What is a Floor Area Ratio (FAR)?
I completely disagree with a previous answer given by someone. There is a famous saying in brick masonry that "Mortar must never be stronger than bricks." It is crucial for the bond to be weaker than the brick from both a strength and a durability point of view. Walls where the mortar was stronger,Read more
I completely disagree with a previous answer given by someone. There is a famous saying in brick masonry that “Mortar must never be stronger than bricks.” It is crucial for the bond to be weaker than the brick from both a strength and a durability point of view. Walls where the mortar was stronger, eventually break up on their own with time without extra forces applied.
First, you must understand that nobody is trying to break your wall. The extra loads, in addition to compressive loads from the top, are only due to minor movements from temperature changes, structural settlement, etc. and lateral forces. Even though you do make a stronger mortar, breaking won’t be significantly toughened.
Now, coming to the actual reasons, the joints must be weaker because of the wall cracks or breaks, it should preferably do so trough the mortar than the bricks because mortar will be easier and cheaper to repair. Also, if bricks break, the whole wall could come down, but mortar won’t break at all places in the wall. Also, rich and strong mortars tend to be rigid against minor movements and are comparative more vulnerable to initiate cracks as a consequence.
Secondly, from a durability standpoint, it is even more important to have a weaker mortar. If there’s hard and dense mortar around porous open textured bricks, the bricks absorb moisture more readily during rains. Now when the weather improves, bricks can’t dry up freely from all sides because of hard imporous mortar surrounding. This water retained in the blocks weakens them. Further, if there’s extreme cold, freezing and thawing will cause the bricks to split and break, which can be catastrophic. If we have a weaker mortar, water will take a path, thought it.
So, you need a weaker bond and stronger brick so as to protect the bricks from failing rather than the mortar because it will be more catastrophic and expensive.
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aviratdhodare
What does FLOOR AREA RATIO mean: FAR is a technical term used in Urban Planning that determines the total built-up space of the building on a plot of land. Generally, the FAR of the City or the Area is fixed by the government, based on various parameters like infrastructure, population or populationRead more
What does FLOOR AREA RATIO mean:
FAR is a technical term used in Urban Planning that determines the total built-up space of the building on a plot of land. Generally, the FAR of the City or the Area is fixed by the government, based on various parameters like infrastructure, population or population growth. These you will understand once you are going through this issue.
So by Definition FLOOR AREA RATIO (FAR) is the ratio of BUILDING’S TOTAL COVERED AREA to THE SIZE OF THE PLOT on which it is built.
BUILDING’S TOTAL COVERED AREA is the Gross Floor Area.
Formula for FAR
FAR = TOTAL COVERED AREA (ALL FLOORS)/ AREA OF PLOT.
For e.f. If there are 4 Floors and each Floor is of 5000 Sq feet, then the Total Covered Area of all the Floors is 20000 Sq Feet and the size of the plot is 10000 Sq Feet, then FAR = 20000/10000 = 2. In some areas it is mentioned as % i,e, 200% or somewhere it is mentioned simply 200. So if it is 200 then it means the FAR of the City or Area is 2, meaning one is authorized to build up the covered area 2 times to that of the plot area.
But Generally FAR is fixed by the government, for particular City or Area and the FAR can be used to calculate the Total Covered Area that is built on a plot of land.
NOTE: There is one more term FLOOR SPACE INDEX i.e. FSI. The meaning of FAR and FSI is the same. There is a difference of only denoting these two. FAR is always mentioned in percentage. For e.g. the FAR of any City / Area is 200% then the FSI of the same City / Area will be denoted as 2.0.
Let us understand with the help of an illustration as in the image below:
For e.g. the total Plot Area is 10000 Sq feet
CASE 1: If FAR of a place is 0.5, then the total area to be built up is allowed only 5000 sq feet.
OPTION A: One can construct in 50% of the plot area, only one floor of 5000 sq feet. So FAR = 5000/10000=0.5
OPTION B : One can construct in 25% 2 Stories of 2500 sq feet of each. So FAR = (2X2500)/10000=5000/10000 = 0.5
CASE 2: If FAR of a place is 1.0, then the total area to be built up is allowed only 10000 sq feet.
OPTION A: One can construct in 100% of the plot area, only one floor of 10000 sq feet. So FAR = 10000/10000=1.0
OPTION B : One can construct in 50% of the plot area ,2 Stories floor of 5000 sq feet. So FAR = (5000 X 2) /10000 = 10000/10000=1.0
OPTION C : One can construct in 25% 4 stories of 2500 sq feet of each. So FAR = (2500 X 4) /10000=10000/10000 = 1.0
CASE 3: If FAR of a place is 2.0, then the total area to be built up is allowed only 20000 sq feet.
OPTION A : One can construct in 100% of the plot area ,2 Stories of 10000 sq feet each. So FAR = (10000 X 2 )/10000 = 20000/10000=2.0
OPTION B : One can construct in 50% of the plot area ,4 Stories floor of 5000 sq feet. So FAR = (5000 X 4) /10000 = 20000/10000=2.0
OPTION C : One can construct in 25% 8 stories of 2500 sq feet of each. So FAR = (2500 X 8) /10000=20000/10000 = 1.0
So if you know the FAR, you can calculate the total covered area that can be built on the plot.
How much open area you have to leave or how much area can be built up depends on the zoning and planning regulations also. For e.g. how much area to be left for:
FACTORS URBAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY CONSIDER WHILE DECIDING FAR:
Note: If in the City / Area, the infrastructure is low but the population is growing at a faster rate, then the government has to increase the infrastructure and FAR has to be kept higher to accommodate the high growing population.
So when FAR increases the Population Density of the City / Area increases.
IMPACT OF HIGH FAR:
IMPACT OF LOW FAR:
- Lower Population Density.
- Better Per Capita Infrastructure
- Reduced Profitability for the Developers.
- Low Land Prices.
- Long Travel Distances
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