WELCOME TO THE ARE 5.0 COURSE!
Thanks for signing up! Now get to work.
How do I get my files?
- Look for an email from hyperfine (check your spam folder!) It will say, “You Got ARE 5.0 – PA Study Assignment Course!”
- Click the “View Content” Button
Lost your receipt? Signed up with the wrong email address? Other problems? Just send me an email and I'll fix it.
What is Gumroad?
Gumroad is an online marketplace that allows small businesses to run an online store. It's like Etsy. My website is Hyperfine, I use Gumroad to process payments and give you access to your files. To get to your files you can either
-
-
- Click the “View Content” button in your email
- Create an account at Gumroad and view/download your files directly on that site or on their mobile apps. Here's a good article about adding files to your library.
-
REQUIRED BOOKS?
There are no additional books required to get value from this course. If you already have an old version of Space Planning Basics or Site Planning and Design Handbook you DO NOT need to buy the latest edition to study for the ARE 5.0 course exams.
The books listed below are the ones I used to research and write these assignments. They are the same books you hear people studying from over and over again. If you are looking for a few additional primary resources, these are the ones to get.
The links are Affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything after following my link, Amazon will give me 4.5%. It's really fun (for me) and it's the same exact book at the same exact price (for you). You do not need to buy any new books. If you want to, it would be cool if you clicked on my links first. Good luck with the ARE 5.0 Course exams!
Suggested readings from these books, plus additional readings from free online resources (with links) will be provided with every assignment
Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice
https://amzn.to/2LrK8DK
Space Planning Basics
https://amzn.to/2VOMEbL
Site Planning and Design Handbook
https://amzn.to/2ZgKCTE
HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design
https://amzn.to/2V7C7Lw
Kevin Griendling Pluralsight Videos
Prepare for the ARE Vol. 3: Programming and Analysis
PRACTICE EXAMS
My course will test you, but it's not a traditional practice exam. If you're looking to keep score I suggest Erik Walker's Practice Exams or Designer Hacks Practice Exams. They both have their pros and cons and they both offer bundles for those just starting on their ARE prep.
Erik Walker
Really really difficult full length ARE 5.0 PA Practice Exam. If you can do this you're in good shape for the real thing. Print it out and do it with actual pen and paper. He's also offering a bundle deal with his PCM Practice Exam.
Designer Hacks
These guys have been around for a while. These ARE 5.0 Course tests are easier than the real thing, but great for reinforcing concepts and perfect for getting in a quick 10-25 question quiz on your phone. They have a PA Practice Exam and of course they have an All-In Bundle as well.
STUDY COURSE ADDENDUM
The following section of this page is the course addendum. It allows me to update assignments, share additional links, provide notice of corrections and answer questions publicly about the assignments. Blank questions have not received significant feedback.
ASSIGNMENT 1
ASSIGNMENT 4
LINK
Here's an updated link for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources PDF: Basic Elements of Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments
ASSIGNMENT 5
ASSIGNMENT 6
ASSIGNMENT 7
ASSIGNMENT 8
CORRECTION
I changed the zoning chart to be easier to read. Now it is more obvious that the FAR is 10.0 and the height is 120. (6/4/2019)
ASSIGNMENT 9
QUESTION
Doesn't the Net Area also exclude interior wall thicknesses?
The code doesn't explicitly say not to include them. Read the definitions in Chapter 2 of the 2015 IBC, Floor Area, Gross and Floor Area, Net. In actual practice you could probably go either way, depending on whether it helps you or not. So for the first exercise, figuring net of the whole building, I did include them because the important thing here was to exclude the bathroom and corridor, the big items that definitely do not count. For the second one, figuring out the net of just the rear space, I did not include interior partitions because you are allowed to measure from the inside face of walls. I think on the ARE you will not pass/fail a question with this level of detail…I don't expect you'd be required to add up the thickness of all the interior walls and subtract them from your calculation.
When I calculate occupancy load I always round up, no matter if it's 305.36 or 58.55, I feel you have to prepare for the worst. Why did you round down?
RESPONSE:
Short answer, because I was wrong. The correct way to calculate occupant load, per the IBC, is to round UP.
From 2015 IBC Section 1004.1.2, “…the occupant load shall not be less than that number determined by dividing the floor area under consideration by the occupant load factor…in Table 1004.1.2…”
“Shall not be less than” is pretty clear instructions that you can’t round down. If you have a 500 ft2 room with an Occupant Load Factor (OLF) of 15 you end up with 33.33 occupants, and you shall not use a number less than that. So you have to round up to 34.
