This document summarizes key principles of building planning, including aspect, prospect, privacy, grouping, roominess, furniture requirements, circulation, sanitation, elegance, economy, safety, and noise control. It also discusses building byelaws and their importance in regulating setbacks, building heights, floor space indices (FSI), and open space requirements to facilitate planning and ensure safety. Key factors in planning include positioning rooms for optimal sunlight, ventilation, and views while maintaining privacy. Proper grouping and circulation are also essential for functionality and comfort.

1. Building Planning
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Model Answers to the University Exam questions
Unit - 2 - Building Planning
1) Enlist the different principles of Planning. Explain two of them in detail.//Discuss the following principles
of Planning i) Circulation, ii) Elegance, iii) Sanitation. // What is the Importance of ‘Aspect’ & ‘Prospect’ in
the planning of building? // What is the orientation of i) Kitchen, ii) Bed Room, iii) Living Room in building
Design? // What are the factors considered in planning of building? // Enlist the different principles of
Planning. Explain in brief any three. //
Answer:
Following basic principles of planning should be considered while planning the building.
1)Aspect 2) Prospect 3) Privacy 4) Grouping 5) Roominess
6) Furniture Requirement 7) Circulation 8) Sanitation 9) Elegance 10) Economy
11) Safety 12) Noise Control
1) Aspect:-
 Aspect means a skillful arrangement of rooms, doors
and windows in building in such a way that the
occupants enjoy the natural gifts like sunshine, breeze,
scenery etc.
 The aspect considers a proper placement of different
rooms in the building according to their activities.
 Fig shows the “aspect diagram” which indicates general
directional arrangement of various rooms.
 Aspect depends on climate conditions of sun, wind and
rain in the region for different seasons.
 Aspect ensures comfort and proper hygienic
conditions.
Aspect Table:
Room Desired
Aspect
Notation Purpose
Study, Reading
Room
Northern N  Diffused and evenly distributed lights is obtained from north
 Direct glare on eyes is eliminated
Bed Rooms Western
South-West
W
SW
 In winter chilled wind from NW cannot reach here
 In summer cool breeze reaches from SW
Kitchen,
Dining
Eastern E  Morning Sun rays purify and refresh kitchen air
 Kitchen is kept cool during later part of the day
Living rooms Southern
South-East
S
SE
 In winter direct sun rays from south enter to keep rooms
warm and in summer north sun rays are avoided to enter in
rooms
Passages,
corridors
Western
South-West
W
SW
 To avoid cold wind in winter
 In summer cool breeze reaches from SW
2) Prospect
It is about locating and selecting types of doors and windows so as to reveal pleasant features and conceal
undesirable features of the buildings from a person viewing from outside.
(i) Aspect and prospect, both are primary considerations determined by the disposition of doors and windows
in the external walls of the building but there is a difference between two.
Study Room
KitchenBed Room
Living Hall
Entrance
Dining
N
S
EW
Breeze
Winter Wind
Aspect Diagram
View Desired
Outside
Inside
Less View
Outside
Inside
Observer Observer
Outside
Inside
Observer
Concealment of unwanted view
ViewView
Outside
Inside
Observer
ViewView
View
(a) (b) (c) (d)

