ARCON PPCE cheat sheet

Architect's standard of care: the skill and care ordinarily exercised by similarly situated professionals in the same locale - not a guarantee of perfect results.

Conflict of interest rule: disclose any financial or personal interest in a project (contractor ties, property holdings, supplier relationships) in writing before acceptance.

Seal and signature: only the licensed architect may seal drawings they personally prepared or directly supervised; sealing work not under one's responsible control is a violation.

Bidding integrity: architects may not bid against their own fee proposals in a way that compromises professional judgment, and may not accept compensation from both owner and contractor on the same project without full written disclosure and consent.

Record retention: contracts typically require retaining project records (calculations, correspondence, field reports) for 3–7 years after completion; statutes of repose commonly run 6–12 years.

Contingency fee prohibition: architects may not accept compensation contingent on the approval of a public authority having jurisdiction over the project.

Substantial completion vs. final completion: substantial completion triggers owner occupancy, warranty start, and release of retainage in part; final completion triggers the balance.

Advertising: statements must be truthful and not misleading; testimonials and comparative claims require factual substantiation.

Net-to-gross ratio: usable area divided by gross area; office buildings typically achieve 0.75–0.85, with core-to-rentable efficiency of 80–85% as a target.

Egress width formula: required width = occupant load / 0.2 inch per person for level components, 0.15 for stairs (IBC); never less than the minimum clear width.

Occupant load factor: area divided by the applicable occupancy load factor (e.g., 100 sq ft per person for business, 15 for assembly unconcentrated, 5 for concentrated).

Daylight rule of thumb: useful daylight reaches roughly 1.5–2× the window head height into a room; a 10-ft head height yields usable daylight to about 15–20 ft.

Universal design: 36-in minimum clear width for accessible routes, 60-in turning space, 5-ft max reach range (15–48 in for reach ranges in ADA 2010), 1:12 max ramp slope.

Zoning bulk controls: floor area ratio (FAR) = gross floor area / lot area; lot coverage = footprint / lot area; setbacks measured from property line to building face.

Space planning: 100–150 sq ft per person for open office; 80–100 sq ft for a standard private office; 25–30 sq ft per seat at a conference table.

Sightlines: in a sloped auditorium, the C-value (vertical distance between eye and the top of the head in front) is typically 3.5–4 in for good sightlines.

Thermal resistance: R = thickness / k; total assembly U = 1 / ΣR; include surface film resistances (about 0.17 interior, 0.68 exterior in ft²·°F·h/Btu).

Vapor control: vapor retarder goes on the warm side in heating climates; in mixed climates, use a Class II or III retarder and allow drying to at least one side.

Concrete mix: 28-day compressive strength drives design; typical structural concrete is 3,000–5,000 psi; water-cement ratio of 0.40–0.50 for durable exterior exposure.

Curing: moist cure for at least 7 days (Type I cement) or 3 days for high-early-strength; cold weather requires protection below 40°F.

Masonry: modular brick is 3⅝ × 2¼ × 7⅝ in; 3 bricks plus 3 mortar joints = 8 in module; a running bond with ⅜-in joints gives nominal 8 × 2⅔ × 8 in coursing.

Roofing slope thresholds: low-slope roofs are ¼:12 to 3:12; steep-slope above 4:12; asphalt shingles require at least 2:12 with double underlayment or 4:12 for standard installation.

Fire-resistance ratings: a 1-hour assembly is typically a ⅝-in Type X gypsum board on each side of a steel stud; 2-hour requires two layers per side.

Air barrier continuity: the air barrier must be continuous across the enclosure and sealed at penetrations; target whole-building air leakage of 0.25–0.40 cfm/ft² at 75 Pa for high-performance envelopes.

Beam bending: maximum moment for a simply supported uniform load is wL²/8; for a point load at midspan, PL/4; deflection limit commonly L/360 for live load under brittle finishes.

Shear: maximum shear for a simply supported uniform load is wL/2; for a point load at midspan, P/2.

Column buckling: Euler critical load Pcr = π²EI / (KL)²; effective length factor K = 1.0 pinned-pinned, 0.5 fixed-fixed, 0.7 fixed-pinned, 2.0 fixed-free.

Load combinations (ASCE 7): 1.4D; 1.2D + 1.6L + 0.5(Lr or S or R); 1.2D + 1.0W + 1.0L + 0.5(Lr or S or R); 0.9D + 1.0W.

Live loads: office 50 psf, residential 40 psf, corridors 100 psf, assembly 100 psf, storage 125 psf or greater, roof snow per ground snow load with exposure and thermal factors.

Concrete reinforcement: minimum beam reinforcement ratio As,min = 3√f'c / fy × bw × d, not less than 200/fy × bw × d; tension-controlled strain is εt ≥ 0.005.

Steel: A992 steel Fy = 50 ksi; A36 Fy = 36 ksi; LRFD resistance factor φ = 0.9 for bending, 0.75 for compression and shear.

Seismic base shear: V = Cs × W, where Cs is the seismic response coefficient and W is the effective seismic weight; base shear is distributed by the vertical distribution factor Cvx.

Cooling load: 1 ton of cooling = 12,000 Btu/h; rule of thumb for office is about 350–450 sq ft per ton, but always verify with a load calculation.

