What Is Floor Area Ratio Used For

The floor area ratio is the relationship between the total amount of usable floor area that a building has or has been permitted to have and the total area of the lot on which the building stands.

What is floor area ratio used for. Floor area ratio far is the ratio of a building s total floor area gross floor area to the size of the piece of land upon which it is built. The terms can also refer to limits imposed on such a ratio through zoning. The floor area ratio also known as the floor space ratio fsr or the floor space index fsi depicts the relationship between the total usable floor space in a building and the total area of the plot on which the building is constructed. Sometimes referred to as the floor space index fsi the far helps developers and commercial real estate owners determine if a property is economically viable.

It is the ratio of a building s available square footage to the total area of the lot on which the building sits. This makes it important for everyone to be familiar with this term. The floor area ratio far is a commonly used real estate metric. It is often used as one of the regulations in city planning along with the building to land ratio.

It is related to the zoning of a locality and how much space is allotted on a given plot. The floor area of a building is the sum of the gross area of each floor of the building excluding mechanical space cellar space floor space in open balconies elevators or stair bulkheads and in most zoning districts floor space used for accessory parking that is located less than 23 feet above curb level. In this article wealthhow tells you how to calculate floor area ratio and equips you with a calculator for the same purpose. Floor area ratio or far is a critical decisive element for the legal construction of any residential or non residential building.

Download original report pdf grant of power for the purpose of promoting health safety morals or the general welfare of the community the legislative body of every municipality is hereby empowered to regulate and restrict the height number of stories and size of buildings and other structures the percentage of lot that may be occupied the size of yards courts and. Adding to this confusion is the practice among some developers to use gross leasable area gla and gfa interchangeably or to use. The floor area ratio far is the ratio of a building s gross floor area to the total area of the land upon which it is constructed. It is a tool used by the planning body of any city or town to identify densely constructed areas from the others.

Far is expressed as a decimal number and is derived by dividing the total area of the building by the total. Gross floor area gfa in real estate is the total floor area inside the building envelope including the external walls and excluding the roof. Floor area ratio far is the measurement of a building s floor area in relation to the size of the lot parcel that the building is located on. Floor area ratio far.