Architectural Energy Assessments
Walk through assessments & recommendations for saving of up to
1,000,000.00 or more  per year (Theme Parks, School Campus, Large Corporations)

(Professor Boardway assisted in organizing the California Energy Commission in 1978)

5.0 Version

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http://blog.ncarb.org/2016/May/~/media/Files/PDF/Special-Paper/2013PA_Examination_Report.ashx

ARE 5.0 EXAM SECTIONS

& DESCRIPTIONS

Division 1: Practice Management

Division Description:
This division will assess objectives related to the management of architectural practice including
professional ethics, fiduciary responsibilities, and the regulations governing the practice of
architecture. The division will focus on issues related to pre-contract tasks including negotiation,
human resource management and consultant development. Candidates must demonstrate an
understanding of, and abilities in, business structure, business development, as well as asset
development and protection.

This division will test a candidate’s ability to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare by:
• Applying competent delivery of professional architectural services
• Applying the laws and regulations of architectural practice
• Evaluating legal, ethical, and contractual standards in the performance of architectural tasks

Division Specification:

Section 1. Business Operations (20-26%)

Objective 1.1. Assess resources within the practice (A/E)

Objective 1.2. Apply the regulations and requirements governing the work environment (U/A)

Objective 1.3. Apply ethical standards to comply with accepted principles within a given
situation (U/A)

Objective 1.4. Apply appropriate Standard of Care within a given situation (U/A)

Section 2. Finances, Risk, & Development of Practice (29-35%)

Objective 2.1. Evaluate the financial well-being of the practice (A/E)

Objective 2.2. Identify practice policies and methodologies for risk, legal exposures, and
resolutions (U/A)

Objective 2.3. Select and apply practice strategies for a given business situation and policy
(U/A)

Section 3. Practice-Wide Delivery of Services (22-28%)

Objective 3.1. Analyze and determine responsibility for client services requests (A/E)

Objective 3.2. Analyze the applicability of contract types and delivery methods (A/E)

Objective 3.3. Determine the potential risk and/or reward of a project and its impact on the
practice (A/E)

Section 4. Practice Methodologies (17-23%)

Objective 4.1. Analyze the impact of practice methodologies relative to structure and
organization of the practice (A/E)

Objective 4.2. Evaluate design, coordination, and documentation methodologies for the
practice (A/E)

Division 2: Project Management

Division Description:
This division will assess objectives related to the management of architectural projects including
organizing principles, contract management, and consultant management. The division will focus on
issues related to office standards, development of project teams, and overall project control of clients,
fee and risk management. Candidates must demonstrate an understanding of and abilities in, quality
control, project team configuration, and project scheduling. In addition, candidates must demonstrate
the ability to establish and deliver project services per contractual requirements in collaboration with
consultants.

This division will test a candidate’s ability to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare by:
• Administering contract requirements and competent delivery of project services
• Organizing a team to design and produce contract documents
• Coordinating project team activities and project budget
• Communicating information to all constituents throughout the project delivery process
• Developing a project schedule that defines tasks and meets milestones

Division Specification:

Section 1. Resource Management (7-13%)

Objective 1.1. Determine the criteria required to assemble the team (U/A)

Objective 1.2. Assess criteria required to allocate and manage project resources (A/E)

Section 2. Project Work Planning (17-23%)

Objective 2.1. Develop and maintain project work plan (U/A)

Objective 2.2. Determine criteria required to develop and maintain project schedule (A/E)

Objective 2.3. Determine appropriate communication to the project team – owner, contractor,
consultants, and internal staff (U/A)

Section 3. Contracts (25-31%)

Objective 3.1. Evaluate and verify adherence to owner/architect agreement (A/E)

Objective 3.2. Interpret key elements of, and verify adherence to architect/consultant
agreement (U/A)

Objective 3.3. Interpret key elements of the owner/contractor agreement (U/A)

Objective 3.4. Interpret key elements of the owner/consultant agreement to integrate the
consultant’s work into the project (U/A)

Section 4. Project Execution (17-23%)

Objective 4.1. Evaluate compliance with the construction budget (A/E)

Objective 4.2. Evaluate and address changes in the scope of work and scope creep (A/E)

Objective 4.3. Evaluate project documentation to ensure it supports the specified delivery
method (A/E)

Objective 4.4. Identify and conform with the requirements set forth by authorities having
jurisdiction in order to obtain approvals for the project (U/A)

Section 5. Project Quality Control (19-25%)

Objective 5.1. Apply procedures required for adherence to laws and regulations relating to the
project (U/A)

Objective 5.2. Identify steps in maintaining project quality control, and reducing risks and
liabilities (A/E)

Objective 5.3. Perform quality control reviews of project documentation throughout the life of
project (A/E)

Objective 5.4. Evaluate management of the design process to maintain the integrity of the design
objectives (A/E)

Division 3: Programming & Analysis

Division Description:
This division will assess objectives related to the evaluation of project requirements, constraints and
opportunities related to the project. The division will focus on issues related to programming, site
analysis, and zoning & code requirements. Candidates must demonstrate an understanding of and
abilities in, project type analysis, the establishment of qualitative and quantitative project
requirements, evaluation of project site and context, and assessment of economic issues.

