CMA Architectural Design & Planning 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The 'golden section' (approximately 1:1.618) is used in architectural proportion primarily to:
- Calculate structural beam depths
- Create aesthetically harmonious relationships between dimensions (Correct answer)
- Determine maximum allowable floor-area ratios
- Set code-compliant stair riser-to-tread ratios
Correct answer: Create aesthetically harmonious relationships between dimensions
The golden ratio has been employed since antiquity to produce proportional relationships that are perceived as visually balanced and harmonious.
Question 2: In urban planning, a 'setback' requirement most directly controls:
- The maximum height of a building
- The minimum distance a structure must be placed from a property line or street (Correct answer)
- The percentage of a lot that may be covered by impervious surface
- The required number of off-street parking spaces
Correct answer: The minimum distance a structure must be placed from a property line or street
Setbacks establish a mandated open space between a building and property lines, streets, or other features, shaping the urban street wall and yard areas.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of a 'site analysis' in the early design phase?
- Producing final grading plans for contractor bidding
- Documenting existing site conditions, constraints, and opportunities to inform design decisions (Correct answer)
- Obtaining zoning variance approvals from the municipality
- Determining the structural foundation system for the project
Correct answer: Documenting existing site conditions, constraints, and opportunities to inform design decisions
Site analysis systematically inventories natural, cultural, and regulatory site factors so the architect can make informed design choices that respond to context.
Question 4: In the AIA project delivery method known as Design-Build, the architect's primary contractual relationship is with:
- The owner directly under a standard B101 agreement
- The design-build contractor or design-build entity (Correct answer)
- The local building department issuing permits
- An independent construction manager at risk
Correct answer: The design-build contractor or design-build entity
In Design-Build, the architect typically contracts with the design-build entity (often a contractor), consolidating design and construction under a single point of responsibility to the owner.
Question 5: A 'parti' in architectural design refers to:
- A schedule of finish materials applied to wall surfaces
- The central concept or organizing idea that drives an architectural scheme (Correct answer)
- A dimensioned drawing of building partitions and walls
- A code-required partition between occupancy classifications
Correct answer: The central concept or organizing idea that drives an architectural scheme
The parti is the essential generative idea—often expressed as a simple diagram—that gives a design project its fundamental order and character.
Question 6: According to ASHRAE 55, thermal comfort standards primarily address which environmental variables? (Choose the best grouping.)
- Wind speed, precipitation, and barometric pressure
- Air temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, air velocity, clothing, and metabolic rate (Correct answer)
- Daylighting levels, noise levels, and CO₂ concentration
- Structural loads, vibration, and floor deflection limits
Correct answer: Air temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, air velocity, clothing, and metabolic rate
ASHRAE 55 defines thermal comfort through six primary factors: air temperature, mean radiant temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, clothing insulation (clo), and metabolic rate.
Question 7: In programming a healthcare facility, 'functional adjacency' diagrams are used primarily to:
- Satisfy egress requirements under NFPA 101
- Show which departments need to be located near each other for operational efficiency (Correct answer)
- Calculate the required number of plumbing fixtures per occupant load
- Document structural column grid spacing for seismic design
Correct answer: Show which departments need to be located near each other for operational efficiency
Adjacency diagrams map the relative proximity needs between functional areas so that the architectural layout supports operational workflows and minimizes travel distances.
CMA Architectural Design & Planning 3
The 'golden section' (approximately 1:1.618) is used in architectural proportion primarily to: