Architect Exam Podcast

Engineered wood products are how we build 18-story buildings out of wood. This episode covers every major product in the family, from glulam beams and CLT panels to LVL, PSL, LSL, OSB, and I-joists.

You will learn the difference between heavy timber and mass timber, how the 2021 IBC Type IV subtypes allow wood buildings up to 18 stories, and why CLT chars instead of collapsing. We walk the full processing spectrum from plywood to OSB and break down exactly when to specify each product, including the structural composite lumber family that shows up in every residential and light commercial project.

If you have ever mixed up LVL, PSL, and LSL, or wondered why a glulam beam gets stamped "TOP," this is the episode that sorts it out.

📝 Key topics covered:

• Heavy timber vs mass timber construction

• IBC Type IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C mass timber types

• Glulam beams: balanced vs unbalanced and the TOP stamp

• Cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and two-way behavior

• Mass timber char rate and fire performance

• Structural composite lumber: LVL, PSL, and LSL

• OSB as a panel product

• Wood I-joist anatomy, hole placement rules, and web crippling

• When to use each engineered wood product

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Mass Timber: 18-Story Wood Buildings

(1:36) Free ARE Study Notes

(2:08) Why Engineered Wood Exists

(4:06) Heavy Timber vs Mass Timber

(5:31) Plywood: The Original Engineered Wood

(6:18) Glulam (Glued Laminated Timber)

(9:22) CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber)

(12:04) Structural Composite Lumber

(13:17) LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber)

(14:27) PSL (Parallel Strand Lumber)

(15:12) LSL (Laminated Strand Lumber)

(15:50) LVL, PSL, LSL Memory Trick

(16:25) OSB (Oriented Strand Board)

(17:18) Wood I-Joists: Engineered Floor Framing

(19:53) When to Use Each Engineered Wood Product

(21:13) ARE Exam Study Resources

📖 Read the full blog post and take the free 10-question quiz

📝 Download the FREE Engineered Wood Products study notes

Selecting the right engineered wood product is a PPD decision. Knowing how to detail and specify it is a PDD decision.

PPD 101 covers structural system selection, including choosing between wood, steel, concrete, and mass timber based on spans, loads, and fire ratings. PDD 101 covers how those systems get documented, from junction details to Division 06 specifications.

Both courses live inside the ARE 101 Membership, so one membership gets you both sides of the topic.

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses:

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• PDD 101 (Project Development and Documentation)

• Building Codes 101

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation)

• PcM 101 (Practice Management)

• PjM 101 (Project Management)

• Building Systems 101

• AIA Contracts 101

Asbestos in buildings is hiding in more places than you think, and you cannot identify it by looking at it.

This episode walks through what asbestos actually is, what it looks like in a real building, and what a discovery does to your schedule, your drawings, and your design.

We start in the basement with pipe insulation and work through floor tile, black mastic, popcorn ceilings, cement board siding, and a few places you would never expect. Then the part almost nobody explains: why the notification period blows schedules, why removal is only one of four options, and why encapsulation is a deferral rather than an elimination.

If the material stays, that is not the end of your involvement. It becomes a set of constraints that has to show up in your drawings, and there is one common decision about old floor tile that creates an accessibility problem and a life safety problem at the same time.

📝 Key topics covered:

• Friable vs non friable asbestos and why it explains everything

• What asbestos insulation, floor tile, and popcorn ceilings look like

• Why nine by nine floor tile is the best tell in the business

• What an asbestos discovery does to the construction schedule

• Encapsulation vs removal, and the four things that drive the decision

• Designing around asbestos that stays in the building

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Asbestos Can Shut Down a Job Site

(1:23) Free ARE Study Notes and Quiz

(2:17) Asbestos in Buildings: What It Is

(3:39) Asbestos History: The Magic Mineral

(4:28) Why Asbestos Fibers Are Dangerous

(6:22) Is Asbestos Banned in the US?

