ARCHITECTURAL | Design & Site Planning | 14 Questions (MODERATE-CHALLENGING)

PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY & HARDWARE STORE

(14 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE to CHALLENGING)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Hired by a well-renowned corporation, who owns a one and fifty-four hundredths-hectare (1.54-ha) property located along a newly-developed highway in a certain city in the Philippines, you are to design their new store that will supply hardware and building materials, except concrete products.

Access to the rectangular lot, with a depth of one hundred and forty meters (140m), is via two (2) parallel Road Rights-of-Way (RROWs): a twenty-six-meter (26-m) national highway at northeast; and, a twelve-meter (12-m) minor road at southwest. The city zoning ordinance requires an angular plane of

ARCHITECTURAL | Design & Site Planning | 20 Questions (MODERATE-CHALLENGING)

PROPOSED REVIEW CENTER & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING FACILITY

(20 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE to CHALLENGING)

by Raison John J. Bassig

As an architect, you were commissioned to design a Review Center and Professional Development Training Facility on a two thousand and seventy-square meter (2,070-sqm) regular lot situated along a newly-developed thirty-two-meter (32-m)-wide Road Right-of-Way (RROW) in a certain municipality in the Philippines. The lot frontage is forty meters (40m) and faces west, while the entire site and RROW, slopes down at seven percent (7%) towards north.

Per the municipality's Zoning Ordinance (ZO), the project is located on a block, zoned as

CONSTRUCTION | Building Technology | 24 Questions (EASY-MODERATE)

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

(24 Questions, Difficulty Level: EASY to MODERATE)
by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: The balloon frame is a light form of wooden framing, in which the studs are set up in continuous lengths from first floor line or sill to roof plate. To support the joists of each storey, thin horizontal members are notched and nailed into the continuous studs. What do you call such horizontal member?

UTILITIES | Plumbing Systems | 20 Questions (MODERATE-CHALLENGING)

PLUMBING SYSTEMS

(20 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE to CHALLENGING)
by Raison John J. Bassig

For Q#1 to Q#3:
Given the installation of a sanitary waste branch as shown below,

ARCHITECTURAL | Specialty | 1 Question (EASY)

ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING (Beam Angle)

(1 Question, Difficulty Level: EASY)
by Raison John J. Bassig

In the dining area with a 3.20-m ceiling height of the house you designed, you specified a circular hanging downlight centered above the space allocated for a dining table. According to the lamp manufacturer, its beam angle is 52°.

Your client then bought a round dining table, measuring 160cm-diameter x 62cm-high, and instructed you as her architect, that the direct lighting from the lamp should illuminate only up to the exact edge of the table. What will be the resulting mounting height of the hanging lighting fixture measured from the ceiling to accomplish your client's requirement?

(Image courtesy of Bumpermankh.com, modified)

ARCHITECTURAL | Planning | 10 Questions (MODERATE)

PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING

(10 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: Who is/are the architect/s and town planner/s of the Garden City of Welwyn?

The Welwyn City Master Plan.
(Image courtesy of The JR James Archive via flickr, modified)

CONSTRUCTION | Structural Design | 8 Questions (MODERATE)

STRUCTURAL DESIGN & CONCEPTUALIZATION

(8 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE)
by Raison John J. Bassig

In the building you are designing, you indicated that the overall size of a reinforced concrete beam must be 350mm wide by 600mm deep due to architectural requirements. You also indicated in your material specifications that the main deformed steel reinforcement bars, which are non-prestressed, should be PNS Grade 275 and that the concrete mix must achieve a compressive strength of 4,500psi.

Shown in the structural plans prepared by your structural engineer, the beam was indicated to be reinforced with 4-Φ25mm main rebars arranged in a single layer at the tension side, surrounded by Φ10mm rectangular closed-loop stirrups and provided with a clear concrete cover of 40mm all-around.

CONSTRUCTION | Estimates | 10 Questions (MODERATE-CHALLENGING)

CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATES

(10 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE to CHALLENGING)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: You are to install one (1) layer of 300mm x 300mm ceramic tiles as accent around the topmost interior wall finish of a circular pool. If the area of the pool is 98.12sqm, how many accent tiles will you need?

ARCHITECTURAL | Design & Site Planning | 10 Questions (CHALLENGING)

TRICKY AND UNCOMMON DESIGN PROBLEMS

(10 Questions, Difficulty Level: CHALLENGING)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: You designed a supermarket having a total of five (5) aisles. The center aisle measures 3.20m in width, while the rest of the aisles measure 1.15m in width each. If you laid out a cross aisle where the said aisles will terminate, what is the smallest size of that cross aisle you can specify?

UTILITIES | Mechanical Systems | 13 Questions (EASY)

MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

(13 Questions, Difficulty Level: EASY)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: The typical floor-to-floor height of the mall you designed measures 4.75m. Among the choices below, what is the smallest horizontal length of an escalator can you specify to conform with the National Building Code?