This division will test a candidate’s ability to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare by:
• Evaluating qualitative and quantitative project requirements
• Analyzing environmental, social, and economic requirements of a project
• Synthesizing project requirements based on gathered information

Division Specification:

Section 1. Environmental & Contextual Conditions (14-21%)

Objective 1.1. Evaluate site-specific environmental and socio-cultural opportunities (A/E)

Objective 1.2. Evaluate site-specific environmental constraints (A/E)

Objective 1.3. Determine optimal use of onsite resources by incorporating sustainability
principles (U/A)

Section 2. Codes & Regulations (16-22%)

Objective 2.1. Identify relevant code requirements for building and site types (U/A)

Objective 2.2. Identify relevant zoning and land use requirements (U/A)

Objective 2.3. Identify relevant local and site-specific requirements (U/A)
Section 3. Site Analysis & Programming (21-27%)

Objective 3.1. Evaluate relevant qualitative and quantitative attributes of a site as they relate
to a program (A/E)

Objective 3.2. Synthesize site reports with other documentation and analysis (A/E)

Objective 3.3. Analyze graphical representations regarding site analysis and site programming
(A/E)

Section 4. Building Analysis & Programming (37-43%)

Objective 4.1. Evaluate relevant qualitative and quantitative attributes of a new or existing
building as they relate to the program (A/E)

Objective 4.2. Evaluate documentation, reports, assessments, and analyses to inform the
building program (A/E)

Objective 4.3. Identify and prioritize components of the building program (A/E)

Objective 4.4. Assess spatial and functional relationships for the building program (A/E)

Objective 4.5. Recommend a preliminary project budget and schedule (U/A)

Objective 4.6. Identify alternatives for building and structural systems for given programmatic
requirements, preliminary budget, and schedule (U/A)

Objective 4.7. Analyze graphical representations regarding building analysis and building
programming (A/E)

Division 4: Project Planning & Design

Division Description:
This division will assess objectives related to the preliminary design of sites and buildings. The division
will focus on issues related to the generation or evaluation of design alternatives that synthesize
environmental, cultural, behavioral, technical, and economic issues. Candidates must demonstrate an
understanding of and abilities in, design concepts, sustainability/environmental design, universal
design, and other forms of governing codes and regulations.

This division will test a candidate’s ability to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare by:
• Evaluating project design alternatives
• Determining if a design meets project parameters including those defined by the client, the
environment, and society
• Selecting the appropriate building systems and materials to meet project goals and regulatory
requirements
• Integrating technical knowledge and information to develop a design

Division Specification:

Section 1. Environmental Conditions & Context (10-16%)

Objective 1.1. Determine the location of building and site improvements based on-site analysis
(A/E)

Objective 1.2. Determine sustainable principles to apply to design (A/E)

Objective 1.3. Determine the impact of neighborhood context on the project design (U/A)

Section 2. Codes & Regulations (16-22%)

Objective 2.1. Apply zoning and environmental regulations to site and building design (U/A)

Objective 2.2. Apply building codes to building design (U/A)

Objective 2.3. Integrate multiple codes to a project design (A/E)

Section 3. Building Systems, Materials, & Assemblies (19-25%)

Objective 3.1 Determine mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems (A/E)

Objective 3.2. Determine structural systems (A/E)

Objective 3.3 Determine special systems such as acoustics, communications, lighting, security,
conveying, and fire suppression (A/E)

Objective 3.4 Determine materials and assemblies to meet programmatic, budgetary, and
regulatory requirements (A/E)

Section 4. Project Integration of Program & Systems (32-38%)

Objective 4.1. Determine building configuration (A/E)

Objective 4.2. Integrate building systems in the project design (A/E)

Objective 4.3. Integrate program requirements into a project design (A/E)

Objective 4.4. Integrate environmental and contextual conditions in the project design (A/E)

Section 5. Project Costs & Budgeting (8-14%)

Objective 5.1. Evaluate design alternatives based on the program (A/E)

Objective 5.2 Perform cost evaluation (A/E)

Objective 5.3. Evaluate cost considerations during the design process (A/E)

Division 5: Project Development & Documentation

Division Description:
This division will assess objectives related to the integration and documentation of building systems,
material selection, and material assemblies into a project. The division will focus on issues related to
the development of design concepts, the evaluation of materials and technologies, the selection of
appropriate construction techniques, and appropriate construction documentation. Candidates must
demonstrate an understanding of and abilities in, the integration of civil, structural, mechanical, electrical,
plumbing, and specialty systems into overall project design and documentation.

