Which answer is NCARB looking for
I failed PPD today for the third time (my second attempt was in spring of 2019 and my first was summer of 2018) and I'm feeling very down on myself. One of the items I struggled with was whether NCARB wants the technically correct answer, or the correct answer according to the code. For example (this example is changed so as not to give anything away and breach any rules) - if I'm asked to calculate some sort of width or occupant load and it amounts to smaller than the code-required minimum, does NCARB want the answer calculated answer or does it want me to override that with the code-compliant answer? There are instances when these numbers do amount to less than the required number, and in practice we know to round up to the minimum per code. Thanks!
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So let's say you are calculating an egress stair's width and it comes out to 23". Obviously, you need to default the the IBC minimum stair width.
If 2 different rules apply at the same time - say zoning and the IBC - then you go with the most stringent answer.
The ARE 'book' answer is correct. Sometimes the 'real world' doesn't apply. The 'real world' answer varies depending on whether you are in a rural area or the city and climate zone and cost.
Hope this helps!
Rebekka O'Melia, Registered Architect, NCARB, B. Arch, M. Ed, Step UP, Step UP ARE 5.0 Courses
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Other piece advice I would offer is that I HIGHLY doubt that the ARE is going to ask you to give an answer that is not a code-compliant condition. Using Rebekka's example above where you end up with only 23", and as you know that's too narrow, I strongly feel that the question would either A) be worded as such where it is clear you are to answer it with the "minimum code-required width" or B) they give you the excerpt from the Code that both tells you how to calculate stair width and the paragraph that says the minimum width required. If Option B is how they present the question to you, the ARE is trying to trick you intentionally because they want to make sure that you read both excerpts they provided. Meaning, "yeah you calculated 23 inches using this part of the code, but did you also read the section that we gave you that says minimum is 3'-8"? And therefore, do you understand that the 3'-8" trumps over the 23 inches?" That's the point of questions like that - they want to make sure you understand the concept of the stricter requirement applying.
Circling back to my original statement and using this same example, I strongly, strongly doubt that you would ever get a question where the answer would ever be 23", because that is too narrow of a stair per Code. I personally did not encounter anything like that. Hope that helps and makes sense.
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