(7:08) Friable vs Non Friable Asbestos

(9:19) Asbestos Insulation, Tile, and Siding

(12:08) Found Asbestos? Stop Work First

(13:23) Asbestos Abatement Schedule Impact

(15:32) Asbestos Encapsulation vs Removal

(19:12) Designing Around Asbestos That Stays

(21:07) Asbestos Floor Tile: Cover or Remove

(22:28) Who Pays for Asbestos Abatement

(24:10) Asbestos Survey Before You Design

(27:11) Hazardous Materials in Your Exams

(29:31) Asbestos Recap: What to Remember

(30:20) Young Architect Academy

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE Asbestos in Buildings study notes

That split you just heard, where hazardous material already in the building belongs to the owner and anything the contractor brought in is theirs, is one provision inside one article of A201. This episode gave it a few minutes. It sits right next to safety, insurance, and the correction period, and those provisions only make sense when you read them together.

AIA Contracts 101 teaches the contracts document by document instead of division by division, which is why that language lands in context rather than as a fact to memorize. It is included in the ARE 101 Membership, so start with whichever exam you are actually sitting for.

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

📚 Individual courses, ordered by how much this episode touches them:

• AIA Contracts 101

• CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation)

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• PDD 101 (Project Development and Documentation)

• PjM 101 (Project Management)

• PcM 101 (Practice Management)

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• NCIDQ IDFX (Fundamentals)

• NCIDQ IDIX (Implementation)

• NCIDQ IDPX (Professional)

• All four CSI certifications

AIA A201 articles that solve real job site problems, from fall protection violations and material substitutions to construction claims and mechanic's liens.

When something goes wrong on a construction site, the A201 has a protocol for it. In this episode, Emily shares two real stories from her own experience in the field, then breaks down the five A201 articles every architect and ARE candidate needs to know: Article 3 (contractor responsibilities), Article 7 (changes in the work), Article 10 (protection of persons and property), Article 12 (uncovering and correction of work), and Article 15 (claims and disputes).

Then she walks through three construction administration scenarios at increasing complexity, from a simple paint color acceptance to a nine-step disaster involving a missed slab opening, a rejected change order, a construction claim, a subcontractor walkoff, and a mechanic's lien against the property.

📝 Key topics covered:

• OSHA fall protection and the contractor's safety responsibility under Article 10

• Material substitution and the formal change process under Article 7

• Non-conforming work: when to accept it and when to reject it under Article 12

• The Article 12 uncovering twist: who pays depends on whether notice was given

• Construction change directives: keeping the project moving during disputes

• The Article 15 claims escalation ladder: claim, IDM, mediation, binding resolution

• Mechanic's liens: how they attach to the property and create a cloud on title

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Fall Protection on the Job Site

(1:06) Free ARE Study Notes

(1:55) Construction Administration in the Field

(3:48) Contractor Safety and OSHA Requirements

(7:28) Material Substitution on Site

(11:48) AIA A201 Articles for Field Problems

(21:34) Accepting Non-Conforming Work

(22:56) Rejecting Non-Conforming Work

(25:20) Claims, Disputes, and Mechanic's Liens

(34:03) AIA A201 Quick Reference

(36:21) Young Architect Academy

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE AIA A201 Field Problems study notes

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses:

• AIA Contracts 101

• Construction and Evaluation (CE 101)

• Project Management (PjM 101)

• Practice Management (PcM 101)

• Programming and Analysis (PA 101)

• Project Planning and Design (PPD 101)

• Project Development and Documentation (PDD 101)

• Building Codes 101

• Building Systems 101

📋 CSI Certification Courses:

• CCCA 101

• CDT 101

A lighting calculation is multiplication and division, not engineering math. This episode covers the foot candle chart, the lumen method formula, and the inverse square law.

Most candidates skip lighting calculations because the phrase sounds harder than the work actually is. The arithmetic was never the problem. The vocabulary was.

Layla walks through recommended foot candle levels by space type, then runs two complete fixture-count calculations with every step showing. You will see what happens to the answer when dark finishes and skipped maintenance enter the equation. There is a free 10-question comprehension quiz at the bottom of the blog post to check what stuck.

📝 Key topics covered:

• Foot candle chart: recommended light levels by space type

• Lumen method formula: calculating fixture count for a room

• Coefficient of utilization: how much light reaches the work surface

• Light loss factor: lamp lumen depreciation and luminaire dirt depreciation

• Inverse square law: double the distance, quarter the light

• Lumens per lamp versus lumens per fixture

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Lighting Calculations

(1:06) Free ARE Study Notes

(1:36) Foot Candle Chart by Space Type

(3:41) Lumen Method Formula

(5:44) Coefficient of Utilization

(7:36) Light Loss Factor

(9:46) Lighting Calculation Example

(12:16) A Second Calculation Example

(14:27) Inverse Square Law

(17:41) Common Lighting Calculation Mistakes

(19:18) Lighting Calculation Recap

(20:32) Building Systems 101

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE Lighting Calculations study notes

Thirteen extra fixtures showed up in this episode because somebody picked dark paint and skipped a cleaning schedule. A finish selection quietly turned into an energy code problem, and the calculation is the only place you catch it before a contractor does.

