Module 4

Syllabus
• Site planning and Building Rules-Selection of site-Site plan preparation
for buildings
• Kerala Municipal Building Rules prevailing, general provisions
regarding site and building requirements-Coverage and Floor Area
Ratio
• Basic concepts of Intelligent Buildings and Green Buildings
• Roads- Classification of Rural and urban Roads.
• Sources of Water - Water Supply-Quality of Water
Building Bye-Laws
• Building Bye-Laws are legal tools used to regulate coverage, height,
building bulk, and architectural design and construction aspects of
buildings so as to achieve orderly development of an area.
• They are mandatory in nature and serve to protect buildings against
fire, earthquake, noise, structural failures and other hazards.
• In India, there are still many small and medium sized towns which do
not have building bye-laws and in the absence of any regulatory
mechanism, such towns are confronted with excessive coverage,
encroachment and haphazard development resulting in chaotic
conditions, inconvenience for the users, and disregard for building
aesthetics, etc.
Selection of site
• The most important aspects to be considered for residential building is selection of good site.
• The soil of site should have good bearing capacity. Hard strata should be available at reasonable depth,
around 1.2m to1.5m depth from ground level.
• The site should be on elevated ground. It should have slope towards front street to afford good facility of
drainage.
• Sites nearer to ponds ,pools of water, water logged areas must be avoided as they remain in damp condition .
• Sites near to high voltage power transmission lines are avoided.
• Sites very nearer to big shopping complexes , markets, railway station, air port are avoided
• The surrounding of site should be pleasing & calm.
• The orientation of site should be such that it receives natural light and air in plenty.
• The location of site is such that the common facilities like school, transportation, medical facilities etc are
within reasonable range.
• Sites in developed colonies should be preferred.
• The layout of the colony should be approved by local authorities. This will help in getting essential facilities
like water , drainage ,electricity, telephone connection etc easily.
Site plan preparation for buildings
• Site Plan: The site plan to be sent along with the application for permit shall be
drawn to a scale of 1: 100 for plots upto 500 sq. mt. in size and on a scale of
1:500 for plots above 500 sq. mt. in size. The plan shall show as below:
• a) The boundaries of the site and any contiguous land belonging to the owner
there of.
• b) The position of the site in relation to neighboring street.
• c) The names of the streets on which the building is proposed to be situated, if
any.
• d) All existing buildings standing on, over or under the site.
• e) The position of the building and of all other buildings, if any, which the
applicant intends to erect upon his contiguous
• g) Space to be left about the building to secure a free circulation of air,
admission of light and access.
• h) The width of the street, if any, in front, at the sides or rear of building.
• i) The direction of north point relative to the plan of the buildings.
• j) Any existing physical features such as well, drains, trees, over head
electric supply lines etc.
• k) The ground area of the whole property and the breakup of covered
area on each floor with the calculation for percentage covered in each
floor in terms of the total area of the plot as required under the Bye-
Laws governing the coverage of the area.
• l) Parking plans indicating the parking spaces wherever required.
• m) Such other particulars as may be prescribed by the Authority; and
• n) Building number or plot number of the property on which the
building is intended to be erected.
Kerala Municipal Building Rules
• Now a days no one can construct a building as per his/ her wishes. It is
controlled by your Local administration ie. Panchayath, Municipality or
Corporation of the place where your property is situated.
• Also every State has their own restrictions for the constructions based on a
set of Laws approved by the Law makers. These set of Laws are called
Building Rules.
• In 1970, National Building Code (NBC-1970) has been released by the Indian
Standards Institution (ISI) for the first time. This has become the basis of the
Building Rules in every State.
• NBC is not implemented by law. But the Building Rules are enforced by law.
NBC has been revised in 1983 and later on 2005.
• Kerala Building Rules was implemented in the state in the year 1968.
• The Laws were applicable to Municipalities and Corporations, which
are urban in nature.
• The availability of Land for spacious construction was a challenge in
Urban areas.
• Since the laws were implemented successfully, the chance of making
faulty of unscientific constructions was much reduced and so these
rules help all of us to lead a peaceful life.
• The old KBR-1968 has been revised based on the NBC 1983 and was
implemented in Kerala in 1984. This was later revised in 1999 and in
2010.It was once again amended in 2013
• Finally in 2019, revised and new KMBR-2019 has been released. 
 General provisions regarding site and
building requirements
• (1) No land development or redevelopment shall be made or no building shall be constructed on any plot on any part
of which there is deposited refuse, excreta or other offensive matter which in the opinion of the Secretary is
considered objectionable, until such refuse, excreta or other offensive matter has been removed there from and the
plot has been prepared or left in a manner  suitable for land development or building purpose for the satisfaction of
the Secretary.
• (2) No land development or redevelopment shall be made or no building shall be constructed on a plot, which
comprises or includes a pit, quarry or other similar excavation or any part thereof unless such plot has been prepared
or left in a manner or condition suitable for land development or redevelopment or building purposes to the
satisfaction of the Secretary.
• (3) No land development or redevelopment shall be made or no building shall be constructed on a plot liable to flood
or on a slope forming an angle of more than 45 degrees with horizontal or on soil unsuitable for percolation or on
area shown as floodable area in any town planning scheme or in sandy beds, unless it is proved by the owner to the
satisfaction of the Secretary that construction of such a building will not be dangerous or injurious to health and the
site will not be subjected to flooding or erosion or cause undue expenditure of public funds for providing sewers,
sanitation, water. supply or other public services.
• (4) Any land development or redevelopment or building construction or reconstruction in any area notified by the
Government of India as a coastal regulation zone under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986) and rules
made thereunder shall be subject to the restrictions contained in the said notification as amended from time to time.
• (5) No building or part of a building shall be constructed or reconstructed or no addition or alteration shall be made to
any existing building in the intervening spaces between the building and any overhead electric supply line as described
 Exterior and Interior open air spaces
• (3) Every building upto 10 meters in height shall have a minimum front yard of 3 meters depth
• 4) Every building upto 10 meters in height shall have a minimum rear yard of 2 meters depth
• (6) Any room intended for human habitation and not abutting on either front, rear or side open air spaces
shall abut on an interior open space whose width shall not be less than 2.4 meters:
• (8) For buildings above 10 meters in height, in addition to the minimum front, rear and side open spaces
required for height upto 10 meters, there shall be provided proportionate increase in such minimum open
space at the rate of 0.5 meter per every 3 meters height exceeding 10 meters:

