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Mini Quiz: HVAC System Selection

The seconds are ticking down for my first attempt at PDD. I’m currently going through HVAC systems with my ARE Study Group (hi guys!) and I said I would come up with some questions on HVAC selection for different building types. I used the Architect’s Studio Companion to put these questions together.

Question 01

Brad Pitt is currently searching for a small two bedroom bungalow in a climate where the main heat loss is through the building skin in the winter. He is a big advocate for going green and wants a system that is sustainable. What system should he select to heat the building?

Question 02

The Tavares Continental Hotel Suites wants a new HVAC unit to service their kitchen and laundry spaces in an existing hotel that they are renovating. This system should provide heating and cooling, and plenty of fresh air. They want an enclosed system that can utilize the overheated areas to heat the underheated areas of the hotel. Cost is not a primary concern. Which system should the hotelier go for?

Question 03

Torrential Inc. is looking to expand their research campus with a new laboratory. They are looking for an HVAC system which provides heating and cooling, with good humidity control and efficiency. They would prefer a quiet system that won’t interfere with their research work, with a reduced risk of mold which could contaminate their samples, and can provide them with lower ceiling to floor heights. To save on energy costs this system will be tied into a geothermal exchange. What system should they choose?

Question 04

You have been engaged by a developer, the Yu Chen & Associates Construction Group, to provide a design for a hotel. The system needs to have low intial costs, with no central equipment, piping or ductwork. Due to the nature of the building operations, they would prefer to have lower operating costs as well. Which HVAC system should the architect select?

Question 05

The American University Washington would like to create a new 6 story Economics Building dedicated to one of their alumni, Ms. Manisha Singh, the current Assistant Secretary, Economic & Business Affairs in the U.S. Department of State. American University has stressed the need for a quite system, so as not to interfere with the lectures. The university has requested that system provide a low first cost with low maintenance requirements to provide room in their budget for higher quality finishes. What HVAC system would you recommend?

Correct Answers

For all answers, reference the Architect’s Studio Companion sections on HVAC selection. This is one of my favorite books on this topic, as it deals with system selection in a very straightforward way.

  1. Passive Solar Heating, refer to page 228
  2. Closed Loop Heat Pump System, refer to page 181
  3. Active Chilled Beam System, refer to page 178
  4. Packaged Terminal Unit Systems, refer to page 184
  5. Variable Air Ventilation System, page 174

Let me know how you did on this question, or share your alternative answers in the ARE Studio Facebook Group, and make sure to follow RMSM Studios on Facebook and Instagram!

Practice Question: Quality Management

As I continue to study for ARE 5.0 Project Management, one of the areas I struggle with the most is Quality Management, but not for the reason you might think. For me, a lot of the concepts seem so obvious that it’s difficult for me to retain. So I’ll be reading it, agreeing with everything it says, but not retaining any specifics. So I’ve been trying to work on that in ways that will stay in my memory. Videos like the one below, and other tools are great visual aids to help me retain those details.

Practice Problem: Quality Management

Which of these items are not elements of a Quality Management (QM) in Construction Procurement?

  • Effective In-House Procurement Protocol
  • Beneficial Support Resources
  • Constant Monitoring and Documentation
  • Document Access and Control

Correct Answer

Document Access and Control is an Element of Quality Management in Construction Administration.

Wrong Answers

All of these items are Elements of Quality Management in Construction Procurement:

  • Effective In-House Procurement Protocol
  • Beneficial Support Resources
  • Constant Monitoring and Documentation

For reference for this question, check out AHPP Chapter 12.4.

Let me know how you did on this question, and make sure to follow RMSM Studios on Facebook and Instagram!

Practice Question: Utilization Rates

ARE 5.0 Project Management (PjM) Practice Question on firm utilization rates.

Utilization Rates are an important part of how firms track the hours spent on direct versus indirect labor, and are considered one of the 7 Key Financial Performance Indicators for architecture firms. I created this practice problem using the concept and real ways that it might change over time. Hyperfine is a great resource for practice questions and examples on both practice and project management concepts, as part of their Financial Formulas Workbook and their ARE 5.0 Courses.

Here’s a video of them going through a set of utilization rate questions.

Practice Question: Utilization Rates

The image below shows the salaries and utilization rates for the previous year for SKY Architects.

The salaries and utilization rates for this year are expected to be exactly the same, with the following changes:

  • Baboucar will be on paid paternity leave for 3 months
  • Yandeh will only be working part-time to pursue her graduate degree in historic presentation. Her utilization rate will be cut in half.

With these changes in mind, calculate the following:

  1. Estimated annual direct labor budget
  2. Yandeh R.’s estimated annual direct labor hours

Correct Answers

Question 01

In order to calculate the estimated annual budget we first need to calculate the direct labor budget for each member of staff:

  • Samuel: $170,000 * 0.5 = $85,000
  • Jeoffrey: $60,000 * 0 = $0
  • Yandeh: $90,500 salary, utilization rate = 0.8 * 0.5 = 0.4, so Yandeh’s direct salary this year will be $90,500 * 0.4 = $36,200
  • Fatou:$90,500 * 0.9 = $81,450
  • Baboucar: $70,000 salary, but he will only be working for 9 months out of 12, so we calculate 9/12 of his salary or 75%. So $70,000 * 0.75 = $52,500. With a consistent utilization rate of 0.9, his direct salary is $52,500 * 0.9 = $47,250

If we add up all of these direct salaries, we get $249,900.

Question 02

In order to calculate Yandeh’s estimated direct labor hours, we first need to determine hours per year. The number of hours in a year is 2080. Her current utilization rate is 80% but with her new graduate program, her utilization rate is reduced to 40% for this year.

So we would calculate 2080 hours * 0.4 = 832 direct labor hours this year.

Let me know how you did on this question, and make sure to follow RMSM Studios on Facebook and Instagram! Feel free to look through my blog for additional PjM Practice Questions and Mini Quizzes. You can search by tags, or by categories. If you have any questions, or you want to tell me how you did, leave a comment on the blog or on my Facebook page.

Practice Question: ADA

ARE 5.0 Practice question from RMSM Studio on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, which is celebrating its 30 year anniversary!

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Try your hand at this practice problem I created today based on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which had its 30th anniversary this week! Though this is something we study as a mandatory code to be enforced in architecture and the ARE specifically, it’s still important to remember the impact this legislation has on the lives of people everyday. You can also check out these great videos from Archicorner as a study reference for ADA design. Here’s a great video from them on the differences between ADA and Building Code Accessibility.

Here’s an additional great article from ArchDaily, which provides a simple guide to using ADA standards.

Practice Problem: ADA

The ADA prevents discrimination based on which of the following:

  • Discrimination based on gender, for employers with 15+ employees
  • Discrimination based on disability, regardless of employer size
  • Discrimination based on age, for employers with 20+ employees
  • Discrimination based on disbility, for employers with 15+ employees

ARE 5.0 Practice question from RMSM Studio on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, which is celebrating its 30 year anniversary!

Correct Answer

Discrimination based on disability, for employers with 15+ employees.

Wrong Answers

The Civil Right Act, Title VII prevents discrimination based on gender, race color, religion, national origin and sexual orientation for employers with 15+ employees.

ADA prevents discrimination based on disability specifically for employers with 15+ employees.

ADEA (Age Discrimination in Employment Act) prevents discrimination based on age.

Let me know how you did on this question, and make sure to follow RMSM Studios on Facebook and Instagram! For more practice questions you can check out my mini quizzes, or some of the awesome practice exams created by Designer Hacks (which I just used today, got a 77% lol) and the Walking the ARE Practice Exams. As always, happy studying!

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