Key details for this exam, checked against the published exam outline
Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation of why it is right
Which plumbing criteria will offer a flexible design for a 15-story office building?
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Locating restrooms in a central core is a common strategy in high-rise office buildings to centralize plumbing stacks, reduce pipe runs, and improve flexibility for tenant fit-outs. This allows easier plumbing access and efficient vertical stacking of plumbing fixtures.
Stacking restrooms outside the core (A) increases plumbing complexity and reduces space efficiency.
Separating plumbing and mechanical chases (C) can complicate coordination.
A two-pipe hydronic system (D) relates to heating/cooling, not plumbing fixture layout.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Building Systems and Assemblies, Plumbing Systems
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- High-Rise Building Design
An architect has just received client approval of the Schematic Design documents for a three-story, outpatient medical clinic. The clinic is located within a mixed-use development governed by
a City-approved Planned Development (PD) document. The medical clinic design utilizes standardized departmental layouts and includes outpatient clinics, as well as treatment spaces,
administrative spaces and public/lobby spaces.
The site needs to accommodate four different vehicular traffic flows: patient traffic, staff traffic, service and delivery traffic, and emergency services traffic. In addition, a pedestrian plaza
must connect to the mixed-use development sidewalks. The plaza must provide space for bicycle parking and will serve as the future bus stop.
The site design addresses several challenges related to building orientation. The southeast facade, with excellent visibility from the highway, is the location of all service equipment. The
building entrance faces northwest, convenient to the parking but not visible from the highway.
The client believes future patient volumes will outgrow the clinic. The PD document allows for a planned Phase 2 development on the adjacent vacant site to the southwest. Phase 2 would
include a second building (2 story, 80,000 BGSF) and/or a parking deck.
Other considerations for the project include:
Protected tree requirements are defined in the PD document.
Easy pedestrian access must be provided from Sycamore Boulevard.
All required parking for the clinic must be accommodated on site.
Programmed area includes 109,450 Departmental Gross Square Feet (DGSF) / 130,184 Building Gross Square Feet (BGSF).
Exterior material percentages are dictated by the PD document and shall not exceed specific percentages for Primary and Secondary Finishes.
All service equipment needs to be screened; see PD document for restrictions.
Signage opportunities are important to the client.
Acoustical privacy is a concern of the healthcare system.
The following resources are available for your reference:
Drawings, including a perspective, plans, and exterior elevations
Building Program, including client's departmental program and detailed program for Treatment 01 (Infusion)
Exterior Material Cost Comparisons
Planned Development Document
IBC Excerpts, showing relevant code sections
ADA Excerpts, showing relevant sections from the ADA Standards for Accessible Design
During the city planning review process, the city planner discovers that two of the building elevations deviate from the building design requirements set forth in the Planned Development Document. The owner is granted a variance for only one of the non-compliant facades. The facade must face the Pedestrian Access Easement.
The northwest elevation faces the Pedestrian Access Easement as per site and plan documents.
Variances for facade non-compliance are typically granted where they impact the pedestrian experience.
Therefore, the facade requiring the variance must face this easement to comply with PD and planning conditions.
The other elevations (A, C, D) do not face the pedestrian access and thus do not qualify.
Planned Development Document
City Planning Review Documentation
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Codes and Regulations, Planned Developments
The zoning approval process may involve obtaining which of the following? Check the four that apply.
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Zoning approval can involve:
Variance (A): Permission to deviate from zoning requirements.
Grading permit (C): Approves site grading related to zoning.
Conditional use (D): Allows use under specific conditions.
Special exception (E): Permits uses not normally allowed but granted under certain circumstances.
Building permits (B) are separate from zoning.
Undue hardship exemption (F) is legal but not typically a zoning approval term.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Codes and Regulations, Zoning
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Land Use Controls
Structural costs for wind resistance increase exponentially as building height is increased, primarily due to which of the following factors? Check the two that apply.
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
As building height increases, wind pressures acting on the building surfaces increase because wind speed generally increases with elevation due to reduced friction from ground features (A).
Additionally, taller buildings experience larger lateral displacements (drift), requiring more complex structural systems and stiffer frames to control excessive drift for occupant comfort and structural safety (E). This requirement significantly increases structural costs.
Dead load (B) and live load (D) increase with stories but do not increase exponentially or primarily affect wind resistance costs.
Snow and rain loads (C) mostly affect the roof, not height-related wind loads.