2. Building Planning
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(ii) Prospect is the arrangement of windows in the external walls which allows the inside viewer to enjoy the
outside pleasant view such as garden scenery etc. and at the same time, conceal the undesirable views
outside.
(iii) Thus prospect is decided by the views derived by the occupant from the certain part of the building. Prospect
depends on the surroundings of the building.
(iv) Good prospect can be provided by projecting windows, inclined breakers, blind walls, galleries etc.
(v) The figures show how to achieve best possible prospect from window projections. Desireable views are
made visible by projecting windows in that directions and undesirable views are kept hidden by using
concealment walls.
3) Privacy
(i) Proper privacy is one of the primary needs.
(ii) Privacy of the entire building from the
surrounding buildings, streets and byways is
necessary.
(iii) It is provided by keeping windows at high
levels from outside road or ground and by
growing plants and trees around the building.
(iv) Privacy within the different rooms of the same
building is also equally important.
(v) This internal privacy can be provided by
screens, shelters, shutters, partitions, lobbies
etc.
(vi) The internal privacy can be achieved by
providing doors at proper places and hanging
shutters.
(vii) Figure shows effect of door placement on privacy. A double leaf door placed at the center of short wall
provides no privacy because a viewer in front of the door can see almost everything inside the room. On
the other hand a single leaf door placed on one side of long wall provides very good privacy because very
small part of the room is visible from outside the door.
(viii)Thus privacy can be obtained by
a) Correct disposition of doors and windows.
b) Nontransparent glasses fitted to windows and partitions
c) Curtains of windows and doors
d) Providing windows at high levels
e) Providing separate entrance to every room through the passage.
4) Grouping:-
a) Grouping means disposition of various rooms in the building for the convenience of users and their utility.
b) A dining room should be close to the kitchen, white sanitary block should be away from kitchen, but
convenient to bedrooms. In case of offices, administrative department is located centrally. In factories,
various sections are located such that product moves in one direction to get finally assembled after least
movement.
c) In residential buildings grouping is to achieve comfort, privacy and efficiency while in the case of other
buildings it is to achieve economical service.
d) Generally any building has many rooms, units or apartments having different but definite functions.
Arrangement of different rooms according to their functions known as grouping.
e) Grouping should be such that the function of each room is performed smoothly. The movement should be
easy.
f) Figure (a) shows a good example of grouping of residential building. The sanitary blocks should be near
the bedroom as well as kitchen. It should be connected to each room independently. Kitchen and dining
room should be adjacent. Living room should be next to reception room. Kitchen and bedroom should
have approach from living room. Passage should be minimum and staircase should be near to maximum
rooms.
g) Figure (b) shows bad grouping of residential building. The drawbacks are obvious. The entrances through
kitchen, sanitary blocks away from room are some of the inconveniences.
h) Figure (c) shows a general grouping of industrial building. The movement of the material from raw state to
the finished product through various shops should be continuous without any interruption. The common
facilities and necessities like canteen, offices etc. are easily accessible to all units of the factory. The watch
and ward units are at the gate of the factory.
Observer
NO PRIVACY
(A)
Observer
GOOD PRIVACY
(B)

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5) Roominess
a) An apparent feeling of spaciousness or extra space created by the shape of the room is known as roominess
b) Increase in room area requires more expenditure. Instead of this, the roominess is produced from the
minimum dimensions of the room by proper shape and arrangement of doors and furniture in it. If the wall
cupboards, lofts, shelves etc. are provided, sufficient floor area is available for use.
c) A rectangular room is felt larger than the square room of the same area. A rectangular room is felt larger in
respect of its utility also.
d) In general, roominess depends on:
a. Dimensions of room
b. Disposition of doors and windows
c. Color system of the room
e) In figure, a ratio of length to breadth (L/B) of 1.2 to1.5 provides desirable roominess but for the ratio
exceeding 2, undesirable roominess creates a bad feeling of tunnel in the room. Small room of large height
produces cave effect and appears to be small.
6) Furniture Requirement
a) The furniture requirement and their sizes can be predetermined considering the type of building,
functions of various rooms and the maximum number of persons using the rooms. Then the sizes and
shapes of various rooms can be planned to provide sufficient space around the furniture placement for
easy movement.
b) Furniture requirement for various rooms may be listed as follows
Study room: - tables, chairs, benches, cupboards etc.
Bedrooms: - bed, easy chairs, dressing table
Living Reception
Bed Room KitchenS
(a)
Good Grouping
Residential Building
Living
Reception
Bed Room Kitchen
S
(b)
Bad Grouping
Residential Building
A B C
DEF
K J I H G
A Raw material stores-
B Foundry-
C Rough Machining-
D Machine Shop-
E Assembly-
F Stores & Dispatch-
G Recreation-
H Sanitary-
I Canteen-
J Offices-
K Watch & ward-
(c)
Good Grouping
Industrial Building
Roominess Effect due to Shape of Room
4 m
6 m
5 m
5 m
Area = 24 sqm
Area = 25 sqm
size of room appears to be
greater than room "B"
Room "A"
Room "B"

