Does AIA Contract Documents publish a document for master planning services?
Yes, AIA Document B212–2024, Standard Form of Architect’s Services: Master Planning establishes duties and responsibilities where the architect provides the owner with master planning services. This scope provides a menu of choices of master planning services set forth in a table containing four phases: (i) Inventory, Research, and Data Gathering; (ii) Analysis, Assessment, and Recommendation; (iii) Design Alternatives; and (iv) Finalization of Master Plan.
Can B212-2024 be used by itself?
No, B212–2024 is a scope of services document only and may not be used as a stand-alone owner-architect agreement. B212-2024 may be used in two ways: (1) incorporated into an owner-architect agreement as the architect’s sole scope of services or in conjunction with another scope of services document, or (2) attached as an exhibit to an existing owner-architect agreement.
How is the scope of the architect’s master planning services defined in B212–2024?
B212-2024 is a scope of services document that may be used with an owner-architect agreement to provide a sole scope of services or it may be incorporated into any owner-architect agreement. The architect provides only the services that are specifically designated as the architect’s responsibility in each subsection of the table. The master planning services set forth in the table are the activities that should be undertaken by the architect to produce the Master Plan, but the services may not necessarily be performed in the sequence set forth in the table or in an entirely linear manner.
How is B212-2024 different from the previous regional or urban planning document (B212™–2010)?
B212–2024 replaces B212™–2010, Standard Form of Architect’s Services: Regional or Urban Planning and includes several notable changes. B212–2024 was also updated to tailor the architect’s services to master planning, and further, reflect changes in the industry since the prior version. For example, B212-2024 now includes: (1) provisions describing the research and analysis of existing buildings and facilities onsite; (2) updated description of research and analyses relating to cultural factors of the sites; (3) designated services for research and analysis of mobility, parking, safety and security, and space utilization on the site; (4) options for the Architect to prepare plans for site utilization design alternatives and design guidelines; and (5) a detailed description of the Master Plan.
How does B212-2024 differ from AIA Document C205™-2024 Standard Form of Consultant’s Services for Regional or Urban Planning?
AIA Document B212-2024 and AIA Document C205-2024 are related scopes of services documents, but they have distinct focuses and purposes. Some key differences between these documents include the following:
(1) Scope of Services: B212-2024 is designed for master planning projects for physical spaces that usually have multiple buildings, such as a hospital, campus, or educational campus. B212-2024 is written to account for a more limited scope of services than in larger-scale projects and it is more detailed with regard to architectural design visioning for future buildings and physical space on the project. B212-2024 focuses more on the architectural contextual relationships of existing and potential future buildings on the site. As a final deliverable, the Master Plan focuses on the physical design of the Project for the purpose of future development.
In contrast, C205-2024, Regional or Urban Planning scope of services focuses on conceptual issues relevant to planning at a larger scale, typically in the context of a city or region. C205-2024 anticipates planning for conceptual issues like infrastructure, mobility, social equity, and zoning. As a final deliverable, the Plan may contain goals such as creating equitable opportunities for different demographics throughout a large territory through the enactment of, or recommended changes to, jurisdictional policies.
(2) Scale of Engagement: B212-2024 is designed for services on smaller scale projects than the C205-2024. Projects that use B212-2024 are often done at “campus” scale. In contrast, the scale of projects suitable for the C205-2024 is much larger and typically consist of an entire region with multiple sites.
(3) Clientele: B212-2024 anticipates the client-owner to be a private or governmental owner-entity. Whereas, C205-2024 anticipates the client-owner to be a city, municipality, or other government agencies.