Amber Book - Project Management || Already Graded A+.
Net-to-gross
Rentable-to-useable
Grossing factor correct answers Each of these metrics is a measure of efficiency (profitability for
the owner); especially important in commercial office space construction.
= Net/Gross (less-than 1): Net assignable area=all the spaces needed by the client (offices).
Gross area is the whole building, including structure, mechanical, and circulation spaces not
included in net assignable area.
= Rentable/Useable (greater-than 1): Rentable includes common areas used by all building
tenants like lobbies, stairwells, janitorial closets, mechanical rooms, and elevator shafts.
Landlords charge tenants rent for a pro-rated portion of those spaces. . . so if your company rents
11% of a building floor, you will also pay for 11% of the mechanical room and common lobby
area. Usable=just the area the tenant will occupy to do business, including columns, private
restrooms, private corridors within the office suite, and private storage, but not the lobbies,
janitorial, etc. shared by other tenants. Companies that will lease the floor from the owner
obviously want low rentable/usable values.
= Grossing Factor (greater-than 1): a grossing factor, established during programming, of 1.30
means that you will need to plan on 30sf of mechanical, circulation, etc. space for every 100sf of
office space.
*There are all kinds of varied conventions for how to calculate these. . . Atrium square footage is
usually only counted once but multi-floor mechanical shafts may either be counted once or not
counted at all. Covered walkways and exterior stairs may be counted as 50%, or may not be
counted at all. Sometimes spaces with ceilings lower than 7.5ft aren't counted, and sometimes
only spaces with ceiling heights under 6ft aren't counted. How do you count an extra-wide
corridor in a head trauma rehab facility designed to double as a runway for patients to practice
walking duri
Zones of occupancy correct answers Determines occupant density, usually for HVAC and
ventilation reasons. . . how close, on average, is the nearest person?:
Public (25' radius) for each person
Social (12' radius)
Personal (4' radius)
Intimate (1.5' radius)
A college-town bar will require more ventilation than a bank.
If the owner-architect contract stipulates that the architect's fee will be 7% of construction costs,
will the architect be paid for that 7% portion of the contractor's overhead costs? correct answers
Yes, a percentage of the contractor's overhead is included in the architect's fee. The Owner's
budget of the Cost of the Work includes general construction costs, and profit, and overhead.
,Business entity concept correct answers The business is a separate entity and financial
transactions of the business, therefore, should be kept separate from personal financial record
keeping. Don't pay for your dry cleaning with your firm's credit card, even if you own 100% of
the firm and the suit needs to be cleaned for a client meeting.
What are accessory occupancies? correct answers Small spaces (the total area of which is less
than 10% of the floor area of the story they are serving) that serve the main occupancy and
require classification as different occupancy groups (ex. a small office (B) in the corner of a
factory (F-1)) but do not require fire separation from the main occupancy.
Accessory space correct answers A small space that might otherwise require classification as a
different occupancy group, but doesn't because it is less than ten percent of a story's floor area.
For instance a small office in the corner of a factory floor doesn't need to be classified as B
(which might trigger a fire-rated wall requirement), but can instead be classified the same as the
rest of the factory (F-1).
If the Owner suspends the project, the Architect can... correct answers Suspend work
Require payment for work-to-date
Require payment of delay-caused expenses
Submit a new schedule
AIA B101 SP correct answers Similar to typical B101 contract, with a focus on
Sustainability.The Owner must provide drawings, manuals, and building operational costs,
appeal for certifications, ensure design fits sustainable guidelines, and comply with authorities on
ownership and operations.
Architect's responsibilities to prepare for bidding correct answers Finish CDs
Administrate bidding
Update cost estimates
Task dependency correct answers The relationship of stop and start times for tasks
Start-start: align the start times of the steel folks who cut the rebar and the welders
Start-finish (also called a natural dependency): align the finish time of the rebar welders with the
start time of the concrete trucks
Finish-finish: align the finish times of the folks who remove the formwork from the concrete
foundation and the rented pumps that keep the foundation excavation pit dry during construction.
See here for a graphic representation.
https://www.stakeholdermap.com/plan-project/task-dependencies.jpg
See here if you are unsure about these.
,https://www.workzone.com/blog/dependencies-in-project-management/
Prime contract correct answers Prime contracts: Main contract with the owner for the work with
the expectation that some of the work will be completed with the use of subcontracts. The
contractor has a prime contract with the owner, and he hires a plumbing subcontractor, a
concrete subcontractor, a roofing subcontractor etc. using subcontracts.
