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MODULE 2 
BASICS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING KTU 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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SYLLABUS 
 
 
Building Planning  
 
Introduction to planning of residential buildings- Site Plan, 
Orientation Of a Building - Open Space Requirement 
,Position Of Doors And windows,Size Of 
Rooms,Preparation Of a scaled sketch of the plan of a 
single storeyed Residential building in a given site plan. 
 
Introduction To Various Building Area Terms 
 
Computation Of Built Area/Plinth Area , Carpet Area/Floor 
Area- For Simple Single Storeyed building - Setting Out Of 
A Building 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

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Introduction to planning of residential buildings 

Building Planning 
All buildings should be properly planned, keeping in view the various 
requirements of a good building. 

Except strength requirement, all other requirements of a good buildings are 

taken care at the stage of planning. Strength requirement is taken care 
during structural design of building components. However in planning the 
building by-laws of the statutory authorities should not be violated. 
Planning of the building is an art combined with science. 

Principles of planning of buildings may be grouped into: 

1. Orientation 

2. Energy efficiency 

3. Utility 

4. Other requirements of the building. 

Introduction of planning of residential building 

Planning –It’s a process of making plans for [Link] in 
construction is the first thing to [Link] ensures optimum utilization of 
physical surroundings, natural lighting and ventilation thereby to achieve 
comfortable and tranquil living [Link] includes selection of a 
suitable site, orientation of building, provisions of all functionalities 
intended for that building. 

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Site Plan 

Site Plan Site (Plot) — A parcel (piece) of land enclosed by definite 

boundaries 

The site plan sent with an application for permit shall be drawn to a scale 
of not less than 1 in 500 for a site up to one hectare and not less than 1 in 1 
000 for a site more than one hectare and shall show: 

a)the boundaries of the site and of any contiguous land belonging to the 
owner thereof; 

b)the position of the site in relation to neighbouring street; 

c)the name of the streets in which the building is proposed to be situated, if 
any; 

d)all existing buildings standing on, over or under the site including service 
lines; 

e)the position of the building and of all other buildings (if any) which the 
applicant intends to erect upon his contiguous land referred to in (a) in 
relation to:  

● The boundaries of the site and in case where the site has been 
partitioned, the boundaries of the portion owned by the applicant and 
also of the portions owned by others;  

● All adjacent street, buildings (with number of storeys and height) and 
premises within a distance of 12 m of the site and of the contiguous 
land (if any) referred to in (a); and  

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● If there is no street within a distance of 12 m of the site, the 

nearest existing street; 

f) the means of access from the street to the building, and to all other 
buildings (if any) which the applicant intends to erect upon his contiguous 
land referred to in (a);  

g) space to be left about the building to secure a free circulation of air, 

emission of light and access for scavenging purposes;  

h) the width of the street (if any) in front and of the street (if any) at the side 
or near the buildings;  

i) the direction of north point relative to the plan of the buildings; 

j) any physical features, such as wells, drains, etc ; and m) such other 
particulars as may be prescribed by the Authority 

These are prepared and submitted to municipal & town planning authorities 
to obtain the sanction for the construction. These are prepared considering 
prevailing building rules & bye laws and submitted along with key map & 
service plan. 

 
 
 
 

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Principles of building planning 

● Aspect  
● prospect  
● Furniture requirements  
● Roominess  
● Grouping  
● Circulation 
● Privacy  
● Sanitation  
● Elegance  
● Economy 
1. Aspect 
Aspect is meant for arrangement of doors and windows in the external 
walls of the building which allows the natural sun shine and air, scenery etc. 

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2. Prospect 
This is view of outside from the house through window or door. It is 
determined by the views desired from certain rooms of the house eg: 
garden etc. Here the aim is also to conceal undesirable views. For the good 
outside appearance different styles of windows can be employed. E.g.: 
Projecting of windows/ bay windows 

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Functional requirements of a room governs the furniture requirement. 

Room dimensions are finalised based on permanent furniture and its 
standard sizes. 

Eg : Double size bed : 1.35 – 1.45 to 2.0 – 2.10 m  

Single bed – 0.9 x 2.0 m 

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Roominess refers to the effect produced by deriving the maximum benefits 
from the minimum dimensions off a room. It is accomplishment of 
economy of space. 

