Author: Haroon Khalil

The height of a building is its height above the ground level. For a flat roof construction adjoining a street, the height is defined as the vertical distance from the highest point of the roof of the building to the average level of the centre line of the adjoining street. For a sloped roof without…

This is the usable area of a building. In a residential building, it will exclude verandah, bathrooms, staircases, etc., and is about 50–65% of the total area.

It is the plinth area minus the area occupied by wall, door, openings, etc. Floor area ratio (FAR) is also known as floor space index (FSI) which is given as An FSI of 1.5 is now-a-days allowed for flats in most cities.

This is the ground area covered immediately above the plinth level by the building.

This is a line usually parallel to the plot boundaries, marked by the municipal regulations beyond which nothing can be constructed.

This is the line corresponding to the plinth (discussed in next section) of a building which adjoins the street or extension of the street. As per the municipal regulations, a minimum distance has to be maintained between the building line and the nearest edge line of the street.

Classification of buildings as per National Buildings Organization is dealt in Section 14.3. Irrespective of the type of building, some of the terminologies and basic requirements for certain components of building (discussed in the next section) are necessary to know which are discussed below.

The basic objective of planning of buildings is to arrange all the units according to their functional requirements. This has to be achieved making best use of the space available. The plan has to be prepared based on the factors such as climatic conditions, location of site, accommodation requirements, surrounding environment, local bylaws, etc. In…

Under this classification, buildings are classified into four categories based on the fire resistance offered by a building as Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4. Type 1: That provides 4 hours fire resistance. Type 2: That provides 3 hours fire resistance. Type 3: That provides 2 hours fire resistance. Type 4: That…

Under occupancy classification, buildings are grouped under the categories mentioned below. 1. Residential Buildings These include any building in which sleeping accommodation is provided for normal residential purposes, with or without cooling or dining or both facilities (e.g., houses, lodges, dormitories, apartment houses (flats), hotels, etc.). 2. Educational Buildings These include any building used for…