UNIT 4 : Type of Competitions

1. PROJECT AND IDEAS COMPETITIONS

Competitions may be either "Projects" or "Ideas" competitions or in certain circumstances a

combination of both. The aim of a roject competition is to find the best solution for an actual
building roject and to appoint its author to carry out the commission. ompetitions of Ideas are
set as an exercise to elucidate certain aspects of architectural and town planning problems.
The winner of such a competition may not be commissioned to carry out the project, and
hence students of architecture may participate at the iscretion of the promoter.

2. CLASSIFICATION OF COMPETITIONS

(I) OPEN COMPETITIONS

Competitions in which all Architects are invited to participate through an announcement by

advertisements in suitable media and through circulars which may be issued by the
promoters.

Open competitions for projects estimated at less than Rs. 10,00,000/-may be restricted to
Architects who have their main or branch office in the State of the project site.

(II) LIMITED COMPETITIONS FOR COMPETITIONS BY INVITATION

Competitions in which limited amount of Architects (approx. 5 to 8) selected by the promoter

on the advice of the Senior Architect Assessor or Board of Assessors, are invited to
participate. Each participant who submits his designs shall receive an honorarium.

(III) SPECIAL COMPETITIONS

Besides competitions described in (i) and (ii) above a competition may also combine town
planning as well as design problem, and may involve the use of industrial components or
participation of developers. In such competitions participation may be required to be limited
to professionals or group of professionals with certain definite expertise.

In such cases the competition announcement shall clearly define the field of expertise.

3. COMPETITION ORGANISATION

Competitions may be organised in one or two stages.

(I) SINGLE STAGE COMPETITION

In single stage competition the competition entries shall be fairly complete drawings i.e.
plans, section, elevations, etc. to a suitable scale

and sufficient to explain the scheme as set out in the competition conditions.
The designs so submitted shall be assessed by the Assessors for the award of the prizes
and the appointment of the architect.

Such competitions are recommended for small and simple project.

(II) TWO STAGE COMPETITIONS

In two stage competition, the first stage is for soliciting ideas and therefore the competition
entries at this stage would be limited to planning on broad basis and drawings to a suitable
scale sufficient to indicate the intentions of the competitor.

Designs submitted in the first stage shall be assessed by the Assessors for selecting a small
number of competitors (between 5 and 10). The author of these selected designs will be
invited to take part in the second stage of the competition, and each architect so invited
would be paid a specified sum.

In order to maintain anonymity, each competitor will be informed individually whether he has
been or has not been invited to participate in the second stage. Correspondence in this
respect will be the responsibility of the Promoter or Professional Adviser, if appointed. It will
also be his responsibility to ensure that the names of those invited and those rejected are
not revealed either to the assessor or to any person.

To ensure this anonymity the envelopes containing the names of the competitors shall be
opened by the Promoter or Professional Adviser if appointed. After the intimation has been
sent to each competitor they shall be resealed until the final award.

After the end of the first stage, the Board of Assessors, may, if found necessary and with the
approval of the Promoter, clarify or amplify points in the competition conditions for the benefit
of the second stage competitors. Such clarification or amplification shall not in any way
disclose directly or indirectly or even inadvertently any of the designs submitted in the first
stage to those invited for the second stage.

The period between the Assessors award for the first stage and submission of designs for
the second stage shall not exceed six months. Only under exceptional circumstances period
may be extended.

The second stage of the competition may be limited to only a part of the subject dealt with in
the first stage.

Members of the Board of Assessors shall be the same for first stage and second stage of the
competition.

The designs submitted for both the first stage and the second stage shall be exhibited and/or
published only after the final award of the second stage competition.

If any design selected for the second stage is published or exhibited before the final award of
the second stage has been declared, it will be disqualified.

Two stage competitions are recommended for town planning and for large scale or complex
project.
III. REGIONAL SPECIAL CATEGORY COMPETITIONS

This type of competition is intended for small projects of charitable organisations in which
four to six local firms will compete for the appointment as the Architect.

No premiums are given and the winner shall be appointed to carry out the project.

4. PURPOSE OF COMPETITION GUIDELINES :

The purpose of these Guidelines is to indicate the principles upon which competitions will
be conducted and the rules which must be observed by a promoter for conducting
competitions.

These guidelines have been drawn up in the interest of both the promoter and the
competitor and to ensure that the architectural competitions are properly conducted and
that selection of the design will be on merit alone and will satisfy the promoter's
requirements.

The Code of Professional Conduct of the Council of Architecture does not allow Architects
to give unpaid services in competition with each other and competitive designs shall only
be submitted through competition organised within the framework of these guidelines.

5 . COA COMPETITION GUIDELINES :

ARTICLE 1 : ELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE:

Participation in any and all competitions shall be open to:

1. Architects i.e those who are registered with the Council of Architecture under the
Architects Act, 1972 on the date of announcement of the competition and thereafter.