(10) No construction or hanging of any sort shall be permitted to project outside the boundaries of the site.
• (11) Every open space provided, either interior or exterior shall be kept free from any erection thereon and
shall be open to the sky and only cornice, roof or whether shade not more than 0.60 meter width shall
overhang or project over the said open space so as to reduce the width to less than the minimum required:
• Provided that where the open space is minimum 0.60 meter the cornice, roof or weather shade shall be
limited to 30 cms. and where the open space is less than 0.60 meter no projection whatsoever shall be
permitted:
Provisions of size height and ventilation of
rooms
BUILDING AREA TERMS

1. Plinth Area

2. Floor Area

3. Carpet Area

4. Floor Area Ratio

5. Built up Area
PLINTH AREA

• It’s the built up covered area of a building measured at floor level at any storey.

• It’s the area of the building at the plinth level, does not include the area of

a) open porch

b) uncovered staircase

c) Area of loft

d) Sunshade etc….
FLOOR AREA

• It’s the total area of floors in between and consist of floors of all room,
entrance hall, kitchen, stores, W/c Etc.

• In short FLOOR AREA = plinth area- area occupied by walls

• The following areas shall be included

a) Intermediate pillars and supports

b) Flues (a duct for smoke and waste gases produced by a fire )

CARPET AREA
• Carpet area shall mean the floor area of the usable rooms at
any floor level
• It’s the useful area or liveable area.
• Carpet Area is the area enclosed within the walls ( actual
area to lay the carpet).
• In short CARPET AREA = Total floor area – circulation area
• circulation area include :
1. Verandah
2. Corridor and passages
3. Kitchen and pantry
4. Sanitary accommodation
5. Staircase etc….
FLOOR AREA RATIO (F.A.R)

• It’s the ratio of Total Covered area of all floors by Plot Area.

• Plot area is area enclosed between plot boundaries.

