CID study plan

Map the space-planning process end to end, from client interview and needs assessment through adjacency analysis, bubble diagrams, blocking and stacking, and final space allocation

Practice converting a written program (headcount, department sizes, support-space ratios) into a net-to-gross area calculation and check it against a plausible building efficiency factor

Build a personal glossary of programming vocabulary (net assignable area, gross area, efficiency ratio, stacking diagram, circulation factor) with a one-line definition and a worked example for each

Draft a 10-question self-quiz on programming and space planning and answer it closed-book

Apply space-planning concepts to a second building type (healthcare, education, or hospitality) and write down how its adjacency and circulation rules differ from an office

Identify the code topics that most often constrain planning decisions (egress travel distance, occupant load, corridor width, accessibility clearances) and note where each one changes a layout

Compute occupant load for three sample rooms using different occupancy classifications and compare the resulting egress width requirements

Explain in writing how accessibility clearances in restrooms, corridors, and door approaches alter a furniture plan

Outline the structure of a model building code (chapters, occupancy groups, types of construction, height and area limits) and describe how the chapters reference each other

Work through height-and-area allowance logic for a sample building, including sprinkler increases and frontage increases, and record the assumptions used

Summarize the life-safety provisions that appear most on interior projects: egress components, door swing and hardware, exit signage, fire-rated assemblies, and fireblocking

List the accessibility requirements that recur in interior work and describe the measurement conventions (clear width, turning space, reach ranges) that govern them

Write a short set of questions you would bring to the authority having jurisdiction on a project with an ambiguous occupancy classification

Trace how a code requirement becomes a specification requirement, using fire-resistance ratings, flame-spread ratings, and smoke-developed ratings as the worked example

Build a materials reference table covering the finish categories you are least confident about, with typical applications, performance characteristics, and common failure modes

Describe the standard specification divisions and explain which divisions an interior designer typically authors, edits, or only coordinates

Compare three specification methods (proprietary, descriptive, performance) and state when each is appropriate

Explain how construction documents are organized (drawing set sequence, general conditions, specifications, schedules) and how the parts cross-reference each other

Describe a typical construction sequence for an interior fit-out and identify the points where design decisions affect cost or schedule

Summarize the submittal, shop drawing, sample, and mock-up review process, including who reviews what and what the designer's authority is

Identify common specification errors (conflicting references, missing substrates, ambiguous quantities) and write a short pre-issue checklist

Map the lighting design process from programming and criteria setting through fixture selection, layout, and controls

Compute simple illuminance and power-density estimates for a sample room and compare the result to a target lighting power allowance

Describe the major lamp and luminaire families, their color-rendering and efficacy characteristics, and the applications each suits

Explain how HVAC, plumbing, and electrical distribution constrain ceiling and wall design, and list the coordination questions to raise with engineers early

Summarize acoustic and thermal comfort fundamentals well enough to justify a design decision in a client meeting

Produce a drawing-set index for a small interior project and confirm that every plan, elevation, detail, schedule, and specification section is accounted for

Practice annotating a plan so that dimensions, tags, and keynotes are complete and unambiguous without accompanying verbal explanation

Write a transmittal and a request-for-information item that are clear, dated, and traceable

Describe how BIM, drawing standards, and revision control affect documentation quality and liability

Outline the phases of a project from predesign through closeout and state the designer's deliverable and approval point in each

Describe the standard owner-architect agreement structure, the scope of basic services, and how additional services are triggered

Explain fee structures, budgeting, and the relationship between scope change and compensation

Summarize professional ethics obligations and the situations that require disclosure or refusal of work

Run two timed mixed-domain practice sets and review every missed item back to its source concept