Floor To Area Ratio Far

Floor area ratio and floor space index are two ways to express the same value.
Floor to area ratio far. The floor area ratios are set forth by nyc planning in the zoning resolution zoning code. Floor area ratio is sometimes called floor space ratio fsr floor space index fsi site ratio or plot ratio. Thus an far of 1 5 is translated as an fsi of 150. Far and lot coverage.
Example of how to use the floor area ratio. The difference between far and fsi is that the first is a ratio while the latter is an index. But what is it. Far is the reason why buildings with the same size lot but in different zoning districts can be drastically different in size.
What is the floor area ratio far. However floor space index is the same value in percentage form. Floor area ratio far is the measurement of a building s floor area in relation to the size of the lot parcel that the building is located on. Far is expressed as a decimal number and is derived by dividing the total area of the building by the total.
In most communities the local government will set a maximum far for each parcel of land. Download original report pdf grant of power for the purpose of promoting health safety morals or the general welfare of the community the legislative body of every municipality is hereby empowered to regulate and restrict the height number of stories and size of buildings and other structures the percentage of lot that may be occupied the size of yards courts and. In other words it is a ratio between a building s total constructed floor area and the land area. Floor area ratio or far is a critical decisive element for the legal construction of any residential or non residential building.
For example a far of 1 4 is equal to a floor space index of 140. The quotient of the ratio of the combined covered area plinth area of all floors except for areas specifically exempt under these regulations to the total area of the plot. The maximum allowable ground coverage both under the canopy and in the building should not exceed 35 of the. Index numbers are values expressed as a percentage of a single base figure.
That number limits the size of a building in relation to the size of the lot it s on. The floor area ratio far or floor space ratio fsr denotes the maximum floor space that can be constructed on a given piece of land. It is a tool used by the planning body of any city or town to identify densely constructed areas from the others. Far is a ratio expressed as a decimal.
Floor area ratio or far pronounced f a r not far is one of the most important ways zoning can shape neighborhoods.