This division will test a candidate’s ability to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare by:
• Evaluating project documentation for the constructability of a building and site
• Integrating technical knowledge and information to refine a design
• Integrating materials and building systems to meet the project design requirements
• Translating design decisions into appropriate construction documentation

Division Specification:

Section 1. Integration of Building Materials & Systems (31-37%)

Objective 1.1. Analyze the integration of architectural systems and technologies to meet
project goals (A/E)

Objective 1.2. Determine the size of mechanical, electrical, plumbing systems and components
to meet project goals (U/A)

Objective 1.3. Determine the size of structural systems to meet project goals (U/A)

Objective 1.4. Integrate specialty systems such as acoustics, lighting, fire suppression,
conveying, security, and communications to meet project goals (U/A)

Objective 1.5. Determine how to detail the integration of multiple building systems and
technologies (U/A)

Objective 1.6. Coordinate mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and specialty systems
and technologies (U/A)

Section 2. Construction Documentation (32-38%)

Objective 2.1. Determine appropriate documentation of building design (A/E)

Objective 2.2. Determine appropriate documentation of site features (A/E)

Objective 2.3. Determine appropriate documentation of detailed building drawings within
individual architectural systems (A/E)

Objective 2.4. Apply standards required to assemble a set of clear and coordinated
construction documentation (U/A)

Objective 2.5. Determine the impact of project changes on documentation requirements and
method to communicate those changes to the Owner and design team (U/A)

Section 3. Project Manual & Specifications (12 – 18%) 

Objective 3.1. Identify and prioritize components required to write, maintain, and refine
project manual (U/A)

Objective 3.2. Identify and prioritize components required to write, maintain and refine the project
specifications (U/A)

Objective 3.3. Coordinate specifications with construction documentation (U/A)

Section 4. Codes & Regulations (8-14%)

Objective 4.1. Determine adherence to building regulatory requirements (IBC) at the detail level
(U/A)

Objective 4.2. Determine adherence with specialty regulatory requirements at the detail level
(U/A)

Section 5. Construction Cost Estimates (2-8%)

Objective 5.1. Analyze construction cost estimates to confirm alignment with project design
(A/E)

Division 6: Construction & Evaluation

Division Description:
This division will assess objectives related to construction contract administration and post occupancy
evaluation of projects. The division will focus on issues related to bidding and negotiation processes,
support of the construction process, and evaluation of completed projects. Candidates must
demonstrate an understanding of and abilities in, construction contract execution, construction
support services (including construction observation and shop drawing or submittal review), payment
request processing, and project closeout. In addition, candidates must also demonstrate an
understanding and abilities in project evaluation of integrated building systems and their performance.

This division will test a candidate’s ability to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare by:
• Delivering professional services during project construction
• Translating construction documents and specifications to communicate and bring clarity to
design intent
• Coordinating construction activities to meet design intent
• Evaluating completed projects

Division Specification:

Section 1. Preconstruction Activities (17-23%)

Objective 1.1. Interpret the architect’s roles and responsibilities during preconstruction, based
on the delivery method (U/A)

Objective 1.2. Analyze criteria for selecting contractors (A/E)

Objective 1.3. Analyze aspects of the contract or design to adjust project costs (A/E)

Section 2. Construction Observation (32-38%)

Objective 2.1. Evaluate the architect’s role during construction activities (A/E)

Objective 2.2. Evaluate construction conformance with contract documents, codes,
regulations, and sustainability requirements (A/E)

Objective 2.3. Determine construction progress (U/A)

Section 3. Administrative Procedures & Protocols (32-38%)

Objective 3.1. Determine appropriate additional information to supplement contract
documents (U/A)

Objective 3.2. Evaluate submittals including shop drawings, samples, mock-ups, product data,
and test results (A/E)

Objective 3.3. Evaluate the contractor’s application for payment (A/E)

Objective 3.4. Evaluate responses to non-conformance with contract documents (A/E)

Section 4. Project Closeout & Evaluation (7-13%)

Objective 4.1. Apply procedural concepts to complete close-out activities (U/A)

Objective 4.2. Evaluate building design and performance (A/E)