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GATE AR study materials
GATE AR study resources

GATE AR: Architecture and Planning

GATE AR · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Architecture and Planning

What GATE AR tests

GATE Architecture and Planning (AR) is a single 100-mark paper: General Aptitude (15 marks) plus an Architecture and Planning core (85 marks). The core covers architectural design, construction and materials, structures, building science (climatology, lighting, acoustics), services, history and theory, urban design, housing, landscape, and planning techniques including transport and environmental planning. Items are MCQ, MSQ, and NAT; only MCQ attracts negative marking.

Core rules and concepts

  • Ground coverage is the building footprint as a percentage of plot area; FAR/FSI multiplies plot area to give total permissible built-up area across all floors.
  • NBC exit design uses occupant load and building use group to set egress width and travel distance; stair width is not derived from floor area alone.
  • Daylight factor = (indoor illuminance ÷ simultaneous outdoor illuminance) × 100; it is independent of orientation but depends on sky, window size, and room geometry.
  • In hot-dry climates, minimise west glazing, use thermal mass with night ventilation, and shade courtyards; in warm-humid climates, maximise cross-ventilation.
  • UDPFI road hierarchy runs arterial → sub-arterial → collector → local; right-of-way and design speed fall down the hierarchy.
  • Cantilever slabs carry top reinforcement; serviceability deflection, not only strength, governs design.
  • Limit-state design applies partial safety factors to loads and materials; do not mix working-stress assumptions into numericals.

Worked example

Plot 2000 m², ground coverage 25%, FAR 2.0. Footprint = 0.25 × 2000 = 500 m². Total built-up = 2.0 × 2000 = 4000 m². Storeys = 4000 ÷ 500 = 8. Increasing coverage would not raise FAR; setbacks and height caps still bind.

Traps

  • Using gross area where net residential density excludes roads and open space.
  • Expecting negative marks on MSQ/NAT-there are none.
  • Confusing FAR with ground coverage, or lux with lumens.
  • Ignoring that a low FAR can still produce a tall tower on a small footprint.
  • Treating daylight factor as orientation-dependent-it is not.