vent pipes.

Supervision cycle: inspect, record, compare to approved drawings and specifications, issue instruction or non-conformance report, then verify corrective action and close out.

Concrete placement checks: formwork alignment and cleanliness, rebar size/count/spacing/cover, approved mix design, slump test, sampling of test cubes, and vibration during pour.

Critical-path method: the critical path is the longest duration path through the network; its float is zero, so any delay there delays the project completion date.

Total float = LS − ES = LF − EF; float is the schedule buffer available before a task pushes the completion date.

Earned value: CPI = EV/AC and SPI = EV/PV; CPI below 1 means cost overrun, SPI below 1 means schedule slippage.

Daily site report captures weather, labor and plant on site, work performed, deliveries, tests taken, and any instruction received - it is the primary contemporaneous record.

Snag/punch list closeout: list defects by location, assign responsible party and deadline, and re-inspect before releasing retention or final payment.

Hold-point inspection: work must stop at a defined stage (e.g., before covering rebar) until the supervisor signs off; covering before inspection forfeits verification.

The national building code (Maqarrat-e Melli-e Sakhteman) is issued in parts; Part 3 covers fire protection, Part 6 loads, Part 9 concrete, and later parts cover energy and maintenance.

Fire compartmentation limits spread: rated walls and floors with protected openings divide a building into compartments sized by occupancy and height.

Means of egress: two remote exits are required above a threshold occupancy and travel distance; exit stairs must be enclosed where the building exceeds the low-rise limit.

Occupant load factors convert floor area to persons per use; exit width, door swing, and stair capacity are then sized from that load.

Seismic design provisions classify sites by soil type and set the design base acceleration; irregularities in plan or height trigger stricter analysis and detailing.

Energy code (Part 19) sets envelope U-values and glazing limits by climate zone; compliance is checked by prescriptive tables or whole-building calculation.

Permit sequence: approved architectural and structural drawings, then construction permit, then staged inspections, then occupancy certificate before use.

Change control: any deviation from approved drawings requires the designer's sealed revision and, where it affects structure or egress, re-approval by the authority.

Standard contract types: lump-sum (fixed price for defined scope), unit-price (paid per measured quantity), and cost-plus (actual cost plus fee) - risk allocation differs sharply.

Retention is a percentage withheld from each payment until defects liability ends; it protects the client but must be released per the contract terms, not indefinitely.

Variation order: scope changes must be instructed in writing, priced by the contract rates or a new agreed rate, and reflected in both time and money before execution.

Delay damages (liquidated damages) are a pre-agreed sum per day of late completion; they must be a genuine estimate, not a penalty, to be enforceable.

Force majeure excuses performance only when the event is outside control, unforeseeable, and unavoidable; notice deadlines in the contract still apply.

Professional liability: the designer's seal carries responsibility for code compliance; supervision does not transfer design liability to the supervisor.

Conflict of interest: a supervisor must not certify work by a firm in which they hold a financial interest; disclose and recuse.

Dispute ladder: engineer's decision, then amicable settlement or mediation, then arbitration or court as named in the contract's dispute clause.

Fall protection is required at edges and openings; guardrails at open edges of floors and roofs, and covers over floor openings fixed so they cannot be displaced.

Scaffolding: stable base, plumb standards, ties to the structure, complete working platforms, and guardrails with toe boards on every open side.

Excavation safety: slope or shore trenches deeper than about 1.2 m, keep spoil back from the edge, and inspect after rain or any ground movement.

Electrical site safety: residual-current protection on temporary supplies, no damaged leads, lockout/tagout before work on energized circuits, and grounding of metal plant.

Hazard communication: keep safety data sheets for chemicals on site, label containers, and provide PPE matched to the exposure (dust, solvent, noise).

Noise and dust control: wet down demolition debris, schedule noisy work within permitted hours, and monitor workers' exposure against occupational limits.

Waste management: segregate construction and demolition waste, and dispose only at licensed sites; asbestos-containing material needs a specialist survey before disturbance.

Incident reporting: record near-misses as well as injuries; root-cause analysis of near-misses prevents the events that would have caused harm.

Measurement convention: quantities are net dimensions from drawings, with deductions for openings above a stated size, and the method of measurement must be stated in the bill.

Concrete volume = length × width × depth per member, summed by grade; formwork area is measured separately as the contact area of concrete with formwork.

Rebar weight: W = (d²/162) kg per metre for bar diameter d in mm; total = unit weight × cut length × number of bars, plus laps and washers.

Masonry wall area = length × height − openings; report thickness separately because a 10 cm and a 20 cm wall have different unit rates.

Plaster and paint area follow the finished surface, including reveals where specified; ceilings are measured separately from walls.

Unit rate build-up: labor, material, plant, overhead, and profit are summed per unit; the estimate is only as good as the productivity assumptions behind it.

Cost index escalation adjusts historical rates to current prices; apply the index to the base date of the estimate, not to the payment date.

As-built documentation: record drawings, test certificates, warranties, and operation manuals form the handover package; missing documents block final acceptance.