Building Systems 101 has a full lighting module built around problems like that one. The practice set flips the formula on you: it hands you a fixture count and makes you solve backward for foot candles, then changes the room conditions and asks what moved and why.

It also covers fixture layout and spacing, reflected ceiling plan coordination, lighting controls and energy code, and the requirements for lighting an egress path.

📚 Building Systems 101

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

📚 Also mentioned in this episode:

• PPD 101

• PDD 101

• NCIDQ IDFX

• NCIDQ IDIX

• NCIDQ IDPX

A201 general conditions explained in 30 minutes, covering the entire AIA A201 from contractor roles and means and methods to schedule of values, substantial completion, and dispute resolution.

The A201 is the operating manual for construction projects. In this episode, Michael flies over all fifteen articles and breaks down how the owner, architect, and contractor work together when things go according to plan and when they don't.

The episode covers the means and methods line, the schedule of values and how construction payments flow, what substantial completion actually means, the three clocks that start ticking after substantial completion, the claims and dispute escalation process, and the difference between termination for cause and termination for convenience.

📝 Key topics covered:

• A201 general conditions: the ground rules for construction projects

• AIA A101 and how A201 becomes a binding contract

• General conditions vs. supplementary conditions vs. general requirements

• Means and methods in construction: the what vs. how line and liability shift

• Schedule of values and how construction payment applications work

• Retainage and why the owner holds back a percentage until substantial completion

• Substantial completion vs. final completion and the punch list process

• Correction period vs. warranty vs. statute of limitations (three clocks, one starting line)

• Construction claims and disputes: IDM, mediation, and binding resolution

• Termination for cause vs. termination for convenience

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) The Architect Sees the Whole Picture

(1:38) A201 General Conditions Overview

(4:16) Free ARE Study Notes

(5:18) What Are General Conditions?

(6:48) AIA A101 and How A201 Becomes Binding

(8:09) General vs. Supplementary vs. General Requirements

(11:23) Owner, Architect, and Contractor Roles

(13:20) Four Lenses for AIA Contracts

(14:13) Means and Methods in Construction

(15:22) Contractor Safety Responsibility

(16:04) Architect's Role During Construction

(16:51) Change Orders and How Changes Work

(20:03) Schedule of Values and Payment

(22:34) Substantial Completion Explained

(23:34) Correction Period vs. Warranty

(25:10) Construction Claims and Disputes

(27:23) Termination for Cause vs. Convenience

(28:03) A201 on Every ARE Exam

(29:05) ARE Exam Prep Courses

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE A201 General Conditions study notes

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses:

• AIA Contracts 101

• Construction and Evaluation (CE 101)

• Project Management (PjM 101)

• Practice Management (PcM 101)

• Programming and Analysis (PA 101)

• Project Planning and Design (PPD 101)

• Project Development and Documentation (PDD 101)

• Building Codes 101

• Building Systems 101

📋 CSI Certification Courses:

• CCCA 101

• CDT 101

Every type of light bulb produces different color quality, and two numbers on the spec sheet control everything: color temperature (CCT) measured in Kelvin, and the color rendering index (CRI) measured on a 0 to 100 scale. This episode covers both numbers and every major lamp type from incandescent to LED.

Layla walks through the Kelvin scale from warm 2700K residential lighting to cool 5000K daylight, then explains why CRI determines whether colors look natural or washed out under any light source. You will learn why a clothing store can look like a hospital waiting room when the CRI is wrong, even with plenty of light.

The episode covers all five lamp types: incandescent and halogen, fluorescent and CFL, HID (metal halide and high-pressure sodium), and LED. Each one is compared on color temperature, CRI, luminous efficacy in lumens per watt, lifespan, and practical tradeoffs like warm-up time, mercury content, and the difference between a ballast and a driver.

