BUILDING PLANNING

Elements of Civil Engineering

By: Rakesh Kumar Verma

 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
Plan of Building: GROUPING and ARRANGEMENT of
components of building in a systematic manner so as to form a
homogeneous body with a comprehensive look out to meet its
functional purpose.
Well organization of building components
Planning of building depends
on:
Human habitation & their
requirements Component
parts, sizes and inter-
relationship
Topography and shape of plot
Climatic condition
Location and neighbourhood
3D view of 3BHK plot
Principles of
Planning
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• ASPECT : Placement of different rooms of house in
accordance with our activities at different hours of day.
• Rooms should get
enough sunlight and
air, which gives
• Cheerful
atmosphere
• Comfort
• Hygienic condition

A room which receives light &

air from particular direction is said to have ‘aspect’ of that direction.
PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
PROSPECT

view as seen of
the outside from
the windows and
doors in external
walls

It is determined
by view as
desired from
certain rooms of
house

View of the
garden or a
nearby hill
At the same time, it is naturally intended to conceal some undesirable views
 Arrangement of windows in external walls so as to
reveal certain desirable views and conceal
undesirable views from outside
 Can be done by putting brackets or by providing blind
walls
 Projection of windows gives prospect.
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• PRIVACY : Privacy can be of
• Sight (bath, w/c)
• Sound (confidential
discussion, study room)
• Both sight and sound (bed
room)
• It broadly classified in two
categories i.e.
• Internal privacy
• External privacy
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• Internal privacy : It is privacy within building, it can be
achieved by
• Correct positioning of doors
and openings of shutters
• Proper grouping of rooms
• Providing buffer area
between bed room and other
rooms
• Vertical segregation of
rooms i.e., by providing
drawing, dining, kitchen,
toilet at GF and bed and
toilet at FF
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• External privacy: It is privacy of whole building with
reference to surroundings (buildings and road)
• It can be achieved by

1. Compound wall to a
height of 1.35 to 1.5 m
2. Planting trees along
compound wall (acts as
sound & sight barrier)
3. Providing screen
walls, curtain walls and
dwarf wall on verandah
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• Furniture requirement : Planner should know how much
space is needed by each function
Room sizes can
be completed
on basis of

1. permanent
furniture to be
used
2. It’s
dimensions and
arrangement
3. Clearance
for circulation
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• Roominess: It is feeling created after a room is
well-furnished with all permanent furniture as
spacious and well-planned.
1. Max use of a room with min possible
dimensions
2. Rectangular room gives better outlook
compare to square room of same floor area.
3. Length/breadth ratio of 1.2 to 1.5 is
desirable
4. When it exceeds 2, it creates tunnel like
feeling
5. Similarly height also plays imp. role

Room should have all proportional dimensions

Light colours create effect of more space
Light and dark colour for different walls of same room will reduce effect of less
width and more length
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• Grouping: It is arrangement of different rooms with
reference to their functions, it improves comfort, privacy
and convenience and minimises circulation
Points to be considered
• Verandah adjacent to drawing room
• Dining room close to kitchen
• Bed room, toilet and dressing room
grouped together
• Bath and w/c should be nearer to
each other
• Staircase should be easily accessible
from all rooms
• w/c should be away from dining,
psychological feeling of being away
from insanitary place
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• Circulation: It is access into or out of a room, it is
internal movement inside a building
• Circulation area shall be
straight, short, bright,
lighted both day and night,
well ventilated and free
from obstructions
• It should not affect privacy
nor interfere with utility
• It is of two types
• Horizontal – circulation
within same floor
• Vertical – circulation
between different floors
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• Sanitation: It is provision and upkeep of various
components of house to keep inmates cheerful and free from
disease

