What is a master plan?

Master plans for a building site or land area are the long term planning documents that provide the
concepts and guides for future growth and development. They include not just what exists now but
what is planned for the future. In a large long term project they may include several years’ worth of long
term project they may include several years’ worth of development changes over time and the methods
for transitioning from each stage to the next.

 A good master plan would include a key plan, site plan, building plan and service plan, if not
several.
 With a small house the master plan might just be “we have an empty lot, we’re putting a house
on it”. For a large complex of property the master plan might be several years’ worth of changes
involving many buildings on the site.

What is a key plan?

Key plans are the individual floor plans showing primary architecture elements for each floor of a
structure. They graphically represent every primary element of each floor including windows, doors,
room numbers, and architectural decorative elements and so on.

 A master plan might have several layers of key plans documenting intended changes over time
and the scheduled roll out of the changes.
 A master plan would have separate key plans for each building on the property and each floor of
each building
 These are typically used to discuss broad changes and room layout without fussing over
assembly details.

What is a site plan?

A site plan is a readable map or residential diagram depicting the plot of the lad on which house or a
building sits. Along with the landscaping, topography, exterior features, additional service buildings and
facilities, etc. included.

 A master plan would include a current site plan and as many future site plans as required to
document the entire long term development of the site/land area.
 A site plans primary purpose is to document positions of the building and exterior decorative
elements in relation to each other and the border of the property as well as any fence lines,
parking areas, sidewalks, drive ways, etc. as needed.

What is a Building Plan?

These are sometimes called blueprints. The Building Plans are the set of documents that show how to
actually assemble the pieces that were shown in the Key Plan. Building plans include every structural
element and the materials that are needed to complete them. In load bearing walls every joint will be
identified, the screws and nails and hardware identified down to the counting of every tiny detail.

 A proper building plan will include the size, placement, quantity and documentation of every
piece of a building that will be needed to assemble it, rom the walls, floors and ceiling, right
down to the nuts and bolts (and the materials and strength grade of those bolts, and so on).
  In large complex structures there will be many pages of building plans covering ever needed
element. Done properly a building plan can be used to identify and plan for material costs and
plan for ordering of the materials in a timely fashion to meet the master plan deadlines and
budget.
 In some ways a key pan is a summary of a building plan, an overview of the structures and
functions and where they will be, in contrast to the building plan as the assembly instructions
for how to achieve those results.

What is a Service Plan?

Documentation and planning of every “service” that will be provided to the building/site. This includes
anything such as electric, water, internet, cable television or any other service that must be attached
from outside the property or transmitted throughout the property from any centralized distribution
point. For example it would plan out where the internet is going to be attached, where the central
connection hub will be placed and where the installed wiring will be run from room to room and so on.

 If the building provides any of its own services such as satellite dish or a boiler room for heat, or
central air conditioning these would be documented along with how those services will be
distributed to other parts of the property.

A MASTER PLAN is a dynamic long-term planning document that provides conceptual layout to guide
future growth and development.

MASTER PLANS can have an important role in determining the shape of the urban environment. If not
well conceived, they can lead to problems in the future.

MASTER PLANNING CAN ASSUME SOME OR ALL OF THESE ROLES:

 Develop a phasing and implementation schedule and identify priorities for action
 Act as a framework for regeneration and attract private sector investment.
 Conceptualize and shape the three-dimensional urban environment.
 Define public, semiprivate, and private spaces and public amenities.
 Determine the mix of uses and their physical relationship.
 Engage the local community and act as a builder consensus.

THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A MASTER PLAN

1. Feasibility Study

The feasibility study is an objective review of available options for development. It includes
findings, analysis and conclusions from the visioning and scoping exercise or a given site or inner-city
area. It indicates whether the chosen site is suitable for intended function, taking into account the
financial, social, and environmental aspects of each proposal.

2. Strategic Framework

The strategic framework accompanies the master plan and sets he scene in establishing baseline
information related to the physical, social, and economic context of the site and surroundings. This
background information should outline the site location and dimensions, topography, and existing uses.
It should highlight the current zoning regulations and relevant/applicable planning policies, as well as
any particularly important opportunities and constraint relevant to the site.

3. Physical and Spatial Elements of a Master Plan

The spatial master plan should include elements such as massing, height, densities, orientation,
grids and blocks (without architectural or style details) transportation systems, and open spaces.

The MASTER PLAN should also cover some or all of the following elements to ensure an overall holistic
and successful design and use outcome:

 Image, Neighborhood character and heritage

What determines the character of an Urban Area?

Urban designers and architects have used the term “CHARACTER” or “SENSE OF PLACE” since
the early days of urban design. But what defines the character is determined by its history, cultural
identity, landscape, and architecture. Character also means that the urban area is remarkable and
coherent in a way that serves as a basis of pride, affection, and a sense of community. The character of a
place is influenced by many factors, including:

 The built environment including building bulk and the height

MASTER PLANNING encompasses a range work from visioning and strategic planning to design
development. It requires a multi-disciplinary approach which brings together land-use planners, urban
designers, socio-economic/market analysis, and transportation planners, among others.

MASTER PLANNING by the IBI Group. Inc.

 Great places are far from than the individual buildings they contain. The best environments are
created when an imaginative and appropriate design approach has been consistently applied t
 where an imaginative and appropriate design approach has been consistently applied to the
relationship between building and streets, squares, parks, water features and other spaces
which make up the public domain.
o Beautiful and functional towns, cities, districts and neighborhoods do not happen by
chance; they emerge because deliberate and careful design direction is given to their
urban growth, cultural heritage and evolution.
 Good urban design draws together the many strands of place-making and resolves often
conflicting demands: planning and transportation policy, architectural design, landscape,
engineering, social inclusion. Development economics and responsibility to the environment –
and integrates these to create inspiring places with character.