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🇺🇸 Architect Registration Examination (ARE) · flashcards
Architect Registration Examination (ARE) Project Development and Documentation Flashcards
59 question-and-answer cards covering Project Development and Documentation as it is examined in Architect Registration Examination (ARE). 24 of them are printed below, taken from across the deck — no signup, no paywall on the preview.
24 sample cards from the Project Development and Documentation deck
Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.
What is the difference between MasterFormat and UniFormat?
MasterFormat organizes by work results/products (used for construction specs); UniFormat organizes by building systems/elements (e.g., foundations, shell, interiors) and is used for preliminary/elemental specs and cost estimating.
What is the standard three-part SectionFormat structure of a specification section?
Part 1 – General (administrative: scope, submittals, quality, references), Part 2 – Products (materials, equipment, fabrication), and Part 3 – Execution (installation, examination, field quality, cleaning).
Name the four primary types (methods) of specifying.
Descriptive, performance, proprietary, and reference standard specifications.
What is a 'descriptive specification'?
A spec that explicitly describes the properties of materials and methods of installation without naming a manufacturer — the architect specifies exactly what is required and assumes responsibility for performance.
What is a 'performance specification'?
A spec that states the required result and verifiable performance criteria (e.g., U-value, load, deflection) while leaving the means and methods to the contractor/manufacturer to achieve and prove.
What is a 'proprietary specification' and its main risk/benefit?
A spec that names specific manufacturers/products. Benefit: precise control of quality/aesthetics; risk: limits competition and may run afoul of public bidding rules (often mitigated by 'or equal' or listing multiple acceptable products).
What is a 'reference standard specification'?
A spec that requires compliance with an established industry standard (e.g., ASTM, ANSI, UL, ACI). It is concise but requires the architect to know the standard's actual content/requirements.
What is the difference between an 'open' and a 'closed' (or restrictive) proprietary specification?
An open proprietary spec names products but allows substitutions/'or equal,' preserving competition; a closed proprietary spec names a single required product with no substitutions permitted.
When drawings and specifications conflict, which generally governs (per typical AIA documents)?
Neither automatically governs by hierarchy in AIA A201; the documents are complementary and what is required by one is binding as if required by all. The contractor must request clarification (an RFI) from the architect, who resolves the conflict.
What is the basic rule for dividing information between drawings and specifications?
Drawings show quantity, location, size, and configuration (graphic/dimensional); specifications define quality — the type, standards, and acceptable materials/workmanship (written). Avoid duplicating the same info in both.
What is an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?
A standardized, third-party-verified document (per ISO 14025/EN 15804) reporting a product's environmental impacts across its life cycle, based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) — a key material disclosure tool.
What is a Health Product Declaration (HPD)?
A standardized disclosure of a product's material contents and associated health hazards, supporting transparency and material ingredient credits in rating systems like LEED.
What is a 'Declare label' in material disclosure?
A 'nutrition label' for building products (from the International Living Future Institute) that lists ingredients, sourcing location, life expectancy, end-of-life options, and Red List compliance.
What is 'detailed code application' in the documentation phase?
Translating applicable building code requirements (occupancy, construction type, fire ratings, egress, etc.) into specific drawn and specified conditions — e.g., showing rated assemblies, listed assembly numbers, and required ratings on plans.
How is a fire-rated assembly typically documented on construction drawings?
By indicating the required hourly rating, referencing a tested/listed assembly (e.g., a UL design number or GA file number), and detailing the construction so the installed assembly matches the tested listing.
Under the 2010/2017 ADA Standards, what is the maximum running slope and maximum cross slope of an accessible ramp?
Maximum running slope 1:12 (8.33%) and maximum cross slope 1:48 (about 2%).
What is the ADA maximum height for a single ramp run and the required landing condition?
A ramp run may rise a maximum of 30 inches before requiring a level landing (minimum 60 inches long) at the top and bottom and at direction changes.
What is the minimum clear width and turning space for accessible (wheelchair) maneuvering per ADA?
Minimum 36 inches clear width for an accessible route, with a turning space of either a 60-inch-diameter circle or a T-shaped space within a 60-inch square.
How are accessibility requirements typically documented in the construction set?
Through enlarged accessible toilet room/clearance plans, mounting-height diagrams, accessible route and parking plans, and details/notes citing ADA/ANSI A117.1 dimensions and clearances.
What document/process demonstrates structural and MEP code compliance to authorities?
Stamped engineering drawings and calculations (structural calcs, energy/mechanical compliance forms such as COMcheck/Title 24, plumbing fixture counts, electrical load calcs) coordinated with and referenced in the permit submission set.
What is an 'Authority Having Jurisdiction' (AHJ)?
The organization, office, or individual responsible for enforcing the requirements of a code or standard, or for approving equipment, materials, installation, or procedures (e.g., the local building official, fire marshal).
What is the typical permitting/AHJ review process for construction documents?
Completed CDs are submitted to the AHJ for plan review against applicable codes; the AHJ issues comments/corrections, the architect responds/revises, and upon approval a building permit is issued allowing construction to begin.
What is the difference between a 'building permit' plan-review submission and a full bid/CD set?
The permit set must demonstrate code compliance to the AHJ (life-safety, structural, MEP, accessibility) and may be a subset; the bid/CD set is the complete package needed to fully price and build the project. They are often the same set but serve different review audiences.
What is a 'general note' versus a 'specific (local) note' on drawings?
General notes apply broadly to an entire sheet or set (blanket requirements); specific/local notes (often keynotes) apply only to the particular element they point to. Conflicts are resolved in favor of the more specific note.
What this deck covers
The Project Development and Documentation deck follows the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) Project Development and Documentation syllabus — 4 chapters and 16 topics — so questions land on material that is genuinely examinable rather than trivia around it. That works out to roughly 14.8 cards per chapter.
Answers are written to be recallable, not just readable — averaging about 200 characters, which is long enough to carry the reasoning and short enough to say out loud.
A deck like this earns its keep on the second and third pass. Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then use the cards to find the specific facts that have not stuck.
Project Development and Documentation flashcards FAQ
How many Project Development and Documentation flashcards are in this Architect Registration Examination (ARE) deck?
59 cards. This page previews 24 of them, sampled evenly across the deck so you can judge the difficulty before installing anything.
Are these Architect Registration Examination (ARE) flashcards free?
Yes. The preview here is free to read with no signup, and the full 59-card deck is free inside the Examius app.
What do the Project Development and Documentation cards cover?
They follow the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) Project Development and Documentation syllabus — 4 chapters and 16 topics — so the questions track what is actually examinable.
How should I use these flashcards?
Read the syllabus first so you know the shape of the subject, then drill the deck. Examius schedules each card with spaced repetition, so cards you keep missing come back sooner and ones you know drift further apart.