ARCHITECTURE LICENSURE EXAMINATION

MOCK EXAM FOR AREA 3 (DESIGN) 08:00 AM – 06:00 PM

DESIGN PROBLEM NO. 1 – 5-STOREY APARTMENT

I. A rich businessman saw a profitable opportunity in a 3-storey old building built in a lot in Cubao, Quezon
City. His secretary researched for known architects in the area. They eventually hired the QC-based architect
partners Valencia + Palanca to design a low-rise apartment building to be built in the said lot and to manage
its construction. The businessman will enter into a single prime contract with the design firm to avoid the
hassle of multiple communications with different people. The main target market of the apartment building is
the employees of the BPO companies in Cubao.

II. The businessman requires that the lot be maximized to its full development potential with 2 side firewalls. He
requires an apartment building with 5 floors and a roof deck. All building laws and codes must be complied.
The maximum TGFA allowable for the lot is 12 x 80%. He expects an administration room on the ground
floor and 4 units in each of the floors above. Each unit must house at least 6 employees served with one 1 full
bathroom and a separate shower enclosure. An extra shared bathroom is provided in each floor accessible to
the hallway. The roof deck will have parapet walls around. The businessman wants the roofdeck accessible by
the building leasees for whatever uses.

III. The 3-storey building is built in a 15m x 270sqm rectangular lot. One of the longer sides faces east while the
single frontage faces south and the public RROW which has a 1.2m sidewalk. The site uniformly slopes 3%
upward towards the rear. Once the old building is demolished and the new apartment building is constructed,
the businessman expects good profit from the rental of the units.

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DESIGN PROBLEM NO. 2 – 2-STOREY RESIDENTIAL HOUSE

I. A 30-year old single government employee wanted to build a house since he believes he will soon meet his
wife in two years. He bought a lot in a subdivision zoned as medium density residential and located along
Araneta Avenue in Bulacan. He wants a 2-storey, 2-bedroom house since he plans to have only one kid. From
the initial interview, he is okay with the idea of a house with a firewall since he wants to achieve as much
floor area as possible from his 8-year savings. His co-worker recommended an architect based in nearby
Quezon City and he liked him. They entered into a contract where the architect will design and manage the
construction of his dream home.

II. The site is a rectangular inside lot with 7.5m frontage on the south and an area of 75 sqm. It is sloping
downwards towards the rear by 1:75.

III. The requirements the client mentioned are:

a. The ground floor will have the typical living room, kitchen, dining area and a toilet and bath. The stairs
going to the second floor is located in the southwest portion along the firewall side.
b. The second floor will house the 2 bedrooms and occupying the maximum allowable building footprint.
c. A 5m x 3m paved carport is located in the southeast and perpendicular the RROW.
d. The hallway and stairs serve as buffer spaces for the traffic sounds from the road.
e. The remaining of the open spaces will be converted into permeable gardens with natural grass and plants
because the client himself is a certified “plantito” hoping to marry a “plantita”.

IV. The architect is expected to satisfy the needs of the client considering the requirements of the building code,
spatial comfort, functionality and aesthetics.

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DESIGN PROBLEM NO. 3 – TWO-LEVEL SINGLE DETACHED RESIDENTIAL HOUSE

I. You were hired by Delos Santos family to design their house in their newly bought site located in Biñan,
Laguna. To describe the family, Mr. Delos Santos is a real estate broker who likes woodworking. His wife,
Mrs. Delos Santos is an accountant who likes gardening and collecting native or indigenous plants. Their two
daughters likes weight-lifting with the older one having won multiple local competitions. The siblings are
very close to each other.

II. The project site is a corner lot in an exclusive executive subdivision in Biñan, Laguna, cornering the streets of
Sampaguita which runs N-E and Rosas which runs S-E . Both roads serve as the primary roads for this
project. The following lot descriptions were given:

III. Line 1-2 is bounded by a private lot, Line 2-6 by road lot and Line 6-1 by a private lot. The site slopes
downward towards Rosas St. by 2%.

IV. From the multiple interviews, the summary of their requirements are as follows:
a. The family likes the famous Francisco Mañosa and wants a house that embodies Filipino culture in terms
of materials and aesthetics. Wood parquet is the preferred finish for the bedrooms. The façade shall
incorporate wood finishes and natural stones which will compliment the surrounding gardens.
b. A covered and paved carport is desired on the northern corner of the lot, measuring 6m x 5.5m and
abutting Sampaguita street. As much as possible all remaining open spaces will be permeable gardens.
Adding to the paved carport, a paved 1.5m x 15 sqm wide path on the front yard is provided to serve as
path from the carport to the living area.
c. The ground floor will house the 30sqm enclosed woodworking area on the northwest, a living room on
southeast, dining room and other areas.
d. The second floor will have a master bedroom facing both the roads. A shared bedroom for the two
daughters is provided along with an adjacent 34 sqm weightlifting room on the NW side. The rest will
accommodate the hallway and stairs. The second floor will maximize the allowable building footprint.

V. The architect is expected to satisfy the needs and requirements of the family, considering the requirements of
the code and the subdivision.

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DESIGN PROBLEM NO. 4 – 2-STOREY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AND TRAINING CENTER

I. The Philippine Government is planning to develop a construction training center as part of Baguio Teacher’s
Camp to further enhance and improve the professional practice of all professionals involved in the
construction industry. This project is a joint venture between TESDA, PRC and DEPED. Using the developed
programs for various aspects of the construction industry, this new building will be a world-class training
center by offering short courses for architecture and engineering.

II. The following design development data has been developed so far:
a. An entrance deck measuring 25m wide x 125 sqm fronts the right corner of the building. A lobby which
includes the stairs to the second floor is connected to the entrance deck and has an area of 189 sqm and
width of 21m. To the right of this lobby is the 4m wide 24m long side deck also adjoining the entrance
deck, and on its rear is a 315 sqm business center.
b. A 750 sqm workshop fronts the main road at minimum setback and is connected to 3 storage rooms on its
left via the delivery dock. Storage 1 and 2 are both 10m wide and 25m long while the third storage is 15m
wide x 375 sqm located on the leftmost portion of the building. All of them including the workshop and
business center adjoins the delivery dock with a width of 65m x 4m long which is used for deliveries
coming from the rear open space.
c. A 6m wide front and right side yard are landscaped with indigenous plants and trees.
d. More spaces are provided on the second floor. Another storage with a size of 15m x 20m is located above
the third storage. Another smaller workshop 20m x 20m is above the storage 1 and 2. On the east side of
this smaller workshop is a multipurpose hall measuring 30m x 750 sqm. All of them adjoins a shared
balcony 35m wide x 175 sqm overlooking the view and the front yard.
e. Two departments offices are also on the second floor – an administration department measuring 17m x
15m and training department measuring 17m x 14m. Both offices have access to 4m wide 29m long
balcony facing the secondary road.
f. A 4m wide corridor connects all the major spaces in the second floor. This corridor runs above and
parallel to the delivery dock and between the multi-purpose hall and the offices. It is measured 94m long
on its centerline.
g. A multipurpose open space 105m wide and 30m long is located on the north side of the lot. This open
space abutts the secondary road on its short side and is connected to the main road by a 6.5m driveway on
southwest corner of the lot. The driveway is separated to the main building by a landscape strip 2.5m
wide and 29m long.
h. The ground floor level is elevated 450mm above the sidewalk on main road. The entrance and side decks
along with the delivery dock is 150mm lower than the ground floor level.

III. The project site is part of the Baguio Teacher’s Camp. The training center is proposed in a rectangular 65m
deep corner lot bounded by 18m main road on the south and 15m secondary road on the east. The camp is
zoned as General Institutional (GI) but maintains its own development requirements such as the the 6m
setback for all sides abutting any roads and 5m on all the other sides. The site uniformly slopes 2% downward
towards the north. The secondary road and its sidewalk also slopes 2% away from the intersection.

IV. The chosen firm to design and manage the construction of this building is expected to deliver the best service
and appropriate design considerations to uplift Filipino professionals and the construction industry.

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