I’m curious if they were to ever ask between 86% and 55% - where is the threshold?
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or is 70’s always ideal?
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I think this would depend on the type of building. A lab space dealing with hazardous materials would likely have extra SF for HVAC and safety precautions. When I tested, it was typical to assign 15-20% circulation/accessory space for small building, and 20-30% for larger buildings.
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What are the types of building cost methods?
I know assembly, order of magnitude, …?
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very helpful, thank you
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Can you provide the book name and author for preliminary cost estimate you referenced for question B5?
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Hi @allison.vanheugten & welcome to the ARE Community!
@marcteer Do you have the name of the book Mike referenced for question 5?
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I said 96% as well, only because we weren’t provided with any additional information other than the size of the building. If the question is only asking for what we’re hoping the % is don’t we want that to be as high as possible? I disagree with 96% being unrealistic or poorly designed, I think its something that should be aspired to if possible. Is there a specific text reference within the NCARB test references that would state if there is a % threshold? Otherwise the question is subject to the test taker/test creators opinion and not based on a stated parameter.
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How do you know if NCARB is referring to unit system and not unit cost (done in bidding)?
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Hey @gloriaw92 and @allison.vanheugten; check out AHPP chapter 10.3. It lists different types of cost estimating for construction and fees.
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I would say the question context should cue you here. In Mike’s example, it says ‘at the beginning’ of the project, which would indicate the project isn’t in the bidding phase as of yet.
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Thank you!
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bigger font! html?
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Laurie, that’s a good point.
My hunch here is that Mike’s posing the question to get us thinking about efficiency ratios.
I agree with you that NCARB would likely give you more information, which would help you make the right decision. I think in practice, you nearly always have stairs, or bathrooms, or mechanical rooms, etc, so the building efficiency is nearly always impacted by that, and as an architect, it’s important to be aware of how your design is impacting the building efficiency, and work to get it as high as is reasonable- which does vary by building type…
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YAY JAMIE!!! you got the T- SHIRRT!!!
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what was that discount code?
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Thank you so much Cat! 
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I have a lot of trouble with this format. I logged in late. Where are the answers?
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Hi @clifford.marvin sorry you had trouble with this. I’ll email you the recording of this live. (all of the answers are in the video)
Thank you. It’s the switching back and forth from the live session and this chat feature. I find it irritating. Perhaps if I had a wider screen or two screens it wouldn’t be so onerous.