2. Firms in which all the partners shall be registered with the Council of Architecture
under the Architects Act, 1972 on the date of announcement of the competition and
thereafter.1

3. Students of a Teaching Institution, the qualifying examination of which is recognised

by the Council of Architecture provided that no member of the staff of the said
institution is the sole Assessor or in a jury of three or more Assessors, only one
Assessor is from the staff of the said institution.

4. Neither the Promoter of the competition, Assessor/s engaged for the competition nor
any of their associate, partner or employee shall compete, assist a competitor or act
as an architect or joint architect for the competition project.

Competitor may be requested to submit a proof of qualification, copy of his valid Registration
certificate issued by the Council of Architecture, and in case of a student, a certificate from
the head of his institution which is qualified as per 3 above.
 ARTICLE 2 :Competition

1. The word 'Competition' shall apply to any competition described in Schedule 1 and
participation shall be open only to those qualified as per Article 1.

2. The draft competition conditions including time table, registration fees, prize
monies/honoraria, board of assessors, the programme etc. of competitions shall have
been finalised within the framework of the guidelines prescribed by the Council of
Architecture before any announcement is made by the promoter of the competition.

3. The conditions of the competitions shall clearly give:

Conditions based upon guidelines prescribed by the Council of Architecture.
Type of Competition.
Purpose of the competition and intentions of the promoter.
Nature of the problem to be solved.
All practical and mandatory requirements to be met by the competitors.
Number, nature, scale and dimensions of the documents, plan and/or models.
Estimates if required in standard form issued with the conditions.
Nature of prizes.
Names of Assessors.
Necessary information required for conducting the competition.

4. The competition shall be conducted in English.

5. All competition designs shall be submitted anonymously.

ARTICLE 3 :BOARD OF ASSESSORS:

The Board of Assessors shall at all times include Architects who are registered with the
Council of Architecture and shall be in a majority of atleast one.

ARTICLE 4 : Prizes, Honoraria & Mentions :

No competition shall be conducted without adequate premium/honoraria and the competition

conditions and the media announcements must state the amounts and number of prizes for
the open competition and the amount of premium or honorarium to each competitor in a
limited competition and in the second stage of a two stage competition.

ARTICLE 5 : Copyright & Right of ownership :

• Each competitor shall retain Copyright in his own competition design.

• Each competitor shall retain the right of reproduction of his own competition design.

ARTICLE 6 :
All competition designs including those disqualified by the Board of Assessors shall be
exhibited for atleast one week, together with a copy of the signed report of the Board of
Assessors. The exhibition shall be open to public free of charge.
UNIT 5 : EASEMENT:

An easement is a right which the owner or occupier of certain land possesses, as such, for
the beneficial enjoyment of that land, to do and continue to do something, or to prevent and
continue to prevent something being done, in or upon, or in respect of, certain other land not
his own.

Dominant and servient heritages and owners.-- The land for the beneficial enjoyment of
which the right exists is called the dominant heritage, and the owner or occupier thereof the
dominant owner; the land on which the liability is imposed is called the servient heritage, and
the owner or occupier thereof the servient owner.

Explanation.-- In the first and second clauses of this section, the expression "land" includes
also things permanently attached to the earth; the expression "beneficial enjoyment"
includes also possible convenience, remote advantage, and even a mere amenity; and the
expression "to do something" includes removal and appropriation by the dominant owner, for
the beneficial enjoyment of the dominant heritage, of any part of the soil of the servient
heritage or anything growing or subsisting thereon

Illustrations

(a) A, as the owner of a certain house, has a right of way thither over his neighbour B's land
for purposes connected with the beneficial enjoyment of the house. This is an easement.

(b) A, as the owner of a certain house, has the right to go on his neighbour B's land, and to
take water for the purposes of his household out of a spring therein. This is an easement.

(c) A, as the owner of a certain house, has the right to conduct water from B's stream to
supply the fountains in the garden attached to the house. This is an easement.

(d) A, as the owner of a certain house and farm, has the right to graze a certain number of
his own cattle on B's field, or to take, for the purpose of being used in the house, by himself,
his family, guests, lodgers and servants, water or fish out of C's tank, or timber out of D's
wood, or to use, for the purpose of manuring his land, the leaves which have fallen from the
trees on E's land. These are easements.

(e) A dedicates to the public the right to occupy the surface of certain land for the purpose of
passing and repassing. This right is not an easement.

(f) A is bound to cleanse a water course running through his land and keep it free from
obstruction for the benefit of B, a lower riparian owner. This is not an easement.

TYPES : Continuous and discontinuous, apparent and non-apparent, easements.

Easements are either continuous or discontinuous, apparent or non-apparent.

A continuous easement is one whose enjoyment is, or may be, continual without the act of
man.

