This exam and study guide tests-and fosters-ownership of concepts in building systems, with an emphasis on the content stressed in the Architect Registration Examination (A.R.E.) Building Systems component. It is designed as a study tool, learning exercise, and confidence-builder. Questions are not reading comprehension devices that follow lessons, but rather opportunities to introduce a topic.Your time is valuable so this study guide does not treat all content that might appear on the exam equally. Rather it weights content by (1) its importance in the A.R.E. exam, and (2) its usefulness to the career of an architect. It further weights the content based on its "yield." In other words, memorizing the entire plumbing code will certainly help you on the A.R.E. exam, but it is certainly not the most efficient means of studying for it.

Part narrative, part business book; Architect + Entrepreneur is filled with contemporary, relevant, fresh tips and advice, from a seasoned professional architect building a new business. The guide advocates novel strategies and tools that merge entrepreneurship with the practice of architecture and interior design. The Problem:Embarking on a new business venture is intimidating; you have questions. But many of the resources available to help entrepreneur architects and interior designers start their design business lack timeliness and relevance. Most are geared toward building colossal firms like SOM and Gensler using outdated methods and old business models. If you're an individual or small team contemplating starting a design business, this is your field guide; crafted to inspire action. The Solution:Using the lean startup methodology to create a minimum viable product, the handbook encourages successive small wins that support a broader vision enabling one to, "think big, start small, and learn fast." It's a unique take on design practice viewed through the lens of entrepreneurship and is designed to answer the questions all new business owners face, from the rote to the existential. Questions about: - Startup costs - Business models (old and new) - Marriage of business and design - Mindset - Branding & naming (exercises and ideas) - Internet marketing strategies - Passive income ideas - Setting your fee - Taxes - Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) - Securing the work - Client relations - Software - Billing rates - Contracts Building a business isn't a singular act; it's a series of small steps. Using the outline found in Architect + Entrepreneur you can start today. The chapters are organized to guide you from idea to action. Rather than write a business plan you'll be challenged to craft a brand and you'll sell it using new technologies. Follow the guide sequentially and you'll have both the tools and a profitable small business.

DIV Most architectural standards references contain thousands of pages of details—overwhelmingly more than architects need to know to know on any given day. The Architecture Reference & Specification Book contains vital information that's essential to planning and executing architectural projects of all shapes and sizes, in a format that is small enough to carry anywhere. It distills the data provided in standard architectural volumes and is an easy-to-use reference for the most indispensable—and most requested—types of architectural information. /div

Starting an Architecture Firm is a beginner's guide for architects who are ready to start a practice. This eBook covers the essential information that an architect will need to start their business, manage the firm's finances, understand the basics of contracts, develop a brand, and develop relationships with clients.

The physical model is an important communication tool for architects. Although the proliferation of CAD programs has enabled the creation of increasingly complex computer models and virtual environments, there is also a growing need to address the three-dimensional qualities of architecture that may be lost when using such media. This book focuses on the inspiring possibilities for modeling the built environment with all the different media and techniques available. In describing the use of different models in different contexts, the book provides a practical guide to how and why models are used and what they are used for. This second edition includes more detailed step-by-step exercises, expanded discussion of materials and techniques, and updated coverage of digital techniques.

Native Places is a collection of 64 watercolor sketches paired with mini-essays about architecture, landscape, everyday objects, and nature. The sketches relate the delight found in ordinary places. The short essays, rather than repeat what is visible in the sketch, illustrate ideas and thoughts sparked by that image and offer a fresh interpretation of ordinary things. The goal of Native Places is, in part, to transform the way we see. Through its pages, barns become guidebooks to crops and weather; a country church is redolent of the struggle for civil rights and human dignity; and a highway rest stop offers a glimpse of egalitarian society. Native Places also expresses the belief that writing and hand drawing are not obsolete skills. Both disciplines offer us the opportunity to develop a natural grace in the way we view the world and take part in it.