HOUSE PLANNING CONSIDERATION

A plan of a house or any structure is also the designer’s prescription based on the
requirements of the client. A conceptual plan is a visual presentation of conceptual ideas
supported by mathematical calculations aimed at giving convenience and comfort to the users or
occupants. A good plan is judged based on its functionality and economy adhering to the
principles of “Form Follow Functions”.

Distribution
Refers to the placement, location, and arrangement of each room in relation with each
other like between kitchen and dining which primarily requires accessibility on food servicing.
These areas are interrelated and should not be far from each other.

Circulation
Like roads and highways, traffic is also present inside the building that must be
considered in planning. Circulation and movements of the occupants inside the building should
not be hampered by any obstacles nor be detoured because of poor planning.

Light and Ventilation

There is no substitute for a good daylight and fresh natural air entering and circulating
inside the building. Artificial lighting and ventilation are very costly.

Sizes, Areas, and Shapes

All designs are intended for human use and therefore should be planned according to
human scale. Good design always provides ample areas to accommodate furniture, appliances,
and other related facilities including the most critical and important lanes or pathways for
routinary movements inside the house. The shape as to plan and elevations should be strictly
functional, not fancy in character.

Orientation
Refers to the position and direction of the sunrise and sunset including the prevailing
wind directions in the area. A brief nap or rest at mid-day or in the afternoon is normally done in
the bedroom. Thus, bedroom should not be oriented facing the afternoon sun. The kitchen,
laundry and bathroom are better oriented west for sunlight kills many types of bacteria.

Zoning Laws
The Zoning ordinance should be consulted first before deciding on the final site of the
house or building. You might be constructing your residential house on an industrial or
commercial zone.

Height
A moderate high ceiling allows fresh air circulations, comfortable atmosphere, ad
preserved aesthetic value of the room. Room with low ceiling has warm atmosphere that requires
artificial ventilation.

Electrical Layout
The location of convenience outlet should be planned simultaneously with the appliances
to be placed on. The extension wire for appliances is the most unsightly obstacle in the room due
to improper location of convenience outlet. A satisfactory electrical layout and installation is
when you avail of its services without the need of an extension cord. The location and
accessibility of light switches is another thing of important consideration. It should be installed
near the door of every room for convenience in switching-in and switching-off when entering
and leaving the room respectively.

Location of Doors
When a door becomes an obstacle creating inconveniences to the occupant that is the
time, we realized the mistake of not analyzing its proper position from early stage of planning.
Superstition
Although superstition has no page in the book of contemporary architecture, if your client
believes and insist that his life success depends of luck brought about by his superstitious belief,
then the planner have no choice but to do what his client say.
REFERENCE: http://topnotchconstructionph.com/planning-considerations-in-construction/
There is some standard room size for the various elements of a residential building. Any House
has basic rooms like the living room or drawing room, bedroom, kitchen room, bath, W/C,
garage, etc. While Planning of the residential building we must consider standard room size for
the various rooms in the house.

AREA LIMITATION

The limitation of area and height of the buildings of different types of construction and
occupancy is achieved by satisfying floor area ratio (FAR). FAR is  taking into account the
following aspects:

 Occupancy class
 Type of construction
 Width of the street fronting the building and the traffic load
 The density & Locality where the building is proposed and.
 Parking facilities
 Local fire fighting facilities
 Water supply and drainage facilities.

Floor Area Ratio(FAR) = (Total cover area of all floors/  Plot area)

The floor area ratio for residential buildings is ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 depending on the type ‘of
construction. It restricts the height of the building and the number of stories provided. For
example, if a plot measures 15 m x 20 m and building bye-laws stipulates permissible FAR as
2.00, then the maximum built-up area which can be put on the plot is 600 m 2. If the area covered
at ground floor is 150 m2, the total number of floors that can be constructed is (600 / 150) = 4

Thus, with these bye-laws, the height of the building cannot be more than 4 stories. FAR is also
used in classifying the type of construction on the basis of resistance offered by building against
the fire

HEIGHT OF THE BUILDING

The height and number of the storey for a building are related to FAR and the provisions of open
spaces are already explained earlier. Where the building height is not covered by FAR, the
maximum height should be limited to the width of the street as follows.                

(i) The maximum height of the building shall not exceed 2 times the width of road abutting plus
the front open space.
(ii) If a building abuts on two or more streets of different widths, the building shall be deemed to
face upon the street that has the greater width and the building height shall be regulated by the
width of that street and may be continued to this height to a depth of 24 m along the narrower
street subject to the conformity of open spaces.

(iii) In the vicinity of aerodromes, the maximum height fixed in consultation with civil aviation
authorities.

Appurtenances like a water tank on the roof, ventilating and air conditioning appliances, lift
room, chimneys and parapet walls not exceeding 1.2 m in height are not included in the height of
the building.

Human Height in Different Position:

Minimum Area: 9.5 Sq.m.

