Program Development and Site Planning
This domain tests the link between client need and physical layout: quantifying a program, testing it against zoning, and arranging uses on the site.
Program development
- Net area is usable space; gross area includes circulation, walls, and mechanical; efficiency = net ÷ gross.
- An adjacency matrix records desired proximity and separation; a bubble diagram tests relationships before geometry.
- Space standards and parking ratios come from the client, code, or published standards.
Zoning and layout
- Setbacks are measured from property lines; lot coverage limits footprint; floor area ratio (FAR) limits total gross floor area (FAR = GFA ÷ lot area).
- Parking: round required spaces up, then add drive aisles, queuing, and accessible stalls.
- Check access, loading, fire lanes, and ADA routes early-they constrain the plan more than furniture.
Worked example
A 2-acre lot (87,120 sf) has FAR 0.25 and 30% lot coverage. Max GFA = 0.25 × 87,120 = 21,780 sf. At two stories, footprint = 10,890 sf. Coverage allows 26,136 sf, so FAR controls. Parking at 1 space per 300 sf GFA = 72.6 → 73 spaces. At about 350 sf per space including aisle, parking consumes ~25,550 sf. Remaining open area ≈ 87,120 − 10,890 − 25,550 = 50,680 sf.
Traps
- Confusing FAR with lot coverage.
- Rounding parking down.
- Using net area where the code requires gross.
- Forgetting accessible stalls and van-accessible aisles.