Principles of Planning

Modem buildings are planned and designed to suit a specific purpose, giving due consideration to site, climate, character and style. 

Planning of buildings presupposes the existence of certain laws and principles which are applicable in general to a wide variety of buildings. Within the frame work of these laws and principles a wide variety of designs can be developed depending upon the ingenuity and creativity of an architect. 

Aspect, roominess, flexibility, grouping, privacy and elegance are the major considerations which form the bed rock for the basic principles of planning as discussed below : 

Aspect 

The natural gifts of sunshine, wind and scenery should be utilised to provide comfort, hygiene and cheerfulness to the user of the rooms in a building. 

A room which receives light and air from a particular direction is said to have an aspect of that direction. A kitchen should have an eastern aspect so that the morning sun would refresh and purify the air, and it would remain cool in the later part of the day. The living room may have southern or south-eastern aspect, while bed rooms may have west or south-west aspect. 

An aspect plan is presented along with the position of the sun for the city of Poona. 

 Aspect Plan end Position of Sun

Roominess 

Every unit of built-up area must be utilised to the maximum. Maximum benefit must be derived from the minimum possible dimension of a room. For example, in a square room of 3.6 m x 3.6 m size, after leaving a minimum circulation space around a table, there is very little useful space left for other purposes. On the other band a rectangular room of 3.2 m x 4.0 m size, (of approximately same area) has more room for additional utilisation such as shelves etc. as shown in Figure 2.2. It is advisable to have the L : B of rooms proportioned in the ratio 1.2 to 1.5 : 1.

 Utilitywise Comparison of Square and Rectangular Rooms

Flexibility 

Flexible use of space may have to be planned for if large gatherings are anticipated during religious functions. Separating the living and dining space with removable partitions is an example of achieving flexibility. In school buildings, several classes may have to be combined into a large hall for the.purposes of meetings. 

Grouping 

The occupants of a building constantly move from one room to another. Thus, the relationship between spaces must be considered at the planning stage. Dining room must be close to the kitchen; but the kitchen must be kept away from the living room. Bed rooms must be placed in such a way that there is independent access towards the sanitary units.

  Grouping of Spaces in a Residential Building 

In the case of administrative buildings, axial planning is a matter of proper grouping and also economy. In the case of factories, fabrication units must be carefully grouped together, whereas packaging and despatch units may have to form an independent group with administration and sales management units, constituting the central core. 

Privacy 

Privacy is of two kinds, namely internal privacy which ensures that one part of a building has the required privacy from the other part, and external privacy which ensures that a residential building is separated from its neighbouring buildings, public streets etc. 

Privacy of a residential building as a whole can be ensured by carefully planning the entrance, pathways and drives. Proper groupings of all rooms in a house around passages, corridors etc. is important. 

The proper disposition of doors and the way in which their shutters are hung are important factors in securing privacy. Locating the doors at the centre of a short wall of a room disturbs privacy. 

  Desirable Ways of Arranging Door Openings 

Elegance 

Elegance is the effect produced by the elevation of a building and the general layout of the plan. A plan may be well, but yet it may result in a dull elevation. Regularity and symmetry are preferred by some, while some architects may opt for irregularity and surprise.  Planning in relation to the elevation for elegant appearance is unquestionably important. Elevation should be an external statement of the character and purpose of a building. 

In addition to the above considerations, circulation, sanitation, and prospect of views from windows and other openings, and furniture layout deserve due consideration by the architects. 

It is to be realised that planning of buildings is indeed the kind of task that is best handled by people who are well versed in the art and science of buildings, namely the architects.