072 - B101 in 35 Minutes: The Owner-Architect Agreement

AIA B101 is the most important contract in architecture, and most people working under it have never actually read it. This episode breaks down the entire B101 owner-architect agreement in 30 minutes, covering all 13 articles in plain English. You'll learn the four lenses framework for reading any AIA contract: scope of services, standard of care, responsibility and authority, and the money question. Every article in B101 maps to one of these four ideas, and once you see the pattern, the contract stops being intimidating. We cover the five design phases and the repeating approval rhythm, the critical boundary between what the architect designs and how the contractor builds it, supplemental vs additional services and the three-step process that protects the architect's fee, copyright and licensing, dispute resolution, and the 90-day cumulative suspension threshold. 📝 Key topics covered: The four lenses framework for reading AIA B101 Five design phases and the approval gate pattern Means and methods: architect vs contractor territory Basic, supplemental, and additional services Stop, notify, wait: protecting the architect's fee Substantial completion and the 10-year claims clock ⏱️ Chapters: (0:00) The Contract Nobody Read (0:58) AIA B101 Overview in 30 Minutes (3:21) Free B101 Study Notes (4:05) What Is the Owner-Architect Agreement? (6:50) The Four Lenses Framework (10:13) B101 Initial Information and Standard of Care (13:19) Architect's Basic Services and Design Phases (18:08) Supplemental and Additional Services (20:55) Architect Compensation and Cost of the Work (22:51) Owner's Responsibilities Under B101 (24:58) Copyright, Disputes, and Termination (26:34) How Disputes Get Resolved (28:16) B101 Termination & Suspension Rules (29:57) Miscellaneous Provisions & Final Terms (31:39) B101 Recap: The Four Lenses (33:12) AIA Contracts 101 Course 📖 Read the full blog post 📝 Download the FREE B101 study notes 🎯 Join our 10-week ARE Boot Camp 🎯 Get access to all ARE study materials with the ARE 101 Membership 📚 Individual ARE Exam Courses: AIA Contracts 101 PcM 101 (Practice Management) PjM 101 (Project Management) CE 101 (Construction and Evaluation) PA 101 (Programming and Analysis) PPD 101 (Project Planning and Design) PDD 101 (Construction Documents and Specs) Building Codes 101 Mechanical Systems 101 CDT 101 (Construction Documents Technologist)