Factors influence sanitation are

• Lighting
• Ventilation
• Cleanliness

• Lighting : natural sunlight or artificial

• Intensity of natural light is affected by pollutants like smoke, dirt, dust,
gases and clouds
• Min window area = 1/7th floor area (hot-humid climate)
• Min window area = 1/10th floor area (dry climate)
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• Ventilation: a system of supplying or removing air by
natural or mechanical means to or from any enclosed space
to create and maintain comfortable condition
Basic requirements in
ventilation
Sensation of comfort
Reduction in humidity
Removal of heat
Proper supply of
oxygen
Reduction of dust
• Orientation of building and location of windows help in
providing proper ventilation
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• There are two methods of ventilation
Natural: Suitable for
houses and flats,
achieved by designing
windows and ventilators
opposite to each other
Artificial: Necessary if room
is to be occupied by more than
50 persons or where space per
occupant is less than 3 m3, it is
achieved by exhaust system of
supply system.
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
Cleanliness
Dust:
1. Creates health problems
2. Makes surfaces dull
3. Floors shall be mooth,
impervious, non-
absorbing, uniformly
sloping
Dampness (wetness):
1. Root cause of infection
2. Walls and floors shall be
damp-proof
3. Kitchen, bath and w/c shall
be drained off quickly
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• Flexibility: A room which is planned for one function be
used for other, if so required.
• It is ease with which a room
designated for a particular
activity can accommodate
more load temporarily or may
supplement activity of another
room
• As drawing room used as guest
bed room
• Kitchen as additional dining
room etc.
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
Elegance: is grand appearance of a building,
mainly owing to the elevation which in turn depends on
plan
Depends on
• Elevated site
• Architecture
• Neighbourhood
• Conformity with
nature
• Nativity
• Adjoining building
and relative placement

• A better elegance can be obtained by

• Superior building materials for facing – like paint, glass, timber, polished stones
– granite, marble, mosaic etc.
• Providing projections – like sunshades, balconies, porch etc.
• Providing corner windows etc
 PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
• Economy: building should have min floor area with max
utility
• It should not achieved at the cost of strength
• Only with proper planning and utility of space being
maximized (passage being minimized)
• Can be achieved by,
• Simple elevation
• Providing small portion for
balconies, lobbies
• Reducing storey height
• Reducing no of steps of stairs
• Standardization of sizes of
various components and
materials
 SITE SELECTION

Site should preferably be situated on an elevated and levelled ground.

It should not be located in a flood prone area.
The soil at site should have good value of bearing capacity.
The site should not be irregular in shape.
The site should be rectangular or square in shape.
The site should be located in developed area.
The site should be located away from quarries, kiln, industrial plants etc.
The site should have unobstructed natural light and air.
BUILDING BYE-LAWS
The various aspects of building activities covered by
bye-laws are under:
• Distance from electric lines
• Built up area limitations.
• Norms related to height or sizes of rooms.
• Lighting & ventilation of rooms.
• Building services.
Distance of buildings from electric line
Minimum heights of different parts
of buildings
• HABITABLE ROOMS- 2.75 M.
• KITCHEN- 2.75 M.
• BATH ROOMS- 2.4 M.
• WC – 2.4 M.
• PLINTH LEVEL- 30 CM.
Minimum sizes of diff. Parts of
buildings
• HABITABLE ROOMS-
MIN WIDTH:- 2.4 M.
MIN AREA :- 9.5 SQ.M
• DRAWING ROOM-
MIN WIDTH:- 3 M.
MIN AREA :- 11 SQ.M
• STUDY ROOM -
MIN WIDTH:- 2.4 M.
MIN AREA :- 9.5 SQ.M
Minimum sizes of diff. Parts of
buildings
• KITCHEN WITH STORE-
MIN WIDTH:- 1.5 M.
MIN AREA :- 5.6 SQ.M
• KITCHEN HAVING SEPARATE STORE-
MIN WIDTH:-
MIN AREA :- 4.5 SQ.M
• KITCHEN WITH DINING ROOM-
MIN WIDTH:- 2.4 M.
MIN AREA :- 9.5 SQ.M
Minimum sizes of diff. Parts of
buildings
• BATH ROOM -
MIN WIDTH:- 1.5 M X 1.2M
MIN AREA :- 1.8 SQ.M
• COMBINED BATHROOM & WC-
MIN WIDTH:- 1.2M
MIN AREA :- 1.8 SQ.M
• WC-
MIN WIDTH:-
MIN AREA :- 1.1 SQ.M
Lighting & ventilation of rooms
• 1/10th OF FLOOR AREA IN DRY HOT CLIMATE.
• 1/7TH OF FLOOR AREA IN WET HOT CLIMATE.
• AREA OF DOORS & WINDOWS IN A ROOM IS NOT
LESS THAN 1/7TH OF FLOOR AREA.
 Built up area limitation
• BUILTUP AREA OR COVERED AREA OF A BUILDING ON GROUND-
PLOT AREA- AREA OF OPEN SPACES AROUND THE
BUILDING.

• F.A.R (FLOOR AREA RATIO):-

F.A.R = COVERED AREA OF ALL FLOORS
PLOT AREA
 Bathroom
8 x 12
Bedroom
14 x 12

Living
and
24’ Garden
Room
12 x 24

Kitchen Work Room

24 x 12

36’
Floor Plan
24’
Elevation Front
36’
Elevation Right Side
36’
Elevation Left Side