Sensible heat ratio (SHR) = sensible heat / total heat; typical office SHR is 0.80–0.90; low SHR requires reheat or dedicated outdoor air.

Duct sizing: equal friction method typically uses 0.08–0.15 in w.g. per 100 ft; velocity in main supply ducts 1,000–1,500 fpm for low-velocity systems.

Electrical: watts = volts × amps × power factor; single-phase 120 V circuit at 20 A carries 1,920 VA continuous at 80% derating (16 A).

Voltage drop: VD = 2 × L × I × R / 1000 for single-phase copper; keep branch circuit drop under 3% and total under 5%.

Plumbing: fixture units per fixture (water closet 2.5–4, lavatory 1–2, shower 2); drain pipe slope ¼ in per ft for 3-in and smaller, ⅛ in per ft for 4-in and larger.

Water supply pressure: 20 psi minimum at the fixture; 80 psi maximum at any fixture; a pressure-reducing valve is required above 80 psi.

Fire protection: light hazard sprinkler coverage is 225 sq ft per head max with 15 ft spacing; ordinary hazard group 1 is 130 sq ft per head.

CSI MasterFormat organizes specifications into 50 divisions; Division 01 covers General Requirements (submittals, substitutions, quality control, closeout).

Specification types: closed (proprietary, no substitutions), open (performance-based, any compliant product), and base-bid with alternates.

Concrete admixtures: air-entraining (5–8% air for freeze-thaw), water reducers, retarders, accelerators, and superplasticizers; verify compatibility with cement type.

Steel finishes: hot-dip galvanizing gives 0.5–2.0 mil zinc coating; AAMA 2605 fluoropolymer coatings are the highest-performance architectural finish for aluminum.

Wood: moisture content should be within 2–4% of in-service conditions; pressure-treated lumber requires stainless or hot-dip galvanized fasteners.

Glass: tempered glass is about 4× stronger than annealed; laminated glass holds fragments; low-E coatings reduce U-value and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC).

Substitution requests must be submitted within the time stated in the specifications (commonly 10 days after contract award) and must demonstrate equal-or-better quality.

Mockups: a physical mockup approved by the architect establishes the quality standard and supersedes verbal descriptions in disputes.

Standard AIA contracts: A101 owner-contractor, B101 owner-architect, A201 general conditions, AIA G702/G703 for payment applications.

Change order vs. construction change directive: a change order is signed by all parties; a CCD is issued by the owner and directs work before price agreement.

Pay application cycle: contractor submits by the 25th, architect certifies within 7 days, owner pays within 7–14 days; retainage is typically 5–10%.

Substantial completion: architect issues a certificate; the owner takes possession; the contractor retains responsibility for punch list items and warranty work.

Time extensions: only granted for delays not caused by the contractor; weather delays are compensable only if the contract says so.

Critical path method: the critical path is the longest path through the network; float = late start minus early start; zero float is critical.

Claims: notice must be given within the contractually stated period (commonly 10–21 days); failure to give notice typically waives the claim.

Retainage release: half is released at substantial completion, the remainder at final completion after the warranty period and lien waivers.

IBC occupancy groups: A assembly, B business, E educational, F factory, H high-hazard, I institutional, M mercantile, R residential, S storage, U utility.

Construction types: Type I and II are noncombustible (IA/IB/IIA/IIB); Type III is exterior noncombustible with combustible interior; Type IV heavy timber; Type V combustible.

Egress: two exits required when occupant load exceeds 49 in most occupancies; travel distance limits 200–300 ft depending on occupancy and sprinklers.

Fire separation: required separation between occupancies is typically 1–2 hours; a 2-hour wall is often required between a parking garage and an occupied space.

ADA: 2010 Standards require 1:12 max ramp slope, 5-ft landings, 36-in clear width, 60-in turning space, and 15–48 in reach range.

Zoning: use, bulk, and parking are the three core control categories; nonconforming uses may continue but cannot expand without a variance.

Permits: a building permit is required before construction; a certificate of occupancy is issued after final inspection and is required before occupancy.

Energy code: IECC/ASHRAE 90.1 sets envelope, lighting power density, and HVAC efficiency minimums; COMcheck or equivalent compliance documentation is required.

LEED v4.1 categories: Integrative Process, Location and Transportation, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation, Regional Priority.

Energy: whole-building energy simulation must show a minimum 5% improvement over the baseline for LEED Energy and Atmosphere credit; ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G defines the baseline.

Water: 20% reduction in indoor water use is the LEED prerequisite; 30–50% is achievable with low-flow fixtures and rainwater harvesting.

Embodied carbon: life-cycle assessment (LCA) per ISO 14040/14044; whole-building LCA credits reward 10% reduction in global warming potential.

Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC): lower values reduce cooling loads; in hot climates, specify SHGC ≤ 0.25 on east and west glazing.

Green roof: extensive systems are 2–6 in deep with 10–35 psf saturated load; intensive systems are 6–12+ in with 60–150 psf.

Renewable energy: photovoltaic system sizing rule of thumb is 100–150 sq ft per kW; a 10 kW array produces about 12,000–15,000 kWh per year in a sunny climate.

Indoor air quality: flush-out or air testing per LEED EQ prerequisite; target formaldehyde and VOC limits per CDPH Standard Method v1.2.