Interplay of Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and Building Coverage (BC)

Building Coverage

  • Building Coverage describes how much of the ground is occupied by building footprints.

Floor Area Ratio

  • FAR describes how much total floor area exists compared to the site area.
  • The same FAR can be achieved with very different building forms.

This table illustrates examples of:

  • Varying Floor Area Ratio — 0.25 at left to 2.0 at right
  • Varying Building Coverage - 0.25 at the top to 1.0 at the bottom
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Impact of FAR and BC on Site Performance

FAR and BC can impact:

  • Solar access and overshadowing
  • Daylight availability
  • Wind flow and microclimate
  • Open space quality and public realm
  • Walkability and circulation
  • Accessibility and emergency access
  • Parking demand and infrastructure pressure
  • Density, livability, and urban character

Comparing 3 Approaches to Achieving the Same Unit Density on a Site

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