Multiple prime contracts- The project is fast-tracked, staged, phased, has multiple funding
sources, or there's a CM-as-agent managing a project on behalf of the owner, and the owner signs
multiple prime contracts with a contractor, who in turn, will sign multiple subcontracts: one for
the curtain wall while she waits for the rest of the drawings to be completed (fast track). . one for
the abortion clinic that will be paid for with private funds and one for the attached medical clinic
that will paid for with government funds (multiple funding sources) . . .one for the construction
of the storage facility and one for ongoing maintenance at that same facility to be provided by
the builder after the facility is occupied (multiple stages). . . or one prime contract for the HVAC
contractor and another prime contract for the framing contractor (multiple phases).
Articles of B101, Owner-Architect Agreement
See if you can tell yourself (aloud) what each of these contract sections requires
1- Initial Information
2- Architect's Responsibilities
3- Scope of Architect's Basic Services
4- Additional Services
5- Owner's Responsibilities
6- Cost of the Work
7- Copyright and Licenses
8- Claims and Disputes
9- Termination/Suspension
10- Miscellaneous Provisions
11- Compensation
12- Special Terms and Conditions
13- Scope of Agreement correct answers 1- Initial Information; i.e. identifies project, budget,
schedule
2- Architect's Responsibilities; architect obtains insurance and provides services consistent with
the professional skill and care ordinarily provided by architects practicing in the same or similar
locality under the same or similar circumstances (Standard of Care)
3- Scope of Architect's Basic Services; architect submits a schedule, architect must meet code,
architect facilitates bidding, architect certifies payment to the contractor, architect reviews
contractor's submittals (shop drawings, product samples), "Architect shall consider sustainable
design alternatives" (if you think that "shall consider" sounds like it is a contractual obligation
without teeth to enforce it. . . I agree!)
4- Additional Services; almost everything beyond a single drawing set with MEP and structural
engineer is an additional service
5- Owner's Responsibilities; geotech engineer, everything site- and permit-related, if an owner
hires her own consultants, it's on her to coordinate them
, 6- Cost of the Work; includes construction cost, but not architects fees, cost of the land, or
contingencies for change orders
7- Copyright and Licenses; architect and architect's consultants own the drawings
8- Claims and Disputes; contract gives architect and owner a choice, before work commences. . .
Mediation then arbitration OR mediation then litigation in court
9- Termination/Suspension; if the owner doesn't pay the architect or suspends the project for 90
days, the architect can terminate, if the owner just feels like it, she can terminate but has to pay
the architect for expenses (for instance, costs associated with terminating the MEP engineer).
The contract automatically terminates one year after substantial completion.
10- Miscellaneous Provisions; architect's consultants can't dire
How does the owner pay the contractor? Explain each of these
Unit Cost
Cost plus Fixed Fee
Guaranteed maximum price (GMP)
Stipulated (lump) sum correct answers Unit Cost: Owner agrees to pay $245,000 per housing
unit
Cost plus Fixed Fee: $1.6M estimate for the cost of the project (but owner pays more if budget is
exceeded) plus $300,000 in fixed profit for the contractor. No limit on change orders, which can
net the contractor additional profit.
Guaranteed maximum price (GMP): like a cost plus fixed fee contract, but if the project is
delayed or the price of materials goes up beyond a total project cost of $2M, the contractor has to
complete the project and eat the extra cost.
Stipulated (lump) sum: Owner pays contractor $1.9M to build everything in the contract, period.
Supplemental instructions to bidders vs Architect's supplemental instructions correct answers
Supplemental instructions to bidders: Modifications to general conditions in contracts. Example:
a project goes out to bid and one contractor notices that there is no space set aside for the fourth
floor electrical equipment. Architect says, "good catch," and redraws the plan to include an
electrical closet. That's called an addendum (plural: addenda), which is then sent to all the
bidders so that they can all bid on the same project, and so all the bid dollar amounts can be
easily compared by the owner; they each have the electrical closet cost factored in.
Architect's supplemental instructions: after construction is underway, like a change order, but so
minor it won't affect the cost or project schedule. Example: changing the paint color before the
paint has been purchased.
"Top-down" vs "Bottom-up" project budgeting correct answers Top-down budgeting
Start at the "top" with the gross fee the owner will pay your firm
Subtract expenses to see what is left for design time
Example:
https://www.areflashcards.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Top-Down-Budget-768x787.png