A square room is found to be inconvenient as compared to rectangular 

room from utility point.  

Better proportion of the length to- breadth for good rooms is considered L: 
B = 1.2 to 1.5: 1.  

Factors affecting roominess are  

● Size of the room  

● Shape  
● Furniture used  
● Position of doors, windows 

5. Grouping 

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6. Circulation 

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Privacy can be for sight & sound .  

There are two types 

i) internal  

ii) external 

Internal Privacy :- Privacy provided within the building in different rooms 

like bedrooms, bath room etc Achieved by proper grouping, position of 
doors & windows, & planning of circulation space. 

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External privacy 

This is with respect to whole building to surrounding buildings & roads. 

Achieved by compound wall, planting trees. Etc 

8. Sanitation 
Sufficient light, ventilation, cleanliness & sanitary convenience are the major 
criteria .  

Ventilation: ​Ventilation is system of supplying or removing air to or from any 

enclosed space to create and maintain comfortable conditions. Main function of 
ventilation 

[Link] maintains the quantity of air inside the building at certain level. 

[Link] provided thermal environment which will aspect in maintain the heat 
balance of the body. 

[Link] cool the structure of the building when the inside temperature is above 
outdoor. 

[Link] remove toxic gases, body odours, bacteria, smoke etc. from air inside the 
room.  

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Types of ventilation 

[Link] ventilation, air through windows, roof ventilation 

[Link] ventilation: A.C, Fans etc 

Lighting 

Lighting has two function  

1) it illuminates  

ii) from hygienic point  

Light source are of two types; Natural light & Artificial light - Generally both type of 
lighting is required to get sufficient light.  

Glare in light distracts the vision & hence to be avoided during planning. The minimum 
window area for building located in hot humid climate is 1/7th of the floor area, and for 
dry climate 1/10th of the floor area. Vertical windows are more effective than horizontal 
windows. 

lighting are three types: 

[Link] lighting 

[Link] lighting 

[Link] of semi direct and indirect lighting Direct lighting: By diffusing the light 
through frosted glass. If diffusion is perfect, light will be uniform and shade less.  

Indirect lighting : By use of Indirect lighting: A beam of light is directed to the wall, floor 
or ceiling and from there by reflect to other parts of the room Combination of Semi 
direct and Indirect lighting. A luminous bowl allows some of the light to be diffused to 
be diffuse downward and some to be throws on the ceiling for reflection. 

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Cleanliness:  

Dust –​ floors which receive most of the dust should be smooth, impervious, non – absorbing 
and uniformly sloping so that it collects less dust and is easily removed. 

​Dampness ​– this root cause of infection and hence the walls & floors shall be damp proof.  

Sanitary conveniences such as bathrooms and water closets should be so designed that the 
Waste water drains off as quickly as possible. Also their walls are to be finished with glazed 
Tiles to a height of one meter above the floor level. 

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This is grand appearance of building. Depends on proportion of width, height, doors, windows 
and choice of materials used. Also, site condition affect elegance of a building. Implying it 
depends mainly on elevation.  

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Maximum utility of space which in turn leads to economy. Economy should not be achieved at 
the cost of strength, otherwise the useful life of a building will reduce. 

Orientation of building 
It refers to the way a building is situated on a site . It is guided by natural elements like sunlight 
and its intensity, direction of the wind, seasons of the year and temperature variations. Good 
orientation increase the energy efficiency of your home. Factors affecting orientation of building 

[Link] wind or breeze 

[Link] heat 

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Indian Climatic Conditions 

[Link] & arid 

[Link] & humid 

[Link] & humid 

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Hot & arid:​ Bihar, UP, Rajasthan  

Building oriented to receive maximum solar heat in winter & minimum in summer. Longer walls 
facing north & south. And non living rooms located on outer face to act as thermal barrier. 

Hot & humid:  

The thermal characteristics are almost identical to hot & dry zone except there is moisture in air. 
Relative humidity is above 40% & temperature is above 32 deg. Orientation is similar to hot & 
arid zones.  

Warm & humid​: Kerala, West Bengal etc Relative humidity is between 70 to 90 %. Here emphasis 
is on prevailing winds. Building oriented preferably in North – South direction for habitable 
rooms. Longer walls facing north & south and shorter sides less exposed to direct sunlight.  