BUILT UP AREA
• ‘Built- up area’ means the total area covered by the building at all
floor levels.
• It shall also include area of
1. mezzanine floor
2. Galleries
3. barsati
4. pent house at terrace level (A penthouse is traditionally known as
the top-floor unit of a luxury residential building.)
barsati
Question
• Calculate plinth area, floor area and carpet area for the plan of a
building given below: Wall thickness is 30 cm,
• Plinth Area = 7.6 *6.2
• Carpet Area = 3.5*3.0+3.0*3.0
• Floor Area =3.5*3.0+3.0*3.0+3.5 *2.0 +3.0*2.0
• Built up area=(3.5+3+0.3*3)*(3+2+0.3*3)
Transportation -Introduction
•  Transportation engineering is one of the most important branches of
civil engineering.
• Transportation means conveyance of human beings and material from
one place to another.
• There are four major means of communication:
 Road ways (Communication by land)
Railways (Communication by land)
Water ways (Communication by water)
Air ways (Communication by air )
Modes of transport
• The modes of transport describes the way goods are transported.
• There are basically five different modes;
* Rail
* Road
* Air
* Water
* Pipeline
Road
• Road transport is one of the most common modes of transport. Roads
in the form of track ways, human pathways etc. were used even from
the pre-historic times.
• Road is a path specially prepared for the movement of transport
vehicles. It can also be defined as a structure constructed to facilitate
the movement of persons and materials from one place to another.
• ROADWAY Acts as a feeder to all other means of transport. All other
ways are connected by road ways 
Advantages
• Roads facilitate communication on land
• essential for economic prosperity and general development of a
country
• in the growth of trade and other economic activities in and outside
the villages and towns.
• as feeder lines help the development of other means of
communications.
• Better law and order can be maintained.
• Natural resources of an area can be easily tapped and improved.
Structure of Road
• A highway pavement is a structure consisting of superimposed layers of
processed materials above the natural soil sub-grade, whose primary
function is to distribute the applied vehicle loads to the sub-grade.
• Wearing course: (surface to road) It is the top surface of the road. It directly
receives the wheel load.
• Sub-grade: It is the natural foundation soil upon which the whole
pavement rests and to which the vehicle loads are finally transmitted.
• Base course: It is the portion between the wearing course and the sub
grade
• Right of way: This is the width of the land to be acquired for road purpose
keeping in view of future requirements.
Classification of roads
•  Classification is done on following bases.
– According to traffic.
– According to transport tonnage
– According to importance.
– According to Location and functions.
– According to materials.
Based on pavement surfacing
•  Surfaced roads-A road with a hard smooth surface of bitumen or tar
road
• Unsurfaced roads -A road without a hard smooth surface of bitumen
or tar
Based on Materials
• Earthen roads
• Gravel roads
• Murrum roads
• Kankar roads
• WBM roads
• Bituminous roads
• Concrete roads
Cross Section of a road
• Carriage way:- The width of pavement way on which vehicles travel is called
Carriage way or pavement width.
• Formation width:- Formation width is the top of width of the highway
embankment excluding the side drains
• Right of way:- Right of way is the area of land acquired for the road, along
its alignment. It is the distance between the boundary stones on either side
of the road.
• Road shoulders:- Shoulders are provided along the road edge to serve as
emergency lane for vehicles. A per IRC, the minimum width of shoulders
should be 2.5m.
• Side slope:- The slope of earthwork in filling or in cutting is called Side slope.
It imparts stability to the earthwork.
• Berm:- The distance between the road toe and the inner edge of borrow pit
is called berm. It prevents the erosion of embankment soil.
• Kerbs:- the boundaries between pavement and shoulders or footpaths are
known as kerbs.
• Boundary stone :- To indicate the boundary of land acquired for road, stones
are driven in to the ground at about 30m distance on either side from the
center line of the road. These stones are known as boundary stone.
• Side drain:- For the drainage of rainwater, drains are provided on either side
of the road. Normally, side drains are required for the road in cutting. For
road in embankment, side drain is not necessary.
• Building line:- The distance from the center line of road on either side, within
which construction of buildings is not permitted is called Building line.
• Control line:- At the locations like bank, hospital, factory, theatre, etc. on the
road, where more people gather disturbance to the traffic will be more.
• Spoil bank:- The banks constructed from surplus excavated earth on the side
of road cutting parallel to its alignment, are known as Spoil banks. The soil
from spoil bank can be used for the repair of shoulders.
• Borrow pits:- The pits dug along the road alignment for using excavated
earth in the construction of embankment, are known as borrow pits.
Sources of water
• The sources from which water is available for water supply schemes
can be conveniently be classified into the following two categories
according to the proximity to the ground source
1. Surface sources
2. Underground sources
Surface water
• In this type of source, the surface runoff is available for water supply
schemes.  Usual forms of surface sources are as follows:
• Lakes and streams
• Ponds
• Rivers
• Storage reservoirs
Lakes and streams
• A natural lake represents a large body of water within land with impervious bed. 
Hence, it may be used as source of water supply scheme for nearby localities. 
• The quantity of runoff that goes to the lake should be accurately determined and it
should be seen that it is at least equal to the expected demand of locality.
•   Similar is the case with streams which are formed by the surface runoff. It is found