📝 Key topics covered:

• Color temperature and the Kelvin scale (2700K to 5000K)

• Color rendering index (CRI) benchmarks (80, 90, 95)

• CCT vs CRI and why they are independent

• Incandescent and halogen lighting

• Fluorescent and CFL lighting

• HID lighting: metal halide and high-pressure sodium

• LED lighting, drivers, and L70 lifespan

• Luminous efficacy and lumens vs watts

• Lighting Power Density and energy codes

• Choosing the right light bulb by application

• Ballast vs driver

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Introduction

(1:02) Free ARE Study Notes

(1:51) Color Temperature and CRI

(2:31) Color Temperature and Kelvin Ratings

(5:04) Color Rendering Index (CRI)

(7:14) CCT vs CRI

(8:55) Meet the Lamp Types

(9:52) Incandescent and Halogen Lighting

(11:48) Fluorescent and CFL Lighting

(13:50) HID Lighting

(15:51) LED Lighting

(18:13) Lumens vs Watts

(19:52) Choosing the Right Lamp

(21:50) Key Lamp Type Distinctions

(23:05) Lamp Types Recap

(24:13) Building Systems 101

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE Light Bulbs study notes

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Courses mentioned in this episode:

• Building Systems 101

• PPD 101

• PDD 101

Zoning controls what you build, how tall, and how close to the property line before you draw a single line. This episode breaks down every zoning term candidates confuse.

We cover setbacks, encroachment, easements, right-of-way, and how to figure out your actual buildable area. Then we get into the density controls: floor area ratio, lot coverage, impervious surface, and building height limits. You'll see how the same FAR produces three completely different buildings on the same lot.

The second half covers what happens when the rules don't work: zoning variances (and what does NOT qualify as hardship), conditional use permits, nonconforming uses, planned unit developments, and restrictive covenants. By the end, you'll know which constraints are public rules and which are private restrictions.

📝 Key topics covered:

• Setbacks, building line, encroachment, and how to read a plat

• Easement vs right-of-way and how they shrink your buildable area

• Floor area ratio (FAR) and how the same number creates different buildings

• Lot coverage vs FAR and impervious surface requirements

• Zoning variance hardship rules and what does not qualify

• Conditional use permits, nonconforming use, and restrictive covenants

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Zoning Before You Design

(1:11) Free Study Notes

(1:54) Zoning vs. Building Code

(4:18) Setbacks and Encroachment

(5:58) Easements

(8:01) Easement vs. Right-of-Way

(9:00) Buildable Area

(10:08) Floor Area Ratio

(11:46) Lot Coverage and Impervious Surface

(13:38) Building Height Limits

(14:24) Zoning Variance

(16:32) Conditional Use Permit

(18:08) Nonconforming Use

(20:01) Planned Unit Development

(21:03) Restrictive Covenants

(22:13) Zoning Recap

(24:03) Young Architect Academy

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE Zoning study notes

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual courses:

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• Building Codes 101

ADA bathroom layout dimensions all exist to make one physical action possible: the toilet transfer. This episode breaks down every restroom requirement and the human experience behind it.

Emily spent an entire day in a wheelchair during college. The restroom was the hardest part. Maneuvering around the door swing, backing into the stall, twisting to lock the door, then using nothing but upper body strength to drag herself onto the toilet. That experience changed how she designs every restroom.

In this episode, she walks you through the side transfer process step by step, then explains why every ADA bathroom dimension exists to support it. You'll learn grab bar placement (including why the rear bar is NOT centered), toilet height and clearance, sink knee clearance and pipe insulation, the 60-inch turning space, and the most common real-world mistakes that make compliant restrooms fail in practice.

📝 Key topics covered:

• ADA bathroom layout: 60-inch turning space and door swing conflicts

• ADA toilet height: 17-19 inches and the side transfer process

• ADA grab bar placement: rear bar offset toward the transfer side

• ADA sink height: 34-inch max rim and knee clearance underneath

• ADA urinal height: 17-inch max (it's not for kids)

• Common ADA bathroom mistakes that happen after you leave the project

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) ADA Bathroom Layout

(1:44) Free ADA Bathroom Study Notes

(2:44) Why ADA Restrooms Matter

(4:21) ADA Bathroom Turning Space

(6:16) ADA Toilet Clearance and Transfer

(8:44) ADA Grab Bar Placement

(12:00) Ambulatory Accessible Stalls

(13:07) ADA Sink Requirements

(14:51) ADA Urinal Height

(16:04) ADA Mirror Height

(16:45) ADA Dispenser Height Requirements

(17:31) Common ADA Bathroom Mistakes

(19:39) ADA Bathroom Dimensions Reference

(21:12) ADA Restroom Takeaways

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE ADA Bathroom Layout study notes

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses:

• PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design)

• PDD 101 (Construction Documents and Specs)

• Building Codes 101

• PA 101 (Programming and Analysis)

• CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation)

• PcM 101 (Practice Management)

• PjM 101 (Project Management)

• AIA Contracts 101

• Building Systems 101

Galvanic corrosion happens when dissimilar metals touch in the presence of moisture, and it destroys building assemblies faster than most people expect.

In this episode, Layla breaks down exactly how galvanic corrosion works using the Statue of Liberty's 1980s restoration as a real-world case study. She covers the three ingredients every galvanic reaction needs, walks through the galvanic series chart so you know which metals are the bullies and which are the victims, and explains why copper beats up almost everything it touches. You will learn the surface area ratio concept, the water flow rule, and the "coat the cathode" trick that is counterintuitive but critical.

The episode wraps with four prevention strategies and three quick rules you can apply to any material selection or detailing scenario.

📝 Key topics covered:

• What galvanic corrosion is and how it works

• The three ingredients for galvanic corrosion

• Galvanic series chart for architectural metals

• Why galvanized steel is galvanic action by design

• Surface area ratio and fastener corrosion

• Copper vs aluminum vs steel vs galvanized steel

• Water runoff corrosion and the water flow rule

• Four prevention strategies

• Coat the cathode, not the anode

• Galvanic corrosion on the ARE exam

• Three rules quick reference

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) Statue of Liberty Corrosion

(1:59) Free Galvanic Action Study Notes

(3:16) How Galvanic Corrosion Works

(4:27) Three Ingredients for Galvanic Corrosion

(5:49) Galvanic Series Chart

(6:59) Galvanized Steel Explained

(7:47) Surface Area Ratio and Fasteners

(9:46) Copper vs Aluminum vs Steel

(13:04) How to Prevent Galvanic Corrosion

(15:45) Galvanic Corrosion on the ARE Exam

(17:14) ARE Study Materials

(18:12) Galvanic Action Recap

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE Galvanic Action study notes

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual courses:

• PPD 101

• PDD 101

• Building Systems 101

• Building Codes 101

The five major roof membrane types for low-slope roofs: BUR, modified bitumen, EPDM, TPO, and PVC. In this episode, you will learn what each one is, where it belongs, and how to choose the right one for any building.

We break down the two roofing families (built-up vs. single-ply), the thermoset vs. thermoplastic distinction that explains why some seams are welded and others are glued, and a decision framework based on budget, climate, and building use.

Whether you are studying for the ARE or working on a real project, this episode makes roof membranes simple.

📝 Key topics covered:

• Built-up roofing (BUR) vs. single-ply roofing

• Modified bitumen roofing: APP and SBS

• EPDM roofing (the rubber roof)

• TPO roofing: the most common single-ply membrane

• PVC roofing and chemical resistance

• Thermoplastic vs. thermoset seams (welded vs. glued)

• How to choose a roof membrane by budget, climate, and building use

• Roof membrane attachment methods: fully adhered, mechanically fastened, ballasted

⏱️ Chapters:

(0:00) What Is a Low-Slope Roof Membrane

(1:07) Free Study Notes

(1:48) Sloped vs Low-Slope Roof

(2:40) Why Shingles Fail

(3:16) Built-Up vs. Single-Ply Roofing

(5:30) Built-Up Roofing (BUR)

(8:06) Modified Bitumen Roofing

(10:30) EPDM Roofing

(12:36) TPO Roofing

(14:24) PVC Roofing

(16:39) How to Choose a Roof Membrane

(19:12) How a Roof Membrane Stays Put

(20:19) Roof Membrane Recap

(21:55) Study with Young Architect

📖 Read the full blog post

📝 Download the FREE Roof Membranes study notes

🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership

🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp

📚 Individual courses covered in this episode:

• PPD 101

• PDD 101

• Building Systems 101