A discontinuous easement is one that needs the act of man for its enjoyment.

An apparent easement is one the existence of which is shown by some permanent sign
which, upon careful inspection by a competent person, would be visible to him.

A non-apparent easement is one that has no such sign.

Illustrations

(a) A right annexed to B's house to receive light by the windows without obstruction by his
neighbour A. This is a continuous easement.

(b) A right of way annexed to A's house over B's land. This is a discontinuous easement.

(c) Rights annexed to A's land to lead water thither across B's land by an aqueduct and to
draw off water thence by a drain. The drain would be discovered upon careful inspection by
a person conversant with such matters. These are apparent easements.

(d) A right annexed to A's house to prevent B from building on his own land. This is a non-
apparent easement.

ACQUISITION OF EASEMENTS:

An easement may be acquired by the owner of the immovable property for the beneficial
enjoyment of which the right is created, or on his behalf, by any person in possession of the
same.

One of two or more co-owners of immovable property, may, as such, with or without the
consent of the other or others, acquire an easement for the beneficial enjoyment of such
property.

No lessee of immovable property can acquire, for the beneficial enjoyment of other
immovable property of his own, an easement in or over the property comprised in his lease.

EXTINCTION OF EASEMENTS:

When, from a cause which preceded the imposition of an easement, the person by whom it
was imposed ceases to have any right in the servient heritage, the easement is
extinguished.

An easement is extinguished when the dominant owner releases it, expressly or impliedly, to
the servient owner.Such release can be made only in the circumstances and to the extent in
and to which the dominant owner can alienate the dominant heritage. An easement may be
released as to part only of the servient heritage.

An easement is extinguished where it has been imposed for a limited period, or acquired on
condition that it shall become void on the performance or non-performance of a specified
act, and the period expires or the condition is fulfilled.

An easement extinguished under section 45 revives (a) when the destroyed heritage is,
before twenty years have expired, restored by the deposit of alluvion; (b) when the destroyed
heritage is a servient building and before twenty years have expired such building is rebuilt
upon the same site; and (c) when the destroyed heritage is a dominant building and before
twenty years have expired such building is rebuilt upon the same site and in such a manner
as not to impose a greater burden on the servient heritage.

PROTECTION OF EASEMENTS:
An easement extinguished under section 46 revives when the grant or bequest by which the
unity of ownership was produced is set aside by the decree of a competent Court. A
necessary easement extinguished under the same section revives when the unity of
ownership ceases from any other cause.

A suspended easement revives if the cause of suspension is removed before the right is
extinguished under section 47

UNIT 5 : Development regulations in second master plan for Chennai metropolitan

authority:

Chennai has been having various ‘plans’ guiding the expansion of the city since 1957.
The First Master Plan for Chennai was published in 1975. Both the transport terminal
and wholesale market from Central Business District were shifted to the current CMBT and
Koyambedu Market as a strategy to decongest the Central Business District then. So the
master plan matters.

The Second Master Plan was published in 2008 – this plan is a guiding document till 2026,
another 8 years from now. And CMDA even had a consultation with citizens on the Second
Master Plan in 2007. If we want to make our city better, it is important for us to understand
the official plan and keep a track of it.

Master Plans are broad based plans and they are not meant to serve as `daily blue-prints’.
Taking cue from this Master Plan, detailed sectoral plans have to be prepared and
programmes for projects & their execution have to be worked out and implemented by the
Departments / Agencies concerned .According to section 17, subsection (2) of the Act, the
Master Plan may propose or provide for all or any of the following matters, namely (a) the
manner in which the land in the planning area shall be used; (b) the allotment or reservation
of land for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural purposes and for parks,
playfields and open spaces; (c) the allotment or reservation of land for public buildings,
institutions and for civic amenities; (d) the making of provision for the national highways,
arterial roads, ring roads, major streets, lines of communication including railways, airports
and canals; (e) the traffic and transportation pattern and traffic circulation pattern; (f) the
major road and street improvements; (g) the areas reserved for future development,
expansion and for new housing; (h) the provision for the improvement of areas of bad
layouts or obsolete development and slum areas and for relocation of population; (i) the
amenities, services and utilities; (j) the provision for detailed development of specific areas
for housing, shopping, industries and civic amenities and educational and cultural facilities;
(k) the control of architectural features, elevation and frontage of buildings and structures; (l)
the provision for regulating the zone, the location, height, number of storeys and size of
buildings and other structures, the size of the yards and other open spaces and the use of
buildings, structures and land; (m) the stages by which the master plan shall be carried out;
and (n) such other matters as may be prescribed.

In order to regulate developments, the areas within CMA have been designated as one of
the 10 use zones listed in the Development Regulations (except for areas of specific use
such as Water Body, Forests, Roads, Railways etc.). The developments in these use zones
will be regulated in accordance with Development Regulations, which form part of the
Second Master Plan. In each use zone certain uses will be permitted normally and certain
other uses will be permitted with the special sanction of CMDA. The main purpose of the
Development Regulation is to promote development in accordance with the land use zoning
contained in this Master Plan.