Cold Zone:​ Here snowfall & rainfall is heavy. Located 800 to 1200 above sea level. Main criteria 
is maximum solar heat gain during winter & protection from chilling winds. Walls & roof shall be 
protected against snowfall. 

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Optimum orientation of buildings 

[Link] best orientation from solar point of view requires that the building as a whole should 
receive the maximum solar radiation in winter and minimum in summer. 

[Link] hot climates, living rooms on the south and west directions should be protected by 
verandahs, bathroom, store room etc. verandah may be eliminated on south by use of sun 
breakers and then the verandah may be provided on the east and west facing. 

[Link] exposure of the house to the sun is also reduced by shady trees. 

[Link] hot and humid areas, the orientation is governed by the direction of the breeze. 

[Link] all the rooms which are occupied in the day time should be placed on north and east 
sides. While the bedrooms are placed in the direction of the prevailing wind, preferably protected 
by verandahs from the heat of the afternoon sun. Latrines should be so located that the wind 
passing through them should blow in a direction away from the house. 

Open space requirement 

OPEN SPACES (WITHIN A PLOT) 

General 

Every room intended for human habitation shall abut on an interior or exterior open space or an 
open VERANDAH open to such interior or exterior open space. 

The open spaces inside and around a building have essentially to cater for the lighting and 
ventilation requirements of the rooms abutting such open spaces, and in the case of buildings 
abutting on streets in the front, rear or sides, the open spaces provided shall be sufficient for the 
future widening of such streets 

Open Space — An area, forming an integral part of the plot, left open to the sky.  

NOTE —​ The open space shall be the minimum distance measured between the front, rear and 
side of the building and the respective plot boundaries 

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Open Space, Front — A

​ n open space across the front of a plot between the building line and 
front boundary of the plot. 

Open Space, Rear​ — An open space across the rear of a plot between the rear of the building 
and the rear boundary of the plot.  

Open Space, Side ​— An open space across the side of the plot between the side of the building 
and the side boundary of the plot. 

Set-back Line ​— A line usually parallel to the plot boundaries and laid down in each case by the 
Authority, beyond which nothing can be constructed towards the site boundaries 

Building Envelope​ — The horizontal spatial limits up to which a building may be permitted to be 
constructed on a plot. 

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For buildings of height above 10 m, the open spaces (side and rear) shall be as given in 
Table. 

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Position of Doors & Windows 

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Size of Rooms 
Plinth  

Main Buildings :-  

The plinth or any part of a building or outhouse shall be so located with respect to the 
surrounding ground level that adequate drainage of the site is assured. The height of the plinth 
shall be not less than 450 mm from the surrounding ground level. 

Interior Courtyards and Covered Parking :​- Every interior courtyard shall be raised at least 150 
mm above the determining ground level and shall be satisfactorily drained. 

Habitable Rooms :​-  

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Height :-​ The height of all rooms for human habitation shall not be less than 2.75 m 
measured from the surface of the floor to the lowest point of the ceiling (bottom of slab). In 
the case of pitched roof, the average height of rooms shall not be less than 2.75 m. The 
minimum clear head room under a beam, folded plates or eaves shall be 2.4 m. In the case of 
air-conditioned rooms, a height of not less than 2.4 m measured from the surface of the floor to 
the lowest point of air-conditioning duct or the false ceiling shall be provided. 

Size :- T
​ he area of habitable room shall not be less than 9.5 m2, where there is only one room 
with a minimum width of 2.4 m. Where there are two rooms, one of these shall not be less than 
9.5 m2 and the other not less than 7.5 m2, with a minimum width of 2.1 m. 

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Store Room  

Height  

The height of a store room shall be not less than 2.2 m. 

Size 

The size of a store room, where provided in a residential building, shall be not less than 3 m2.  

Garage  

Height  

The height of a garage shall be not less than 2.4 m.  

Size  

The size of Private Garage — 3.0 m × 6.0 m, minimum 

Parapet  

Parapet walls and handrails provided on the edges of roof terraces, balcony, VARANDAH, etc 
shall not be less than 1.0 m and not more than 1.2 m in height from the finished floor level  

Staircase  

The minimum width of staircase for Residential buildings (dwellings) 1.0 m  

The minimum width of tread without nosing shall be 250 mm for residential buildings. The 
maximum height of riser shall be 190 mm for residential buildings and these shall be limited to 
12 per flight. 

