CE 313:

BUILDING
SYSTEMS DESIGN
Engr. Bredith Grace B. Bucton
Instructor, CE Dept., USTP
Outline
▪ Development Controls
▪ Allowable Maximum Building Footprint (AMBF)
▪ Percentage of Site Occupancy (PSO)
▪ Impervious Surface Area (ISA)
▪ Unpaved Surface Area (USA)
▪ Maximum Allowable Construction Area (MACA)
▪ Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL)
▪ Floor to Lot Area Ratio (FLAR)
▪ Total Gross Floor Area (TGFA)
▪ Building Height Limit (BHL)

▪ Minimum Requirements for Group A Dwellings

▪ Laboratory Exercise and Homework
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 What are Development Controls (DC)?
A set of interacting regulations concerning the physical utilization of a lot and likewise governing the
planning/design of spaces and/or the use or occupancy of a building/structure to be introduced (or already
existing) on a lot; Development Controls help determine in detail the development potential and/or the
carrying capacity of all lots and/or of proposed developments on lots.

Allowable Maximum Building Footprint (AMBF)

The maximum portion of the lot that may be occupied by the building/structure at grade level after
satisfying setback, yard and court requirements. The area of the AMBF is measured from the outermost face
of the exterior walls of the proposed building/structure. The AMBF is the true buildable area on which a
fully enclosed building/structure can be erected. The AMBF shall exclude provisions for courts at grade
level.

There are three ways to determine the AMBF (Section 704.4.a):

1. Based on Rule VIII Table VIII.1 [PSO]
2. Based on Rule VIII Tables VIII.2 and VIII.3 [setbacks, yards, and courts]
3. Based on applicable stipulations of the Fire Code
whichever is more stringent.

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 3

 Allowable Maximum Building Footprint (AMBF)
Based on Rule VIII Table VIII.1 [PSO]

AMBF1 =
(Maximum Allowable
PSO in %)
x (Total Lot Area)

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 4

 Allowable Maximum Building Footprint (AMBF)
Based on Rule VIII Tables VIII.2 and VIII.3 [setbacks, yards, and courts]

(area left on the

AMBF2 = lot minus the
setbacks)

AMBF = min(AMBF1, AMBF2)

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP image from arcadiaca.gov 5
 Percentage of Site Occupancy (PSO)
A quantity related to the Allowable Maximum Building Footprint (AMBF) and the Total Lot Area (TLA). The
PSO is expressed as the percentage (%) of the maximum allowable enclosed floor area of any
building/structure at the ground floor/grade level in relation to the TLA.

(AMBF in sq.m.)
PSO =
(Total Lot Area in sq.m.)

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 6

 Impervious Surface Area (ISA)
The percentage (%) of the maximum allowable floor area of any paved, tiled or hardscaped surface at the
ground floor/ grade level (located outside the main building/structure) in relation to the Total Lot Area (TLA).
The Maximum Allowable ISA consists of built-up areas within the lot connected to the main
building/structure but without opaque or solid roofing, e.g., patios, grade level terraces, driveways,
walks, parking areas and the like. Since it is paved but unroofed, the ISA is considered an open space and
may therefore be combined with the Unpaved Surface Area (USA), on portions of the lot to satisfy the total
open space requirement for each type of use or occupancy. The word impervious in the term ISA denotes
that the paved surfaces generally do not allow water percolation into the soil nor do they allow the soil
to breathe and that such developments are generally composed of light-reflective and heat-reflective
surfaces.

Unpaved Surface Area (USA)

The portion of the lot that shall remain unpaved and reserved
for softscaping/planting. It is expressed as a percentage (%)
of the Total Lot Area or TLA and may be combined with the ISA
to satisfy the Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL), i.e., the total
open space requirement for each type of use or occupancy. image from cityofsavage.com

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 7

 Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL)
The total open space required for each type of use or occupancy for a given lot. It is the portion of the lot consisting of
the ISA and the USA combined and expressed as a percentage (%) of the Total Lot Area (TLA).

TOSL = ISA + USA

PSO + TOSL = 100%
Note: Minimum requirements for TOSL
are on Section 803.4.

Maximum Allowable
Construction Area (MACA)
The combined total of the Maximum Allowable
Percentage of Site Occupancy (PSO) and the
Maximum Allowable Impervious Surface Area
(ISA) expressed as a percentage (%) of the total
Lot area (TLA). The MACA specifically excludes
the Unpaved Surface Area (USA).

