BORAQS Architect Exam flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

BORAQS statutory mandate

Kenyan board established under the Architects and Quantity Surveyors Act (Cap 525) that registers architects and quantity surveyors, regulates practice, and enforces discipline over registered professionals.

Development permission

Approval under physical and land use planning law from the county, confirming the proposed use, plot coverage, plot ratio and setbacks comply before construction may lawfully begin.

Certificate of occupation

Local authority certificate issued after inspection confirming a completed building complies with approved plans and is fit for occupation; occupation before issue is an offence.

Plot ratio

Total gross floor area of all buildings on a plot divided by the plot area; it caps built density and is checked together with coverage and height limits at planning approval.

Plot coverage

Footprint area of buildings expressed as a percentage of the plot area; it controls how much of the site is built on and therefore the open space retained.

Travel distance

Maximum measured route length from any point to the nearest exit; exceeding it requires additional protected exits, and single-direction travel is limited to roughly 18–22 m.

Fire compartmentation

Division of a building by fire-resisting walls and floors, typically 30–120 minutes rated, to limit fire spread, sized by use and height with protected escape stairs.

2R + G rule

Design check relating riser and going: twice the riser plus the going should fall between about 550 mm and 700 mm for comfortable, safe stair climbing.

Accessible ramp gradient

Maximum permitted slope for wheelchair routes is generally 1:12, preferably 1:15, with level landings at intervals and handrails on both sides.

Architect's instruction

Written direction from the architect to the contractor under the building contract; it is the mechanism for variations, and oral directions must be confirmed in writing.

Practical completion

Stage when works are complete except for minor defects and snagging, the building is fit for purpose, and the defects liability period and retention release begin.

Interim certificate

Architect's periodic certificate stating the amount due to the contractor for work executed, less retention and previous payments, issued within the contract time limit.

Professional indemnity cover

Insurance protecting the architect against claims for negligent design or professional advice, usually maintained for the limitation period after project completion.

Site supervision duty

Architect's obligation to visit and inspect works at intervals appropriate to the stage, issue instructions, and report non-compliance; it is not continuous inspection nor a guarantee of quality.

Building contract types

Standard forms such as lump sum with quantities, lump sum without quantities, measurement/remeasurement, and cost-plus; the choice fixes how risk and price adjustment are allocated.

Bill of quantities

Itemised document measuring and describing work with rates and amounts, forming the priced basis of tenders, interim valuations, variation pricing and the final account.

Approximate quantities estimate

Costing method using measured approximate quantities of major elements multiplied by unit rates, giving greater accuracy than a single rate per square metre.

Elemental cost plan

Design-stage estimate grouping costs by building element (substructure, frame, finishes, services) with element unit rates, allowing cost targets to be set and checked per element.

Location factor

Multiplier applied to a benchmark building rate to reflect regional differences in labour, material and transport costs when transferring rates between places.

Price index adjustment

Updating a historical cost by multiplying by current index divided by base index, converting tender-date prices to the cost level of the estimate date.

Rebar mass formula

Mass per metre of reinforcement in kg/m equals the bar diameter squared divided by 162, so a 12 mm bar weighs about 0.888 kg per metre.

Formwork measurement

Measured in square metres of concrete contact area, excluding surfaces not requiring temporary support, and priced separately from concrete volume.

Retention deduction

Percentage withheld from each interim certificate, commonly 5–10%, until a cap near 5% of the contract sum is reached; half released at practical completion.

Performance security

Bond or guarantee, typically 10% of the contract sum, callable by the employer if the contractor fails to perform, and reduced on practical completion.

Advance payment bond

Guarantee securing repayment of a mobilisation advance if the contractor defaults, usually for the full advance amount and reducing as the advance is recovered.

Variation valuation order

Price changed work at a similar BoQ rate first, then a rate derived pro rata from BoQ rates, and only otherwise by fair valuation of cost plus overhead and profit.

Dayworks

Method of paying for unmeasurable or minor work using recorded labour hours, plant time and materials at pre-agreed rates plus a stated percentage addition.

Fluctuation formula

Price adjustment P = A + b(Ln/Lo) + c(Mn/Mo) plus further terms, where A is fixed and the coefficients sum to one, adjusting for labour and material index changes.

Loss and expense

Amount paid to the contractor for direct loss caused by employer risk events such as late possession or deferred instructions, assessed and certified separately from contract works value.

Cost performance index

Earned value divided by actual cost; a value below one means work is costing more than budgeted and signals an adverse cost variance to investigate.

Schedule performance index

Earned value divided by planned value; below one indicates progress is behind schedule, informing forecasts of completion date and time-related preliminaries cost.

Final account

Settlement statement comprising contract sum, remeasured adjustments, variations, provisional sum actuals, fluctuations and claims, less retention and previous payments.

Provisional sum

Allowance in the contract for work that cannot be fully defined at tender; it is expended only on instruction and adjusted to actual cost in the final account.