Architecture
Architecture is the first BORAQS domain. It tests whether a candidate can carry a building project from client brief through statutory approval, technical documentation and site administration while protecting public safety and the client’s brief. The examiner expects Kenyan statutory awareness, not just design flair.
Core rules and concepts
- An architect must confirm the client’s title, planning zoning and any easements or covenants before committing a design. Development permission is sought from the county planning authority under the Physical and Land Use Planning Act, 2019; approval is not a substitute for professional design checks.
- Design information must be coordinated across architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical drawings before tender and construction. Discrepancies are resolved by the architect through instructions, sketches and revised drawings, not by informal site changes.
- The architect administers the building contract: issuing instructions, valuing variations with the QS, checking progress, and certifying payment and practical completion only after inspection.
- Fire safety, accessibility, ventilation, sanitation and structural robustness are public-interest requirements; they cannot be traded away to meet a client’s budget.
Worked example
A clinic extension is proposed on a 5,000 m² plot. The proposed gross floor area is 7,500 m². Plot ratio = GFA ÷ site area = 7,500 ÷ 5,000 = 1.50. If the county zoning permits a maximum plot ratio of 1.25, the maximum permissible GFA is 1.25 × 5,000 = 6,250 m². The scheme exceeds the limit by 1,250 m². The architect must reduce the GFA, seek a valid planning variation, or redesign on a larger site; submitting the drawings unchanged invites refusal.
Traps
Do not confuse plot ratio (GFA/site area) with coverage (footprint/site area). Do not treat planning approval as building-code compliance. Do not certify practical completion from photographs. Do not issue a variation without checking cost and contractual authority.