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 8

 Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL)

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 9

 Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL)

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 10

 Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL)

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 11

 Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL)

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 12

 Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL)

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 13

 Gross Floor Area (GFA)
The total floor space within the perimeter of
the permanent external building walls
(inclusive of main and auxiliary buildings) such
as office areas, residential areas, corridors,
lobbies and mezzanine level/s.

Floor to Lot Area Ratio (FLAR)

The ratio between the Gross Floor Area (GFA)
of a building/structure and the Total Lot Area
(TLA) of the lot/property on which it stands.
The GFA of any proposed or existing
building/structure should not exceed the
prescribed FLAR multiplied by the TLA.

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 14

 Total Gross Floor Area (TGFA)
The total floor space within the main and
auxiliary buildings primarily consisting of the
gross floor area (GFA) and all other enclosed
support areas together with all other usable
horizontal areas/surfaces above and below
established grade level that are all physically
attached to the building/s which shall consists of
the following: Covered areas used for parking
and driveways, services and utilities.

Section 705.2. TGFA Limitation. In Table VII.1.

hereafter, the percentages (%) indicated in the
third (3rd) through eighth (8th) columns, but
excluding the multiplier numbers 3, 5, 12, 18, and
30 (which represent the number of storeys/floors),
are the percentages of the Total Lot Area (TLA)
that may be used to initially determine the
Allowable Maximum TGFA for a proposed
building/structure.
Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 15
 Building Height Limit (BHL)
The maximum height to be allowed for
buildings/structures based on their proposed use
or occupancy; the BHL is generally determined after
the application of other development control (DC)
and certain other parameters. The BHL shall be
generally measured from the established grade line
to the topmost portion of the proposed building.

Note: Other considerations for the BHL are on Section 707.3.

Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP 16
 Minimum Requirements for Group A Dwellings (Section 708)
3. Sanitation
Every dwelling = at least one sanitary toilet and adequate
washing and drainage facilities
4. Foundation
Footings shall be of sufficient size and strength to support the
load; Shall be at least 250 mm think and 600 mm below the
surface
6. Floor
First floor live load = at least 200 kg per sq.m.
Second floor live load = at least 150 kg per sq.m.
10. Electrical Requirements
7. Roof All installations must conform to the
Wind load = at least 120 kg per sq.m. for vertical projections requirements of the Philippine Electrical Code

8. Stairs 11. Mechanical Requirements

Shall be at least 750 mm in clear width, with a rise of 200 mm Systems and equipment installations are
and a minimum run of 200 mm subject to the requirements of the Philippine
Mechanical Engineering Code
9. Entrance and Exit
Shall be at least one entrance and another one for exit.
Please read Sections 805 up to 811 of the
IRR of the National Building Code. 17
Reference: Rule VII and VIII of the IRR of the NBCP
Laboratory Exercise (Week 5)
By Group:
1. Compute the following development controls based on the given lot and your initial plan (from
last week):
a. Allowable Maximum Building Footprint
b. Maximum Allowable Percentage of Site Occupancy
c. Total Open Space within Lot
d. Maximum Allowable Total Gross Floor Area
e. Building Height Limit

Here is a video that shows an example computation of the development controls based on
Rules 7 and 8:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z5V0cSYMMo,
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTCUBjKXAoI

2. Finalize the size and position of the house that you are designing based on the requirements
that we have covered. Make sure that the values you have decided on are within the limits of
the development controls you have computed.

3. Start working on the floor plan of the house.

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Laboratory Exercise (Week 5)
Homework 2:

Submit one pdf file per group (filename: CE313_Section3#_HW2_Group#.pdf) containing the following:
1. names of the group members
2. your computations from Item 1 (development controls)
3. sketches of the final position and dimensions of the house within the lot
4. sketches of the initial floor plan

No need to put inside the template yet. Simple but clear sketches will do.
Email the homework to bredithgrace.bucton@ustp.edu.ph with subject: CE313 Section3# HW2. Only
one submission is needed for one group.
Homework is due in one week (next week, before the start of the lecture class).

Quiz 1:

We will have a quiz on calculating development controls next week.

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Laboratory Exercise (Week 5)
NOTE: There is a slight change on the owner’s lot. The depth of the lot has been changed from
10 m to 12 m as follows:

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THANK YOU

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