UTILITIES | Electrical Systems | 10 Questions (EASY)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

(10 Questions, Difficulty Level: EASY)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: Which among the following lamp holders can fit a bulb with a GU10 lamp base?

(Images of lamp holders courtesy of sinolec.co.uk , leds4less.co.uk , buylightfixtures.com , and lightingsolutions.co.ke)

ARCHITECTURAL | Theory | 12 Questions (EASY-MODERATE)

THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE

(12 Questions, Difficulty Level: EASY to MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: The "Modulor" is an anthropometric scale of proportions devised by whom?

CONSTRUCTION | Building Laws | 20 Questions (EASY-MODERATE)

BUILDING LAWS

(20 Questions, Difficulty Level: EASY to MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: A building unsafe in case of fire because it will burn easily or because it lacks adequate exits or fire escapes is known as what?
a. Fire Hazard
b. Pyrophoric
c. Fire Lane
d. Fire Trap

CONSTRUCTION | Building Technology | 11 Questions (MODERATE)

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

(11 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: Given the illustration of rivet heads, identify which one is the Truss Head Rivet.

ARCHITECTURAL | Professional Practice | 14 Questions (MODERATE-CHALLENGING)

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

(14 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE to CHALLENGING)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: Your professional fee as an architect for the Pre-Design Services you provided for your client was agreed to be in a Multiple of Direct Personnel Expenses method, which was pegged at a 2.50 multiplier. As per your agreement, your hourly rate is to be computed at P1,000 per 8-hour working day, your consultants at P750 per 8-hour working day, and your technical researchers at P492 per 8-hour working day.

After the completion of the services, you submitted a report indicating the duration of your work and your out-of-pocket expenses:

Architect (You) @ 15 working days
Your consultants @ 4-1/2 working days
Your technical researchers @ 213 hours

Printing Costs @ P812.50
Transportation Costs @ P2,500.00
Communication Costs @ P3,211.25

Based on standards for such method of compensation, how much should you bill your client?

UTILITIES | Plumbing Systems | 10 Questions (MODERATE)

PLUMBING SYSTEMS

(10 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: Given a 3-storey building with a water closet on the top floor located at a vertical distance of 38-1/2' from the water meter at ground level. The fixture requires 8 psi to operate. If the friction head loss is estimated at 15', what pressure is required to raise the water to the top floor and put the minimum psi for the fixture to be used satisfactorily?

CONSTRUCTION | Estimates | 5 Questions (EASY-MODERATE)

CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATES

(5 Questions, Difficulty Level: EASY to MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

You have just designed a square function hall with a total area of 718.24 sq.m. Inside that area, there is a circular unpaved landscaping portion that measures 4.25m in radius. The rest of the function hall was specified to have wood-finish ceramic tile flooring. During your material selection, you have canvassed four (4) different brands that suits the function hall floor finish:

Brand A - 200mm x 1500mm tiles @ P125.50 per piece
Brand B - 150mm x 1200mm tiles @ P74.75 per piece
Brand C - 100mm x 900mm tiles @ P37.45 per piece
Brand D - 300mm x 300mm tiles @ P346.25 per box (with 9 pcs/box, ordered by the box)

CONSTRUCTION | Structural Design | 14 Questions (EASY-MODERATE)

STRUCTURAL DESIGN & CONCEPTUALIZATION

(14 Questions, Difficulty Level: EASY to MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: It is an essentially vertical truss system that provides resistance to lateral loads and provides stability for the structural system.
a. Moment Frame
b. Space Frame
c. Gravity Frame
d. Braced Frame

ARCHITECTURAL | History | 17 Questions (EASY-MODERATE)

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

(17 Questions, Difficulty Level: EASY to MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Q#1: Which among the following list of structures were designed by Louis Sullivan?

1 - Holy Trinity Cathedral (Chicago, Illinois)
2 - Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building (Chicago, Illinois)
3 - Wainwright Building (St. Louis, Missouri)
4 - Prudential (Guaranty) Building (Buffalo, New York)
5 - Flatiron Building (Manhattan, New York)

ARCHITECTURAL | Design & Site Planning | 8 Questions (MODERATE)

A 2-STOREY STRUCTURE SITUATED ON AN R-1 THROUGH LOT

(8 Questions, Difficulty Level: MODERATE)

by Raison John J. Bassig

Given the illustrated 2-storey structure situated on an R-1 through lot.

Lot Size: 10m wide x 21m deep
Main RROW Width: 20m
Secondary RROW Width: 12m
Sidewalk Elevation Mark: EL = 0.00m
G/F Line Elevation Mark: EL + 850mm
2/F Line Elevation Mark: EL + 5000mm
Top of Roof Beam Elevation Mark: EL + 8620mm
Roof Apex Elevation Mark: EL + 10530mm
Line of Eaves: 310mm below Top of Roof Beam