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Kitchen: - cooking platform, cupboards, shelves, fridge, dining table & chairs
Living room: - table, chairs, sofa, showcase, TV set etc.
c) The furniture arrangement can be determined by the position of doors and windows.
7) Circulation
a) Circulation means the access or the internal thoroughfare from room to room and from floor to floor.
b) There are two types of circulations (i) horizontal and (ii) vertical
c) The horizontal circulation means the movement on the same floor such as from room to room or within
same room.
d) Horizontal circulation is provided by passages, verandahs, corridors, lobbies, halls etc.
e) The vertical circulation means the movement from floor to floor
f) Vertical circulation is provided by staircase, lifts, elevators etc.
g) Desirable circulation must be short, easy to access, lighted, ventilated and independent of other elements
of building with proper privacy.
h) The following points should be considered in planning circulation:
a. It should be straight.
b. It should be sufficient.
c. It should be sufficiently lighted and ventilated.
d. Stairs should be easily accessible to all the users.
e. Sanitary services should have access for every user through passage lobby.
8) Sanitation
 Sanitation considers provisions of ample light, ventilation, sanitary units and cleaning facilities.
 For healthy and happy living natural light and ventilations are required. Diffused light and good cross
ventilation should be available inside the building.
(i) Light
 Light is necessary for illumination and destroying germs in the rooms.
 Lighting may be natural or artificial or combination of both.
 Natural light can be provided by windows, doors like openings, ducts, etc.
 Use of reflecting colors on walls, tiles along with artificial light also helps in illumination of building
 For industrial building provision of saw tooth roof, north light roofing techniques can be used
(ii) Ventilation
 This is prime requirement to maintain the hygiene of any occupant as lack of fresh air produces illness.
 Natural ventilation may be sought through windows and ventilators.
 As far as possible cross ventilation should be achieved.
 Artificial ventilation may be sought by way of air-conditioning, use of fans, exhaust fans etc.
(iii) Sanitary Units & cleaning facilities
 Ample water supply facilities by way of underground sumps, overhead tanks with pumping facility are
primary requirement of any building
 Sanitary amenities like bathroom, water closets, lavatories, urinals etc. are essential part of concern for any
building.
Desirable
(A)
Undesirable
(B)
Kit Liv
Bed Bed
Desirable
(C)
Undesirable
(D)
Kit Liv
Bed Bed
Horizontal Circulation Vertical Circulation
Saw tooth roof Glazed sheet on north
Fan
Artificial Ventilation
Exhaust Fan
North Light Roofing

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 Cleanliness may be achieved by non-absorbent flooring materials with proper slope, provision of rain water
pipes for terrace, adequate slopes and dados in baths, water closets etc.
9) Elegance
a) A functionally well planned structure may not necessarily invite attention of user due to lack of elegance
b) Thus the principle of elegance deals with beautifying the structure outwardly.
c) Elegance may be improved by combination of the following depending on economy
 Increasing the plinth height of structure
 Use of arches for windows, doors etc
 Different coloring patterns for walls
 Combination of flat and sloped roofing
 Use of decorative (building) materials
 Integration of structure with surroundings by proper landscaping
10) Economy
a) Last but not the least, any planning would fail if the cost incurred is not considered
b) However, a structure requiring less investment initially may prove to be costlier in the long run due to
high maintenance cost.
c) Although one construct house during his life time, a costly structure may not be practically feasible. Hence
an optimum policy should be framed wherein the functional utility, comfort as well as cost of the
structure.
d) No general rules can be made to achieve economy
e) But it can be achieved by keeping the minimum dimensions of rooms, doors, windows, simple design etc.
11) Safety [Q: What Safety precautions are necessary in a building? Explain. // Write a short note on ‘General
Safety of Building’.]
a) Every building should be stable and durable. It should also be safe against fire and lightening.
b) Safety against fire: -
 Every building should be well equipped with the first aid and fire extinguishers, heat and smoke
detectors, alarm system etc.
 In addition to fire fighting equipment, water buckets, sand buckets should also be made available.
 The electrical fittings should be checked from time to time to protect the building from fire due to
short-circuiting.
 The building should be provided with emergency stair-case to escape from fire.
c) Safety against lightening: -
 Generally residential buildings are subjected to the lightening danger.
 Only the tall buildings are likely to be affected.
 Proper lightening protection system should be provided on all important public buildings.
 This system must form a continuous chain of conductors from the roof to the ground so that the stroke
of lightening should be discharged to earth within a short interval of time.
12) Noise control
a) Noise is defined as any undesirable sound of any frequency and any intensity other than the desired
sound.
b) Noise may be either indoor noise or outdoor noise. It may be air borne or structure borne.
 Indoor Noise- caused due to radio, TV, conversation, banging of doors or windows, machinery etc.
 Outdoor noise- caused due to traffic mainly, hawkers, loud speakers etc.
 Air borne noise- carried through air and travel through openings.
 Structure borne noise- carried by structure and difficult to control.

