Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

CA3629 Building and Fire Safety Control

– Building (Planning) Regulations (2)

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

City University of Hong Kong
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

B(P)R – Part III

Heights, Site Coverage, Plot Ratio, Open
Spaces and Lanes
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Site Classifications
• Class A site
• Class B site
• Class C site
• Site subject to B(P)R 19(3)
 For the purposes of determining the permitted plot
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

ratio, sites are classified into 3 classes (R18A):

• Class A site means a site that abuts on one street not less than
4.5m wide.
• Class B site means a corner site that abuts on 2 streets with at
least 40 % of the boundary of the site abuts on the streets
neither of which is less than 4.5m wide.
• Class C site means a corner site that abuts on 3 streets with at
least 60 % of the boundary of the site abuts on the streets none
of which is less than 4.5m wide.
 Class A Site
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Street > 4.5m

pavement

Class A Site

Rear Lane
 Class A Site
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 Class B Site
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Street > 4.5m

pavement

Class B Site

Street > 4.5m

Rear Lane
 Class B Site
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 Class C Site
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Street > 4.5m

pavement Class C Site

Street > 4.5m Street > 4.5m

Rear Lane
 Class C Site
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 Specified Street
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• Vested in government and maintained by

Highways Department
• Held under the same lease but to be
surrendered
• On government land where the owner is
required to form into street under the
same lease
• Other private land with Right of Way or
on land held under the same lease by the
owner
• Is on land held by the owner of the site
B(P)R 18A(3), see PNAP APP-124
 The permitted plot ratio is maximum plot ratio permitted under
paragraph (1) & (2) of Building (Planning) Regulation 21.
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Height of Buildings in Domestic Building Non-domestic Building

metres
Class ClassB ClassC Class ClassB ClassC
A Site Site Site A Site Site Site
not exceeding 15m 3.3 3.8 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0

over 15m but not 3.6 4.0 4.3 5.8 5.8 5.8
exceeding 18m
over 18m but not 3.9 4.3 4.7 6.7 6.7 6.7
exceeding 21m
over 21m but not 4.2 4.6 5.0 7.4 7.4 7.4
exceeding 24m
over 24m but not 4.4 4.9 5.3 8.0 8.1 8.1
exceeding 27m
over 27m but not 4.6 5.2 5.5 8.5 8.7 8.8
exceeding 30m
over 30m but not 5.0 5.7 6.0 9.5 9.9 10.2
exceeding 36m
over 36m but not 5.4 6.1 6.5 10.5 10.8 11.2
exceeding 43m
over 43m but not 5.9 6.5 7.0 11.0 11.6 12.0
exceeding 49m
over 49m but not 6.3 7.0 7.5 11.5 12.1 12.6
exceeding 55m
over 55m but not 6.8 7.6 8.0 12.2 12.5 13.0
exceeding 61m
over 61 8.0 9.0 10.0 15.0 15.0 15.0
 Plot Ratio
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

The plot ratio of a building is obtained by dividing

the gross floor area of the building by the area of
the site on which the building is erected.
 Gross Floor Areas (GFA)
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Building (Planning) Regulation 23(3)(a) provides for the definition of

gross floor area and Practice Notes for Authorized Persons APP-2 &
APP-42 further specifies the Building Authority’s interpretation and
application of the same.
 Gross Floor Area
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Reg 23(3) (a) : the gross floor area of a building shall be

the area contained within the external walls of the
building measured at each floor level (including any
floor below the level of the ground), together with the
area of each balcony in the building, which shall be
calculated from the overall dimensions of the balcony
(including the thickness of the sides thereof), and the
thickness of the external walls of the building.
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Reg 23(3)(b): Building Authority may disregard any floor space

that he is satisfied is constructed or intended to be used solely
for parking motor vehicles, loading or unloading of motor
vehicles, or for refuse storage chambers, refuse storage and
material recovery chambers, material recovery chambers,
refuse storage and material recovery rooms, refuse chutes,
refuse hopper rooms and other types of facilities provided to
facilitate the separation of refuse to the satisfaction of the
Building Authority, or for access facilities for
telecommunications and broadcasting services, or occupied
solely by machinery or equipment for any lift, air-conditioning
or heating system or any similar service
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Parking space in
domestic building
[considered as non-
domestic portion –
100% S.C. and may
be excluded from
GFA calculation]
 PNAP APP-2
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 Site coverage
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Site coverage (上蓋面積) means the area of the

site that is covered by the building that is
erected thereon and, when used in relation to
a part of a composite building, means the area
of the site on which the building is erected that
is covered by that part of the building

• % of Roof-over Area / Site Area

• Site coverage to vary according to building
height
 …
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
 Composite buildings
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Reg 21(2) of B(P)R states:

“Subject to regulation 22, the plot ratio for the domestic part
of a composite building shall not exceed the product of the
difference between the permitted plot ratio for the building if
it were a non-domestic building and the actual plot ratio of
the non-domestic part of the building and the permitted plot
ratio for the building if it were a domestic building divided
by the permitted plot ratio for the building if it were a non-
domestic building.”
 Plot ratio calculation applicable to
composite buildings are as follows:
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Domestic Plot Ratio = (Permitted Non-Domestic Plot Ratio - Actual Non-

Domestic Plot Ratio) x (Permitted Domestic Plot
Ratio/Permitted Non-Domestic Plot Ratio)

Domestic Part

Non-domestic Part
 END
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering