NATA case studies
NATA · Put your knowledge to work in context.
NATA, the National Aptitude Test in Architecture, is an aptitude test used for admission to the specific field of study of Architecture. According to the official NATA site, it assesses a candidate's innate ability through a variety of testing formats and, in the site's own framing, cannot be taught, learnt or induced. The NATA case studies are 5 cases and about 5,280 words.
1Case Study 1 - Plot Envelope, FAR and an Over-Confident Consultant
A developer owns a rectangular plot measuring 18 m by 24 m, on the corner of a 12 m wide road and a 9 m wide lane. The byelaws for this plot permit a maximum ground coverage of 40% and a floor area ratio of 1.8, with mandatory setbacks of 3 m at the front, 2 m at the rear and 1.5 m on each side.
1,045 words, about 5 min2Case Study 2 - A Shopfront Sign That Is Big Enough but Still Unreadable
A retail brand is refurbishing a single-storey shopfront on a 24 m frontage along a busy road. The fascia band is 12 m long and 0.9 m high, fixed at 3.6 m above the pavement.
962 words, about 5 min3Case Study 3 - Programming a School Extension Inside a Vacation Window
A practice is planning a two-storey extension to a school, to be built inside the six-week vacation. The contractor gives fixed durations in working days and the following dependencies: A - Site clearance and setting out - 3 days - no predecessor B - Excavation and foundation - 8 days - after A C - Steel and shutter procurement - 10 days - can start on day 1, must finish before D D - Ground-floor structure - 12 days - after B and C E - First-floor structure and slab - 9 days - after D F - Brickwork and internal plaster - 7 days - after E G - Electrical and plumbing first fix - 5 days - after E H - Finishes and handover - 6 days - after F and G The school reopens on day 39 from the start of work.
1,025 words, about 5 min4Case Study 4 - A West-Facing Glass Wall and Four Ways to Spend the Budget
A school in Ahmedabad (hot-dry climate; May afternoons above 42 °C) is adding a library along an 18 m long west facade that faces the playground. The principal wants full-height glazing - a band 18 m long and 2.4 m high, from 0.9 m sill to 3.3 m head - so that children can see the trees and the room does not feel like a box.
1,089 words, about 5 min5Case Study 5 - An Oxblood Room, a North Window and a Menu Nobody Can Read
A 6 m by 9 m cafe with a 3.0 m ceiling has one north-facing glazed wall, 6 m by 2.4 m, and a single door. The owner wants the brand colour, a deep oxblood with a light reflectance value (LRV) of 8%, on all four walls and the ceiling.
1,159 words, about 6 min