Standard living room size 9 feet x 10 feet

Minimum Size of Side :

i) For one Room minimum width should be 2.4 m.
ii) Where there are two rooms, one of these shall not be less than 9.5 sq. m. and others not less
than 7.5 sq. m. with a minimum width of 2.1m.

The height of Room: The of all room for human habitation shall not be less than 2.75 m.
measure from the surface of all floors.

Other Requirement: For Air Conditioning-room height should not less than 2.4 m.

The recommended Standard Room Size & Location for the living room of various sizes are
as below:

SIZE DIMENSIONS IN MT.+(AREA) DIMENSIONS IN FT.+(AREA)

LARGE 6.71 × 8.53(57.24) 22 × 28(616)
MEDIUM 4.88 × 6.01(29.33) 16 × 20(320)
SMALL 3.66 × 5.49(20 12 x 18(216)
VERY SMALL 3.05 × 3.66(11.16) 10 × 12(120)
Minimum Area: 5 Sq.m.

Minimum Size of Side: The width of the room is not less than 1.8 m. Where there is a separate
store, the area of the kitchen may be reduced to 4.5 sq. m. A kitchen that is intended to use as
dining also shall have a floor area of not less than 7.5 sq. m. with minimum width 2.1m.

The height of Room: The Kitchen height shall not less than 2.75 sq. m.

Other Requirement: 

1. Its floor should be impermeable.

2. Unless separately provided in a pantry, means for washing of kitchen utensils which shall
lead directly or through the sink to a grated and trapped connection to the waste pipe.

The recommended Standard Room Size & Location for the kitchen of various sizes are as
below:

SIZE DIMENSIONS IN MT.+(AREA) DIMENSIONS IN FT.+(AREA)

LARGE 3.65 x 6.09(22.23) 12 x 20(240)
MEDIUM 3.05 x 4.87(14.85) 10 x 16(160)
SMALL 3.05 X 2.44(6.10) 10 x 08(80)
VERY SMALL 2.13 X 2.75(5.85) 07 x 09(63)
Minimum Area: 1.8 Sq.m. (bath room), 1.1 Sq.m. (W. C.)

Minimum Size of Side : If bath and water closet are combined, its floor area shall not be less
than 2.8 Sq.m. with minimum side width of 1.2m.

The height of the Room:   Shall not less than 2 m.

Other Requirement:

1. It should be located such that at least one of its walls open to the external wall.
2. It should not be directly over or under any other room than another latrine, washing
place, bath or terrace, in case of multi-storeyed buildings unless the floor is watertight.
3. It should have a platform or seat of watertight, non- absorbent materials.
4. It should be provided with the impervious floor sloping towards the drain with a suitable
grade and not towards verandah or any other room.

The recommended standard dimensions of common bathroom of various sizes are:

SIZE DIMENSIONS IN MT.+(AREA) DIMENSIONS IN FT.+(AREA)

LARGE 2.13 × 3.66(7.80) 7 x 12(84)
MEDIUM 1.83 × 3.05(5.60) 6 x 10(60)
SMALL 1.52 × 2.75(4.20) 5 x 9(45)
VERY SMALL 1.06 × 1.98(2.04) 3.5 x 6.5(22.75)
Minimum Area:  The minimum area of store room should not be less than 3 sq. m.

The height of Room: The Storeroom should not be less than 2.2 m.

The recommended standard dimensions of store room of various sizes are as below:

SIZE DIMENSIONS IN MT.+(AREA) DIMENSIONS IN FT.+(AREA)

LARGE 3.65 x 4.26(15.55) 12 x 14(168)
MEDIUM 2.44 x 3.05(7.42) 8 x 10(80)
SMALL 1.52X1.83 (2.80) 5 x 6(30)
Minimum Area:  The minimum area of garage should not be less than 12.5  sq. m.

The height of Room: The Garage should not be less than 2.4 m.

Minimum Size of Side:  The minimum width of the stair is 1 m.

The height of Stair: The minimum clear headroom shall be 2.2 m.

Other Requirement:

1. The minimum width of tread without nosing shall be 250 mm for residential buildings.
2. The maximum height of rising shall be 190 mm for residential buildings.
The height of the plinth shall not be less than 450 mm from the surrounding ground level. A
height of 600 mm is the best from drainage or other considerations.

Parapet walls and hand-rails provided on the edges of roof terraces, balcony, verandah, etc. shall
be not less than 1.05 m and not more than 1.20 m in height from the finished floor level.

The requirements of the boundary wall are given below:

Except with the special permission of the authority, the maximum height of the compound wall
shall be 1.5 m above the centerline of the front street. Compound wall up to 2.4 m height may be
permitted if the top 0.9 m is of open type construction of a design to be approved by the
authority.

In the case of a corner plot, the height of boundary wall shall be restricted to 0.75 m for a length
of 10 m on the front and side of the intersection and the balanced height may be made up of open
type construction (through railings) and of design to be approved by the authority.

https://civiconcepts.com/2019/02/the-standard-room-size-location-for-a-residence/