Choice of cladding materials (F) impacts cost but is not a primary reason for exponential wind resistance cost increases.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Environmental Conditions and Context, Structural Wind Design
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Wind Loads and Structural Costs
What is the primary benefit of underground detention with controlled discharge to a waterway?
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Underground detention systems store stormwater beneath the surface, reducing runoff rates by releasing water slowly to waterways. The primary benefit is that they minimize surface land use for detention basins, thereby maximizing the developable site area available for buildings and landscaping.
Groundwater purity protection (A) is managed by treatment practices but is not the primary benefit of detention.
Site improvement costs (C) may increase due to system complexity.
Creating wetlands (D) relates to retention basins, not underground detention.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Environmental Conditions and Context, Stormwater Management
The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition -- Site Planning and Drainage
________________________________________
An architect has just received client approval of the Schematic Design documents for a three-story, outpatient medical clinic. The clinic is located within a mixed-use development governed by
a City-approved Planned Development (PD) document. The medical clinic design utilizes standardized departmental layouts and includes outpatient clinics, as well as treatment spaces,
administrative spaces and public/lobby spaces.
The site needs to accommodate four different vehicular traffic flows: patient traffic, staff traffic, service and delivery traffic, and emergency services traffic. In addition, a pedestrian plaza
must connect to the mixed-use development sidewalks. The plaza must provide space for bicycle parking and will serve as the future bus stop.
The site design addresses several challenges related to building orientation. The southeast facade, with excellent visibility from the highway, is the location of all service equipment. The
building entrance faces northwest, convenient to the parking but not visible from the highway.
The client believes future patient volumes will outgrow the clinic. The PD document allows for a planned Phase 2 development on the adjacent vacant site to the southwest. Phase 2 would
include a second building (2 story, 80,000 BGSF) and/or a parking deck.
Other considerations for the project include:
Protected tree requirements are defined in the PD document.
Easy pedestrian access must be provided from Sycamore Boulevard.
All required parking for the clinic must be accommodated on site.
Programmed area includes 109,450 Departmental Gross Square Feet (DGSF) / 130,184 Building Gross Square Feet (BGSF).
Exterior material percentages are dictated by the PD document and shall not exceed specific percentages for Primary and Secondary Finishes.
All service equipment needs to be screened; see PD document for restrictions.
Signage opportunities are important to the client.
Acoustical privacy is a concern of the healthcare system.
The following resources are available for your reference:
Drawings, including a perspective, plans, and exterior elevations
Building Program, including client's departmental program and detailed program for Treatment 01 (Infusion)
Exterior Material Cost Comparisons
Planned Development Document
IBC Excerpts, showing relevant code sections
ADA Excerpts, showing relevant sections from the ADA Standards for Accessible Design
After construction, the owner asks the architect to integrate sustainable features that would offset building operational costs and have minimal changes to the existing design and future development.
Which of the following sustainable features should the architect consider?
Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:
Roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels are the most appropriate sustainable feature to offset building operational costs with minimal design changes, especially in a mixed-use development with planned future expansion.
Building-mounted vertical sunshades (A) require design integration and may affect exterior finishes and daylighting.
Ground-mounted PV panels (C) require additional land and site preparation, which could conflict with future development plans and site constraints.
Roof-mounted PV panels maximize use of existing roof space, reduce energy costs, and are relatively easy to integrate with minimal impact on building massing or future phases.
ARE 5.0 PPD -- Environmental Conditions and Context, Renewable Energy
Planned Development Document
Exam domains verified against: Official NCARB Project-Planning-Design exam guide, last checked September 2026.
Use site information gathered in the programming and analysis phase to plan site and environmental aspects. Learn to determine building locations based on site analysis, apply sustainable design principles, and assess how neighborhood context shapes project design.
Apply zoning, environmental, and building codes to site and building design. Focus on integrating multiple regulatory requirements into cohesive project solutions while meeting all applicable compliance standards.
Determine mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, and special systems such as acoustics and fire suppression. Select materials and assemblies that satisfy programmatic, budgetary, and regulatory requirements for complete building functionality.
Sample question from this domain above: Q3
Pull together environmental conditions, codes, systems, and assemblies into a coherent design. Integrate building configuration, systems, program requirements, and contextual conditions into unified project solutions.
Consider project economics and financial impact. Evaluate design alternatives, perform cost analysis, and assess cost implications during the design process to balance quality and budget constraints.
Sample question from this domain above: Q1
Common questions about the exam itself
