MArch Master of Architecture Master of Architecture: Professional Practice 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client verbally instructs an architect to proceed with additional services. Best practice requires the architect to:
- Proceed immediately to maintain client goodwill
- Document the instruction and issue a written amendment before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Add the cost to the final invoice without notifying the client in advance
- Refuse the work until a new contract is signed from scratch
Correct answer: Document the instruction and issue a written amendment before proceeding
Verbal instructions should be confirmed in writing through a contract amendment or letter of authorization before proceeding to protect both parties.
Question 2: Under the AIA's sustainability guidelines, the LEED certification process requires the architect to submit documentation to which organization?
- The US Green Building Council (USGBC) (Correct answer)
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- The American Institute of Architects (AIA)
- The International Code Council (ICC)
Correct answer: The US Green Building Council (USGBC)
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which reviews documentation and awards certification levels.
Question 3: Which method is used by architects to track time and cost against the project budget during design phases?
- Earned value analysis (Correct answer)
- Critical path scheduling
- Monte Carlo simulation
- Value engineering review
Correct answer: Earned value analysis
Earned value analysis compares planned value (budgeted work) against earned value (work completed) and actual costs to assess schedule and budget performance.
Question 4: When an architect discovers a potentially dangerous code violation in a building during a project unrelated to that building, their ethical obligation is to:
- Ignore it since it is outside their project scope
- Report the condition to the appropriate authority to protect public safety (Correct answer)
- Notify only the owner of the building privately
- Document it for potential future litigation only
Correct answer: Report the condition to the appropriate authority to protect public safety
AIA Canon I obligates architects to uphold the public's health, safety, and welfare, which may require reporting hazardous conditions to authorities even outside their project scope.
Question 5: In a typical architect-owner agreement, the architect's ownership of instruments of service (drawings, specifications) is retained by:
- The owner upon project completion
- The architect, regardless of payment status (Correct answer)
- The contractor who built the project
- The local building department after permit issuance
Correct answer: The architect, regardless of payment status
Under AIA agreements, the architect retains ownership of instruments of service; the owner receives a limited license to use them for the specific project.
Question 6: Which delivery method reduces owner risk by requiring the general contractor to provide a performance and payment bond?
- Design-Build with a GMP
- Traditional Design-Bid-Build with bonding requirements (Correct answer)
- Construction Management at Risk without bonding
- Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
Correct answer: Traditional Design-Bid-Build with bonding requirements
Traditional design-bid-build contracts frequently require the contractor to provide performance and payment bonds, protecting the owner against contractor default and unpaid subcontractors.
Question 7: An architect's 'scope creep' risk during design is best mitigated by:
- Accepting all client requests to maintain the relationship
- Clearly defining project scope in the owner-architect agreement and managing changes formally (Correct answer)
- Billing only at project completion to avoid disputes
- Limiting all communications to verbal discussions
Correct answer: Clearly defining project scope in the owner-architect agreement and managing changes formally
A well-defined scope in the owner-architect agreement, combined with a formal change management process, prevents uncompensated additional work from eroding project profitability.
MArch Master of Architecture Master of Architecture: Professional Practice 5
A client verbally instructs an architect to proceed with additional services.
Best practice requires the architect to: