Standard of Care Is Not Perfection - and That Distinction Is Testable
One of the most important concepts in architectural practice - and in the ARE PcM exam - is the standard of care. Candidates often misunderstand it, assuming that the standard of care means the architect must produce error-free work. It does not. The standard of care is a comparative standard: architects must perform services at the level of skill and care ordinarily provided by architects practicing in similar circumstances in the same geographic area at the same time.
This language appears almost verbatim in AIA B101, Article 2: "The Architect shall perform its services consistent with the professional skill and care ordinarily provided by architects practicing in the same or similar locality under the same or similar circumstances." The phrase "ordinarily provided" is key - it sets a peer comparison standard, not a perfection standard.
What Standard of Care Means in Practice
The standard of care defines the baseline of competence a licensed architect is expected to bring to their work. It means the architect must:
- Apply the knowledge and skill that a reasonable, competent architect would apply in similar circumstances
- Keep current with codes, standards, and construction practices relevant to their work
- Coordinate their own work and the work of subconsultants they retain
- Promptly communicate to the owner any information that would affect the project
- Review contractor submittals for general conformance with design intent
The standard of care does NOT require the architect to: guarantee the contractor's work, ensure zero defects in documents, predict future code changes, or warrant that a project will perform to any specific standard beyond reasonable professional expectations.
How Standard of Care Is Established in a Dispute
When an architect is accused of falling below the standard of care, the dispute is typically resolved through expert testimony. An architect expert witness testifies about what a reasonably competent practitioner would have done in the same situation. Courts and arbitrators then compare the accused architect's actions against that peer standard. This is why context matters - "similar circumstances" and "same locality" are genuine factors that affect what is expected.
Standard of Care vs. Warranty vs. Guarantee
Architects should resist contractual language that elevates their obligation beyond the standard of care. Phrases like "the architect warrants the accuracy of all drawings" or "the architect guarantees the design will achieve LEED Gold certification" create obligations that go beyond the professional standard and expose the firm to liability it cannot control. AIA contracts deliberately use standard of care language to avoid warranty-level obligations.
Geographic and Time Component
The standard is locality-based - what is expected of an architect in New York City may differ from what is expected in a rural market. It is also time-based - the standard reflects contemporary practice, which means the standard of care evolves as technology, code requirements, and building practices change. An architect practicing today is held to today's standard, not the standard from when they graduated.
Key Exam Points
- Standard of care = skill and care of a reasonably competent peer in similar circumstances.
- It is NOT a perfection standard - mistakes can occur without breaching the standard of care.
- Contractual warranties or guarantees create higher-than-standard obligations - avoid them.
- Standard of care is locality- and time-specific.
- AIA B101 Article 2 contains the standard of care language.
Study PcM on AREprep
AREprep’s PcM flashcards cover every concept on this exam with spaced repetition, and the practice exams mirror the real question formats so the actual test feels familiar.