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c) Why Noise control:-
 Noise is unpleasant. It reduces comfort and peace of mine.
 It seriously affects concentration. & it produces heavy strain on brain and nervous system.
d) Noise Control:-
 Site selection- building should be located away from industrial areas, aerodromes, railways and
crowded streets.
 Internal Planning- orientation of building should be such that minimum noise should reach inside the
building.
 Sound Insulation- Sound insulation materials like rubber, felt, corks etc. should be used to fill up the
unwanted holes, small opening and ventilating ducts in wall which otherwise transmit the noise.
 Transmission of noise can also be avoided by using discontinuous and non-homogeneous building
structure
 Noise reduction at sources- one can reduce the noise by knowing the cause of noise. Generally noise
due to impact, friction, turbulence can be reduced up to certain limits by proper lubrication, handling,
use of sound absorbing materials etc.
2) Explain of bye-Laws of building line and open spaces. //Write short note on Building Bye-laws. // What do
you Know by Building Bye-Laws? Write down the specific Bye-Laws for i) Open space requirement, ii)
height of Building, iii) FSI // What is meant by ‘Building Bye-Laws’? Write down the specific bye-laws for
FSI. // What do you know about ‘Building Bye-Laws’? Explain in brief any one. // Give typical values of
space requirements around a building.// Write a short on Building Bye-Laws and their importance. //
Explain Necessity of Building Bye-Laws.
Necessity & Object of Bye Laws-
a) To control haphazard growth in particular area.
b) To facilitate future use of land, widening of roads, to have hygienic environment
c) To ensure proper air, light, ventilation, parking, sanitation and safety of structures
d) To give guide lines to the designer, architect or engineer
e) To control land development
f) To specify the type of materials to be used
g) To afford safety against fire, noise and smoke etc.
Building and Control Line
 Setback Line- It is the front line up to which a building is allowed to extend as compared to the road there
 Building Line- In case of residential building the setback line is termed as building line
 Control Line - In case of industrial building the setback line is termed as control line
 Setback Distance- a minimum distance of setback line from the centre of the occupany road is set down as a limit
by the bye-laws. This limit is called setback distance.
Road Type Minimum setback distance
from building line in meter
Minimum setback distance
from control line in meter
1 National Highway (NH) &
State Highway (SH)
30 45
2 Major District Roads (MDR) 15 24
3 Other District Roads (ODR) 9 15
4 Village Roads (VR) 9 15
Advantages- setback have following advantages
(i) can be used for future road widening
(ii) keep noise and dust away from building
(iii) improves visibility and safety to traffic
(iv) Better light, air and ventilation for building.

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Open Space Requirements-
 Certain open space should be left around the building depending upon air and light requirement of the building
 It also considers parking, future expansion and good approach or access to the other amenities
 Industrial building has some other additional points consideration for open space
 Open space for front, rear and side yards depends upon the height of the building and canbe calculated by using
the following formula
Width of open space in meter =W = 3 + (h-10)/3;
Where, h = height of building in meters < 25 m
 Open space for rear yard for building of height less than 10m should be 3m average but in no case less than 1.8m
 Minimum space around the building is given table below:
Height of building in meter 5 6 9 12 15 18 20 24
Width of open spaces in meters 3 3.3 4 4.7 5.4 6.1 7.4 9
Built-up Area:-
 Plot Area- It is the total area purchased for the proposed building plan
 Carpet Area- This is the floor area of the usable rooms at any floor level. It is the area of construction excluding
wall thickness area.
 Built-up Area- It is the area of construction of building including wall thickness. It is the sum of the construction
areas on all floors of the building.
 Built up area is restricted due to open space requirements. It can be increased to some extent by multistoried
construction
 Regulation on built-up area
Locality Max. permissible Built-up area
covered in percent of plot area
Remark
1) Market area 75 % With Sufficient parking
2) Industrial area 60 %
3) Residential area
(a) Plot less than 200 sq.m. 60 % Up to two storied structure
(b) Plot 200 sq.m. to 500 sq.m. 50 %
(c) Plot 500 sq.m. to 1000 sq.m. 40 %
(d) Plot greater than 1000 sq.m. 33.33 %
Floor Space Index (FSI) or Floor Area Ratio (FAR):-
 It is defined as the ratio of total built-up area of all the floors to the plot area.
 FSI = ( Total Built-up Area ) / (Plot area )
 FSI values are as under
Gaothan areas => residential areas FSI = 2.0
Gaothan Areas =.> Shops = 2.5
Town planning Schemes => FSI = 1.0
 Illustration:- An owner have a plot of 500 sq.m. He has constructed 150sq.m. at ground level and 100sq.m. at first
floor level. Then the FSI is calculated as,
FSI = ( 100 + 150 ) / (500) = 250 / 500 = 0.5

