ARE 5.0: Project Development and Documentation

Project Development and Documentation (PDD) is the point in the ARE 5.0 where architectural intent becomes a set of coordinated instructions that a contractor can build from. It is not primarily a design exam. It is a technical documentation exam that tests whether you can translate design decisions into constructible assemblies, accurate drawings, clear specifications, and coordinated information across disciplines.

In practice, PDD is where many project risks either get controlled or quietly multiplied. Missing details, inconsistent wall types, uncoordinated structural grids, and vague specifications do not just create RFIs. They can drive change orders, schedule delays, and quality problems that follow the building for decades. The exam’s emphasis on construction documents, specifications, and coordination reflects that reality.

What PDD is really testing

PDD evaluates your ability to develop and document a building so it can be permitted, priced, and constructed. That includes:

• Selecting and detailing building assemblies that satisfy code and performance needs
• Coordinating architectural drawings with structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and civil information
• Producing documentation that is internally consistent, technically accurate, and buildable
• Understanding how specifications and drawings work together as contract documents

The exam sits in the “late design” phase, when decisions have consequences. A roof assembly is no longer a diagram. It is flashing, insulation, slope, drainage, penetrations, and connections to parapets or walls. A door is no longer a symbol. It is a rated opening with hardware, clearances, accessibility requirements, and a schedule that matches the plans.

Construction documents: clarity, completeness, and coordination

Construction documents are not a single deliverable. They are a system of information that must align. The primary challenge is not knowing what a wall section looks like. It is ensuring that every representation of that wall says the same thing.

Drawing set organization and hierarchy

A coordinated set relies on predictable structure:

• Plans show location and scope
• Enlarged plans clarify complex areas like toilet rooms, kitchens, labs, and lobbies
• Sections and details explain assemblies and connections
• Schedules specify components and performance criteria (doors, windows, finishes, equipment)
• Notes define requirements that are not practical to draw repeatedly

Good documentation uses hierarchy. General notes set broad standards. Keynotes point to specific requirements. Details resolve conditions that could otherwise become interpretation in the field.

Typical coordination pain points

PDD commonly focuses on issues that create conflicts between disciplines or within the architectural set:

• Wall types that do not match between plans, sections, and details
• Floor-to-floor heights that do not allow for structure and MEP distribution
• Curtain wall or window head conditions that conflict with structural beams
• Roof slopes and drains that contradict reflected roof plans and sections
• Door ratings, hardware sets, and egress requirements that conflict with code intent
• Penetrations and sleeves not aligned with fire-resistance requirements

The practical lens is simple: if a contractor can reasonably build it without guessing, the documentation is likely doing its job.

Specifications: the other half of the instructions

A building is not built from drawings alone. Specifications define quality, performance, testing, tolerances, execution requirements, and submittals in a way drawings cannot.

How drawings and specs divide responsibilities

Drawings are best at geometry and location. Specifications are best at:

• Material standards and acceptable manufacturers or basis-of-design
• Performance requirements (fire ratings, acoustics, wind resistance, thermal properties)
• Installation methods, preparation, and sequencing requirements
• Quality control, mockups, testing, and closeout documentation

A common documentation mistake is relying on a note like “provide waterproofing” without defining the system, thickness, terminations, compatibility, or testing. In a well-written spec, waterproofing includes substrate prep, priming, laps, terminations, protection, and field testing where applicable.

Specifications as risk management

Specifications also function as risk control. Clear requirements reduce substitution battles and clarify what is included in the contract sum. They help align expectations among the owner, contractor, and design team.

In PDD terms, you should understand that ambiguity is expensive. If drawings suggest one intent and specs suggest another, the conflict will be resolved through contractual interpretation, not design preference.

Detailing building assemblies: performance drives the details

PDD expects you to think in assemblies. A detail is not decoration. It is a solution to water, air, heat, movement, fire, sound, and gravity.

Building enclosure fundamentals

Most enclosure details are about continuity:

• Water control layer: sheds bulk water and directs it out
• Air barrier: controls air leakage and supports energy performance
• Vapor control: manages diffusion risk based on climate and assembly
• Thermal layer: maintains required insulation values and limits thermal bridging

Details at transitions matter more than field conditions. Roof-to-wall, window-to-wall, slab edge, balcony, parapet, and expansion joints are frequent failure points because continuity is hardest there.

Fire-resistance and life safety documentation

Fire and life safety requirements show up across drawings and specs:

• Fire-resistance-rated assemblies must be consistent with tested assemblies and documented clearly
• Penetrations must be protected with appropriate systems
• Opening protectives (rated doors, frames, glazing) must match the wall rating and use case
• Egress paths, door swings, and required clear widths must align with accessibility and code intent

Even without quoting code sections, the expectation is that you can recognize when a condition triggers a rating or protection requirement and document it correctly.

Accessibility and constructability

Accessibility is not only about compliant clearances in plan. It shows up in details and coordination:

• Floor elevations at entries, thresholds, and toilet rooms
• Fixture mounting heights and clearances
• Hardware, door clearances, and maneuvering space
• Coordination with structural elements that might encroach into required space

Constructability is the companion concept. If your detail requires impossible sequencing or assumes perfect tolerances, it will fail in the field.

Interdisciplinary coordination: where projects succeed or unravel

Coordination is the central professional skill PDD rewards. Buildings are systems, and each discipline draws only part of the reality.

Structural coordination

Architectural documentation must account for:

• Column grids and offsets
• Beam depths affecting ceiling heights and soffits
• Lateral systems that constrain openings and layouts
• Slab edges, embeds, and support for facade systems

A typical coordination task is ensuring a large opening in a shear wall is either avoided or properly designed, then reflected correctly in architectural plans and details.

MEP coordination

Mechanical and electrical systems drive space needs and penetrations:

• Ductwork and piping require vertical shafts and horizontal plenum space
• Equipment needs access clearances and service routes
• Diffusers, sprinklers, lights, and detectors must be coordinated in reflected ceiling plans
• Fire dampers, smoke dampers, and rated shaft requirements must be documented

The exam’s logic mirrors real projects: if you do not reserve space early and document it clearly, you will compromise ceilings, structure, or program later.

Quality control in documentation: checking like a professional

PDD is as much about disciplined review as it is about knowledge. A strong approach is to think in check cycles:

• Consistency checks: wall tags match schedules; schedules match details; details match specs
• Clash checks: structure vs ceiling heights; duct routes vs beams; plumbing stacks vs framing
• Continuity checks: air, water, and thermal layers remain continuous at transitions
• Life safety checks: ratings, egress, and accessibility remain intact after coordination changes

On real projects, these checks happen through redlines, model coordination, and sheet reviews. The exam tests whether you can spot the same issues in problem scenarios.

What “good” looks like in PDD terms

Successful project development and documentation is not about producing more drawings. It is about producing the right information, clearly, and in alignment across the full set. A coordinated detail that resolves water management at a window head, aligns with the wall type on plan, references the correct spec section, and respects structural constraints is the essence of PDD competence.

PDD ultimately reflects the architect’s public role: protecting health, safety, and welfare by ensuring that design intent becomes a safe, durable, code-compliant building. When you can document assemblies, write and interpret specifications, and coordinate across disciplines with precision, you are doing the work the exam is designed to measure.