that the flow of water in streams is quite ample in rainy season.  But it becomes less
and less in hot season and sometimes the stream may even become absolutely dry.
• The catchment area of lakes and streams is very small and hence, the quantity of water
available from them is also very low.  Hence, lakes and streams are not considered as
principal sources of water supply schemes for the large cities.  But they can be adopted
as sources of water supply schemes for hilly areas and small towns.
• The water which is available from lakes and streams is generally free from undesirable
impurities and can therefore be safely used for drinking purposes.
Ponds
• A pond is a man-made body of standing water smaller than a lake. 
• Thus ponds are formed due to excessive digging of ground for the
construction of roads, houses, etc and they are filled up with water in
rainy season.
•   The quantity of water in pond is very small and it contains many
impurities.
• A pond cannot be adopted as a source of water supply and its water
can only be used for washing of clothes or animals only
Rivers
• Large rivers constitute the principal source of water supply schemes for
many cities. 
• Some rivers are perennial while others are non-perennial. 
• The former rivers are snowfed and hence, water flows in such rivers for
all the seasons.
• The latter type of rivers dries in summer either wholly or partly and in
monsoon, heavy flood visits them. 
• For such types of rivers, it is desirable to store the excess water of
flood in monsoons by constructing dams across such rivers.  This stored
water may then be used in summer.
Storage reservoirs
• An artificial lake formed by the construction of dam across a valley is
termed as a storage reservoir.  It essentially consists of the following three
parts
• A dam to hold water
• A spillway to allow the excess water to flow and
• A gate chamber containing necessary valves for regulating the flow of
water
• At present, this is rather the chief source of water supply schemes for very
big cities.  The multi purpose reservoirs also make provisions for other
uses in addition to water supply such as irrigation and power generation.
Spillway
Underground sources
• In this type of source, the water that has percolated into the ground is brought on
the surface. 
• The difference between the terms infiltration and percolation should be noted.  The
entrance of rain water or melted snow into the ground is referred to as infiltration. 
The movement of water after entrance is called percolation
• It is observed that the surface of earth consists of alternate courses of pervious and
impervious strata.
•   The pervious layers are those through which water can easily pass while it is not
possible for water to go through an impervious layer.
• The pervious layers are known as aquifers or water-bearing strata.  If aquifer
consists of sand and gravel strata, it gives good supply of drinking water. 
• The aquifer of limestone strata can supply good amount of drinking water, provided
there is presence of cracks or fissures in it.
Aquifer
Forms of underground sources
• Following are the four forms in which underground sources are found
1. Infiltration galleries
2. Infiltration wells
3. Springs
4. Wells
Infiltration galleries
• An infiltration gallery is a horizontal or nearly horizontal tunnel which is
constructed through water bearing strata.  It is sometimes referred to as
horizontal well
• The gallery is usually constructed of brick walls with slab roof . The gallery obtains
its water from water bearing strata by various porous drain pipes.  These pipes
are covered with gravel, pebble, etc.  so as to prevent the entry of very fine
material into the pipe.
• The gallery is laid at a slope and the water collected in the gallery is led to a sump
from where it is pumped and supplied to consumers after proper treatment.
•   The manholes are provided along the infiltration gallery for the purposes of
cleaning and inspection
• The infiltration galleries are useful as sources of water supply when
ground water is available in sufficient quantity just below ground level
or so.
•   The galleries are usually constructed at depth of about 5 to 10
metres from the ground level.
Infiltration wells
• In order to collect large quantities of water, infiltration wells are sunk in
series in the banks of river.  The wells are closed at top and open at
bottom.  They are constructed of brick masonry with open joints
• For the purpose of inspection of well, manholes are provided in the top
cover.  The water infiltrates through the bottom of such wells and as it
has to pass through a sand bed, it gets purified to some extent. 
• The infiltration wells in turn are connected by porous pipes to a
collecting sump, known as jack well and the water thus collected
through the infiltration wells then flows by gravity into the jack well. 
The water from jack well is pumped to purification plant for treatment.
 Springs

• When ground water appears at the surface for any reason, springs are
formed.
•   They serve as source of water supply for small towns, especially near
hills or bases of hills.
•   Some springs discharge hot water due to presence of sulphur and other
minerals in their formations. 
• These hot springs cannot be used to supply water for domestic
purposes. 
• But hot water is found to cure some of the human disorders.
  Wells
• A well is defined as an artificial hole or pit made in the ground for the purpose of
tapping water. 
• The holes made for tapping oil are also known as wells. 
• But in the general sense, a well indicates a source of water. 
• In India, the chief source of water supply for most of its population is wells and it is
estimated that 75 to 85% of Indian population has to depend on wells for its water
supply.
• The three factors which form the basis of theory of wells are as follows:
Geological conditions of earth’s surface,
Porosity of various layers and
Quantity of water which is absorbed and stored in different layers.
Water Supply Systems
Aqueduct
Branching pattern with dead ends
Grid iron pattern
Indian Standard specification for drinking
water (as per IS 10500 is shown in table )