Pass the NCARB Architect Registration Examination Project-Planning-Design Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Low-slope roofs (< 2:12) require roofing materials suitable for flat or nearly flat conditions:

Cold-tar built-up roofs (A) are difficult to install in freezing weather because the tar cannot be applied or cured properly in cold temperatures.

Self-sealing shingles (B) are generally used on steeper slopes and depend on heat to activate the sealing strips, making them unsuitable for low slopes and cold weather.

Ballasted EPDM (C) is a single-ply synthetic rubber membrane that can be installed in a variety of weather conditions, including below-freezing temperatures. The ballast (usually gravel) holds the membrane in place on low slopes and does not rely on adhesives or heat curing.

Therefore, ballasted EPDM is the most appropriate.

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.

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.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Although recycling building materials is environmentally beneficial, the relatively high labor costs for sorting, processing, and handling recycled materials often limit comprehensive recycling efforts. Raw materials can be cheaper, discouraging extensive recycling unless incentives or regulations exist.

Technical difficulties (A) and market availability (D) have been improved over time.

Specifying recycling (C) is a design phase task but is not the primary practical limitation.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

In mixed-use buildings in cold climates, placing mechanical equipment in a mid-level floor between different occupancy types (C) offers several benefits:

This location reduces the length and complexity of vertical distribution of heating and cooling systems to both apartments (above) and offices (below).

It avoids heat loss associated with exterior walls (as opposed to the top floor or parking level).

The equipment can be more centrally located, improving energy efficiency and system performance.

Locating equipment on the parking level (A) or store level (B) may require longer ductwork or piping runs and pose maintenance challenges.

The top floor (D) exposes mechanical equipment to outdoor weather, which is not ideal in cold climates.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

For shading design on west facades:

Height of the wall (A): Determines the scale and proportion of shading devices.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of glazing (C): Influences how much solar radiation passes through windows.

Spacing and depth of vertical louvers (D): Controls shading effectiveness against low-angle afternoon sun.

Low-E glazing (E) helps but is glazing performance, not shading design.

Annual temperature (B) is climatic but less directly relevant.

Adjacent building heights (F) influence shading from surroundings but are secondary.

The solar shade should be installed within the ceiling recess above the curtainwall, behind the horizontal soffit—specifically in the void space between the top of the curtainwall glazing and the structural ceiling soffit (the shaded area immediately above the curtainwall glass in the section).

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Heavy timber construction is characterized by:

Fire resistance (A): Large timber members char on the surface when exposed to fire, which protects the structural core, giving inherent fire resistance.

Susceptibility to differential shrinkage (C): Heavy timber elements can shrink unevenly, potentially causing joints or connections to loosen.

Relatively rapid on-site erection times (D): Pre-fabricated heavy timber elements are large and can be quickly erected compared to traditional framing.

Susceptibility to rot (E): Without proper detailing and protection, timber can decay due to moisture exposure.

Unsuitable for unusual layouts or irregular forms (B): Heavy timber tends to be more rigid and better suited for regular layouts.

Presence of sapwood (F): Sapwood is generally more susceptible to insect attack; durable heartwood is preferred to resist insects.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The apparent length of a corridor can be influenced by lighting and finish strategies that affect perception of depth and spatial volume.

Option D: Providing indirect cove lighting and painting the ceiling a light color helps increase the apparent length of the corridor. Indirect lighting washes light softly onto the ceiling and walls, creating a continuous visual flow along the corridor. When combined with a light-colored ceiling, this reduces shadows and visual breaks, making the corridor feel longer and more expansive.

Option A and C: Dark-colored ceilings absorb light and visually compress spaces, making corridors feel shorter and more confined. Direct lighting pendants create localized illumination that can produce shadows and disrupt visual continuity, which diminishes perceived length.

Option B: While a light, highly reflective floor finish can brighten the corridor, direct lighting pendants and lack of emphasis on ceiling treatment limit the extension of perceived length. Reflective floors can increase brightness but don't significantly elongate space without complementary ceiling and wall treatments.

NCARB’s ARE Project Planning & Design guidelines highlight that light color, fixture type, and ceiling finish greatly affect spatial perception. Light, evenly distributed illumination combined with light ceiling colors enhances the feeling of spaciousness and length in enclosed spaces like corridors.