The mistake I made is that I assumed the OLF given is a minimum and that if you round UP you will not have provided the minimum floor space. 500 divided by 34 is 14.7, which is less than what’s shown in the table. So my assumption is that we had to round down to 33. 500/33 = 15.15 which is more than what’s in the table. That’s not the correct way of thinking about it though.
From the IBC commentary* the Occupant Load Factors establish MINIMUM occupancies in a space. This is because the purpose of the table is to help define minimum egress requirements. If you have a 500ft2 Waiting Area you can not claim that only 5 people will occupy it. The code requires you to support an occupancy of 500/15=34.
* You can subscribe to the IBC Commentary at codes.iccsafe.org for about $11/month. You only need Volume I for the ARE. I highly recommend doing this.
The Gross should include the shafts. The net used for occupant load, I believe, should exclude the bathrooms.There are different scenarios in the real life but in general a restroom does not increase the number of occupants of the space it serves.
ASSIGNMENT 10
QUESTION
When you calculate the allowable area for Group M, you are using (SM) in the table 506.2. I was wondering why you didn't use (S1) since this occupancy is only on one floor and since you are using (S13R) for Group-R2.
S-13R is a “lower” classification of sprinkler, for residential groups, it's not even an option for Group M. Even though the Group M occupancy is one floor, the building is still more than one floor. The charts, allowable areas, allowable heights are for the different use groups, but you have to consider the building as a whole. 1 story of M with 1 story of S and 1 story of R above doesn't give you three single-story, single-occupancy buildings, it gives you a three-story multiple occupancy building. So that M on the ground floor, even though it's only one story, is in a larger building that needs to be considered and protected.
ASSIGNMENT 11
QUESTION
I believe that Wall B should be 1 HR and not 0 HR (Table 602, 10 < X < 30, Type IA, Group S-1)
“10 < X < 30” means greater than 10 and less than 30, so 11 through 29. “X ≥ 30” means equal to or greater than 30, so 30 and above. You need to know what these symbols mean, they come up often in the code. Otherwise you did read the code correctly. If the distance had been 29 feet you would be correct with the 1 HR rating.
ASSIGNMENT 12
ASSIGNMENT 13
ASSIGNMENT 14
ASSIGNMENT 15
QUESTION
I strongly feel that the area you marked with an X is within the flood plain. Check out sample item-2 form the NCARB handbook page 58-59.
https://www.ncarb.org/sites/default/files/ARE5-Handbook.pdf
The assignment didn't mention any flood plain, and there were no indications/symbols/notes on the topo map that this is in a flood plain area. So yes, flood plains is something to look out for, but in this case I think you are overthinking it…on the exam just make a decision based on the info you're actually given. In this map the thick line doesn't necessarily indicate the boundaries of a flood plain, they are just showing the major topo lines.
ASSIGNMENT 16
ASSIGNMENT 18
ASSIGNMENT 19
LINK
The Cross County Shopping Center links don't work anymore, but there are plenty of other good examples of Civil drawings at the John Meyer Consulting site.
ASSIGNMENT 23
ASSIGNMENT 24
QUESTION
Why would the adjacency between staff and seminar be minor (x) when the line that connects them is not dashed?
I don't think there's a right or wrong (which I say about a lot of these assignments). I think the diagram is not the best and leaves room for interpretation. The ARE will be more obvious than this, so if you were able to look at the bubble diagram and locate the correct location on the adjacency diagram then you're good.
ASSIGNMENT 26
Previously referenced ARCHABILITY blog no longer exists.
ASSIGNMENT 27
QUESTION
Why did you multiply by 6?
The system is on for 6 months a year. Look at the formula I have written out on the top line. $20,000 + Years * Months per year.
How do you know the system is only on for 6 months?
Oops. Forgot to write that in the assignment. The PDF has been updated. The system should operate 6 months a year for 10 years. (6/17/2019)
ASSIGNMENT 28
ASSIGNMENT 29
ASSIGNMENT 30
ASSIGNMENT 31
LINK
ASSIGNMENT 32
ASSIGNMENT 33
ASSIGNMENT 34
LINKS
Both the CPWR links are no longer available. Here are some alternate references:
EPA: Lead-Based Paint Abatement and Evaluation Program
EPA: Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Building Materials