I thought Architects weren't supposed to direct means and methods

Construction & Evaluation
1

NCARB CE Practice exam:

On November 14th, temperatures are expected to drop below freezing at the multifamily condominium project site. Temperatures will return to above freezing by November 16th. Which of the following suggestions should the architect make to the contractor to keep the project on schedule?

  • Check the three that apply.

    A. Delay plumbing rough-in

    B. Reschedule cabinet installation

    C. Delay drywall taping and painting

    D. Provide temporary heating to interior spaces

    E. Continue with the floor underlayment installation

    F. Reschedule concrete sealing for November 16th or 17th

Every single one of these options means I as the Architect am now engaging with the Construction Schedule and in the case of providing the temp heat to help the drywall mud cure - I’m getting into means and methods.

I got this practice exam question right - but the whole time I was thinking ’

“NCARB shouldn’t have even allowed this question to go out in the first place. It’s a total negation of what they’ve been hammering in this whole time - we do not get involved with Construction Scheduling…”

Am I missing something here?

2

Hi @aidenjh - I think it’s great that you’re scrutinizing NCARB’s mock exam questions like this, and moreso, that you’re getting these answers correct even when you disagree with the premise of the question.

I agree with your take - if a contractor asked me what to do in this situation, I would punt it back to them. It’s also pretty unlikely that this situation would occur in real life in my experience.

I think this question is part of the exam because NCARB wants to test your knowledge of construction sequencing, cause and effect, and means and methods, because you should be knowledgable about these things even if they’re not an architect’s responsibility. So, you may come across some questions that have sort of silly, unrealistic scenarios - I would take them with a grain of salt (like you have here).

3

Thanks Chris that really helps just to hear confirmation that I’m not somehow missing something huge.