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Height of Building:-
 Maximum height of building depends upon limitation on (a) width of street on which building fronts (b) minimum
width of rear space (c) vicinity of aerodromes
 For buildings in the vicinity of aerodromes, maximum height of building is decided in consultation with Civil
Aviation Authorities.
 In general height if building depends upon width of road and then it should be such that an inclined line drawn
from the rear boundary at an angle of 63.5O to the horizontal should not be obstructed by the building height.
 Limits on height of the building
Width of road Up to 8 m 8 to 12 m Over 12 m
Max. height of building 1.5 x road width 12 m Road width ( max. up to 21 m)
Accommodation Requirements:-
 For good health and ventilation, the minimum accommodation requirements should be as listed in the following
table.
Sr No. Description Minimum Requirements
1 Habitable room- area 9.5 sq.m.
2 Habitable room- width 2.4 m
3 Room height 2.75 m
4 Window area for wall on open side 10 % of floor area
5 Total door and window area 1/7th of room area
6 Total ventilation area 0.1 sq.m. for 10 cu.m. of room space
Sanitation Requirements:-
 For good hygiene, the minimum sanitation requirements should be as listed in
Sr No. Description Minimum Requirements
1 Single room tenement Nahni or sink area 0.9m x 0.9m
2 Kitchen with separate bath & washing place Small area for sink
3 Residential Building for every 5 single rooms
or every 3 double rooms
1 WC = 1.2 sq.m.
1 bath = 1.8 sq.m.
1 urinal = 0.9 sq.m.
1 washing place = 2.4 sq.m.
4 Industrial Building
For 1 person
For every 25 person
For every 100 persons
For either sex
5sq.m. floor area
1 WC
1 Urinal
1 WC & 1 Urinal
3) What are the functional requirements of a building in its design and construction?
a) A modern building provides aesthetic view along with the primary needs of shelter. Following functions should
be performed satisfactorily by the building.
(i) Utilities of the building (ii) Structural safety (iii) Fire safety (iv) Good hygienic conditions (v) Sanitation
(vi) Ventilation (vii) Day-light requirements
b) Requirements of occupants, as regards the number and sizes of rooms, as per the living standards and
amenities required for any building planning.
c) The building should have fine elegance and aesthetic view
d) The building should be economic, safe, serviceable and durable.

9. Building Planning
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e) The building design and planning should provide minimum expected standards of hygiene, sanitation,
ventilation and day light.
f) The design should assume the correct loads on the structure.
g) Thus there are many assumptions and variable factors. So there is no unique solution for building design and
planning. There can be many alternatives for building design, planning and construction.
4) Explain how planning of a residential building differs from that of an Industrial building.
Answer:
The following factors explain how the planning of residential building differs from industrial building.
Criteria Residential building Industrial building
Owner’s
requirements-
 It includes building elements like living
rooms, kitchen, dining hall, bed rooms,
porches, other facilities etc
 The living standards of the owner is
taken into account to know his habits,
likes and dislikes about the utilities of
various parts of the building.
 It includes building elements like office,
storage places, machinery area, loading –
unloading places, sanitary units for labors,
canteen, watch & ward area etc
 The standards and type of the company is
taken into account to know what actual
functions to be carried out in which manner.
Scope of
building-
 Scope is depend on the main purpose of
building and facilities to be provided in
the building for its user
 e.g.- In Residential building, owner
mainly emphasis on privacy of rooms
and building.
 e.g.1- In industrial building, owner mainly
emphasis on feasibility, use of room or
building as compare to privacy
 e.g.2- Factory requires more light than office
i.e. north-light roof trusses required
Financial
features-
 Cost of residential building is lesser than
industrial building
 It includes the cost of construction,
finish works etc.
 High cost involved as compare to residential
building
 It includes the cost of construction, machine
foundation, erection cost etc.
Building site-  Away from industrial area
 All the amenities like schools, bus &
railway stations, hospitals, banks etc.
should be nearby places
 Size of plot, nature of ground etc. to be
considered in planning stage.
 Must be located in industrial zone
 All the amenities required for industry like
raw material depot, transportation facility,
water, disposal plants etc. should be nearby
places
 Size & location of plot, waste disposal, mode
of transportation etc. to be considered in
planning stage.
Rules and
regulation-
 Laid by municipal authorities, town
planning departments etc.
 FSI, side margins, plinth heights, open
space requirements etc are some of the
measures that are used to control the
haphazard growth.
 Laid by industrial development co.
authorities, town planning departments etc.
 Control lines, height of building, zones,
waste disposal & treatment, environmental
concern etc. are some of the regulation
point’s w.r.t. industrial buildings.