Project Planning & Design (PPD) focuses on the preliminary design of sites and buildings. You should be able to demonstrate an understanding of and abilities in design concepts, sustainability/environmental design, universal design, and other forms of governing codes and regulations.
The division will focus on issues related to the generation or evaluation of design alternatives that synthesize environmental, cultural, behavioral, technical, and economic issues.
Preparing for Project Planning & Design?
NCARB has created a full-length, scored practice exam specific to Project Planning & Design now available for free in your NCARB Record.
You can also find more details and suggested references in our ARE 5.0 Guidelines and test prep video series.
Project Planning & Design Details:
- Number of items: 100
- Test duration: 4 hr 5 min
- Allowed break time: 45 min
- Total appointment time: 5 hr
Preparing for Project Planning & Design? NCARB has created a full-length, scored practice exam specific to Project Planning & Design now available for free in the Practice Exam Dashboard in your NCARB Record if you have ARE eligibilities. You can also find more details and suggested references in our ARE 5.0 Guidelines and test prep video series.
PPD includes sections on the following content areas:
Environmental Conditions & Context (10-16%* of exam items): In this section, you’ll use the site information gathered in the programming and analysis phase of a project to plan the site and environmental aspects of a project. Objectives include:
- Determine location of building and site improvements based on site analysis
- Determine sustainable principles to apply to design
- Determine impact of neighborhood context on the project design
Read the ARE Guidelines
Understand all the policies you’ll need to follow in order to take the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®), as well as an overview of the exam’s six divisions and other exam candidate resources.
Codes & Regulations (16-22% of exam items): In this section, you’ll look at the codes and regulations relevant to the planning phase of a project. Objectives include:
- Apply zoning and environmental regulations to site and building design
- Apply building codes to building design
- Integrate multiple codes to a project design
Building Systems, Materials, & Assemblies (19-25% of exam items): In this section, you’ll focus on other disciplines with which an architect must be familiar, along with the various components that make up the building. Objectives include:
- Determine mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems
- Determine structural systems
- Determine special systems such as acoustics, communications, lighting, security, conveying, and fire suppression
- Determine materials and assemblies to meet programmatic, budgetary, and regulatory requirements
Project Integration of Program & Systems (32-38% of exam items): In this section, you’ll pull together all the decisions from the previous three sections regarding environmental conditions, code, systems, and assemblies. This is the largest section in the Project Planning & Design division. Objectives include:
- Determine building configuration
- Integrate building systems in the project design
- Integrate program requirements into a project design
- Integrate environmental and contextual conditions in the project design
Project Costs & Budgeting (8-14% of exam items): In this last section, you’ll consider the bottom line: how much does this project cost. Objectives include:
- Evaluate design alternatives based on the program
- Perform cost evaluation
- Evaluate cost considerations during the design process
Find more information about all divisions of the ARE on our website or in the ARE 5.0 Guidelines.
*The percentages shown for each section and objective represent a typical form of this division. The specific form you experience may vary slightly, as adjustments are made from form to form to balance factors such as overall form level of difficulty and average time to answer the assembled items.