The following are the land use zones designated in the Master Plan.

1 Primary Residential use zone

2 Mixed Residential use zone

3 Commercial use zone

4 Institutional use zone

5 Industrial use zone

6 Special and hazardous Industrial use zone

7 Open space & Recreational use zone

8 Agriculture use zone

9 Non Urban use zone

10 Urbanisable use zone

Further in CMA areas for buildings of special character such as multi storeyed building
areas, continuous building areas, and economically weaker section areas are also
designated in the plan. Ecologically sensitive areas zoned include CRZ areas, Aquifer
recharge areas, and Red Hills catchment areas. MRTS influence areas; IT Corridor and
areas around Airports are shown as areas of special character. Development prohibited area
namely Pallikkaranai swamp area, area around Indian Air Force station are clearly
demarcated and shown in the Plan.

CHENNAI CORPORATION BUILDING RULES 1972:

Sites.- (1) No piece of land shall be used as a site for the construction of a building-

(i) if the Commissioner considers that the site is insanitary or that it is dangerous to construct
a building on it; or

(ii) if by the virtue of the smallness or odd shape of the site it cannot permit a suitable
building which will conform to these rules; or

(iii) if the site is within nine metres of a tank, unless the owner satisfies the Commissioner
that he will take such measures as will prevent any risk of the domestic drainage of the
building passing into the tank; or

(iv) if the construction of a building thereon is for public worship, unless the site is certified by
the Commissioner of Police that it is not likely to endanger public peace and order:

Provided that an appeal shall lie against the order of refusal of any application under this rule
to the Government whose decision shall be final;

(v) if the building to be constructed is a public building or a dwelling house or a hut-

(a) unless the site is certified by the Engineer to be dry and well drained or to be capable of
being well drained; and

(b) if the site is a filled up tank or has been filled up with or used for depositing rubbish,
offensive matters or sewage unless the Health Officer has examined the site and granted a
certificate to the effect that it is, from a sanitary point of view, to be built upon; or

(vi) if the site does not abut on any existing or proposed public or private street; or

(vii) if the street giving access to the site and connecting with an existing public street or
private street has not been approved by the Commissioner and has not been satisfactorily
made in compliance with the requirements of sections 215 and 216 of the Act; of

(viii) unless it has an extent of not less than ninety five square metres and a minimum width
of six metres:

Buildings.- The ground floor of every building constructed or reconstructed from the ground
level shall be constructed and placed at such level as will admit of-

(a) the construction of a drain sufficient for the effectual drainage of the building into some
public drain or sewer, at the time existing or projected, and

(b) the provision of the requisite communication with some sewer into which the drainage of
the building may lawfully be discharged at a point in the upper half of such sewer or other
drainage system into which its drainage may, lawfully, be discharged.

Foundations.- (1) The foundation of a building shall rest on natural ground.

(2) The spread of the foundation of every building shall be so designed and constructed so
as to sustain the dead load of the building and the superimposed load and to transmit the
loads to and distribute them over the soil in such a manner that pressure brought to bear on
the soil by these loads shall not exceed the safe bearing capacity of the soil
Plinth.- The plinth of buildings other than stables, garages, godowns and buildings of
industrial class shall, in no part, be less than forty-five centimetres above the level of the
centre of the abutting street:

Provided that, on a suitable site minimum height of the plinth may be reduced at the
discretion of the Engineer.

Walls.- (1) Except in cases where permission has been obtained from the Commissioner,
the outer walls of a building shall be constructed of brick or some other hard and
incombustible substance.

(2) All walls of a building must be properly bonded.

(3) If a masonry building exceeds one storey in height -

(a) every wall must be solidly put together with -

(i) mortar compounded with good cement and sand or other suitable material; or

(ii) mortar compounded with good lime and sand or other suitable materials;

(b) the proportion of the materials forming such mortar must be such as are approved by the
Engineer;

(c) no part of any wall other than a cornice or moulding shall overhang any part of a wall
underneath it.

Height of buildings.- (1) The height of a building shall not exceed one and a half times the
width of the street immediately abutting it, provided that this height may be exceeded to the
extent of one metre for every thirty centimetres by which the building is set back from the
street.

(2) In the case of any building, the height of which at any part is fifteen metres or more-

(a) the design and plans of the building shall be made and countersigned by a qualified
architect not below the rank of an Associate of the Indian Institute of Architects;

(b) the design and plan shall be scrutinised and approved by a panel comprising of the
following members:-

(i) Engineer

(ii) a Town Planner of Government; and

(iii) a prominent private architect, provided that the architect member of the panel shall not
have made the plans and designs.