The minimum head-room in a passage under the landing of a staircase shall be 2.2 m. The 
minimum clear head-room in any staircase shall be 2.2 m. 

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Introduction To Various Building Area Terms 

Plinth area / built up area 
Plinth Area —​The built up covered area measured at the floor level of the basement or of any 
storey. 

Plinth — ​The portion of a structure between the surface of the surrounding ground and surface 
of the floor, immediately above the ground. 

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The carpet area shall be the area worked out excluding the area of the following portion: 

● Verandah 
● Corridor and passage; 
● Entrance hall and porch; 

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● Staircase and stair-cover ( mumty ) ( see Note); 

● Shaft and machine room for lift; 
● Bathroom and lavatory; 
● Kitchen and pantry; 
● Store; 
● Canteen; 
● Air-conditioning duct and plant room; and 
● Shaft for sanitary/water supply installations and garbage chute, electrical and fire 
fighting, air-conditioning, telecommunication, lift. 

NOTE —
​ In a hall or basement, areas of portion I m beyond last step shall be part of the 
staircase 

Carpet area = plinth area – circulation area – area occupied by walls 

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Loft 

A structure providing intermediate storage space in between two main floors without having a 
permanent access and at a height not less than 2.0 m from the floor below. 

Balcony 

A horizontal projection with a hand-rail, balustrade or a parapet, to serve as passage or sitting 

out place. An accessible structure extending from a building, especially outside a window 

A horizontal projection, with a handrail or balustrade or a parapet, to serve as passage or sitting 

out place. 

Porch 

It is a covered structure supported on pillars or otherwise for the purpose of pedestrian or 
vehicular approach to a building. 

Stair Cover ( Mumty ) 

It is a structure with a roof over a staircase and its landing, built to enclose only the stairs for the 
purpose of providing protection from weather and not used for human habitation 

Setting Out Of Building 

Once the building plan and other drawings are prepared and finalized, it is to be transferred on 
the ground for construction. Setting out is the process of laying down the lines and. marks in the 
plan on the surface of the ground prior to the excavation of foundations. It is also called 'as 
ground tracing. During the setting out the lines and points are required for immediate use of 
making foundation trenches and for guidance in the future stage of construction.  

Method of setting out the lines of the building  

1. The centre line of one of the longest outer walls is first marked by stretching a string between 
two wooden pegs driven at the ends.  

2. Set out the centre lines of the walls with reference to it, either perpendicular, parallel or at any 
other angle to it.  

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3. Wooden pegs are to be driven, sufficiently outside the limit of excavation (at least I an 
from the work)  

4. While driving the pegs, care should be taken to see that their tops are in one level, even if the 
ground is sloping.  

5. All the lines at right angles are fixed by using any of the following methods:  

a) Using 3:4:5 method. (Ling Pythagoras theorem) 

b) Large wooden square (called Mason's square)  

c) Cross-staff or an optical square  

d) For important work a theodolite is to be used. This ensure: right angles to be set very 
accurately.  

6. All the measurements must be taken using steel tapes. If the ground is uneven, fix points on 
the ground using the plumb bob.  

7. The accuracy of the rectangles and Squares formed by the lines is to be carefully .checked by 
measuring both the diagonals. If any difference found, either in the sides or diagonals, the 
position o the strings on the pegs are so adjusted to correct the errors. Finalize the position of 
the strings and drive small wire nails at the exact string points on the pegs.  

8. Foundation trench lines are marked on either sides of the centre line with pickaxe. For 
continuous trenches, a gauge (piece of wood or steel bar with length equals to the width of the 
foundation is t used; All the pegs and strings not required for future reference are removed. 

9 The centre lines, marked are permanently marked at certain points like compound walls, or on 
pedestals made with brick or concrete for this purpose for future reference during the course of 
construction. 

10. Excavation work is performed over the-entire foundation and work carried out layer by layer. 
Total station, a surveying equipment is used to set out the buildings accurately. Any point on 
space can be easily fixed with reference to the other point using this equipment.  

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