PURVANCHAL INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

SEM- VI , 2015-16
NAR-601 (Architecture Design)

LOW COST HOUSING PRE-BRIEF.

Definitions
The following terms and definitions are applicable unless otherwise specified.
i.

Affordable Housing: Individual dwelling units with a Carpet Area of not

more than 60 sq. mt. and preferably within the price range of 5 times the
annual income of the household as notified, either as a single unit or part of
a building complex with multiple dwelling units.

ii. Affordable Housing Projects: Housing projects where at least 60

percent of the FAR/ FSI is used for dwelling units of Carpet Area of not
more than 60 sq. mts. The project shall also reserve 15 percent of the total
FAR/ FSI or 35 percent of the total number of dwelling units for EWS category.

iii. Built up area and Plinth Area: As used in this report is, Plinth area

shall mean the built up covered measured at the floor level of the basement
or of any storey, the same as defined in detail in the IS code - IS 3861 : 2002,
Indian Standard Method of Measurement of Plinth, Carpet and Rentable
Areas (Second Revision).
iv. Built up Area is the carpet area plus the thickness of outer walls and the

balcony. Super Built Up Area is the built up area plus proportionate area of
common areas such as the lobby, lifts shaft, stairs, etc.

v. Carpet Area for a Affordable Housing Dwelling Unit: The carpet area

as used in this report is the usable and habitable rooms at any floor level
(excluding the area of the wall). While the method of measurement of carpet
area will be the same as in the IS code 3861:2002, it will include carpet area
of the living room(s), bedroom(s), kitchen area, lavatory(s), bathroom(s),
and balcony / verandah, if provided, in accordance with the definition of the

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Author: Manish Mishra

Ref:- NBC2005, MHUPA STUDY

Dwelling Unit/Tenement as provided in the National Building Code, 2005 which

is an independent housing unit with separate facilities for living, cooking and
sanitary requirements
vi. Developer: A private, public or joint sector enterprise engaged in the

production and sale or rental of housing.

vii. FSI (Floor Space Index) or FAR (Floor Area Ratio): The quotient

obtained by dividing the total covered area (plinth area) on all the floors by the
area of the plot:
i. FAR = Total covered area of all the floors/ (divided by)Plot Area

viii. Middle Income Group (MIG) : In this report, MIG area is as per the

guidelines of the Affordable Housing in Partnership Scheme, 2009 published

by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Government of
India, which is upto a maximum super built area of 1200 sq ft.

ix. Rentable Area: As used in this report, shall mean the carpet area at any

floor level including areas as defined in the IS code - IS 3861 : 2002,

Indian Standard Method of Measurement of Plinth, Carpet and Rentable
Areas (Second Revision).

Affordable housing: Generally affordability is taken as 3-4 times the annual income.
However in all schemes and projects where subsidy is offered by the State / Central
Govts for individual dwelling units with a carpet area of not more than 60 sq. m., then
the price range of a maximum of 5 times the annual income of the household, either as
a single unit or part of a building complex with multiple dwelling units will be taken as
affordability entitlement.
The areas of the dwelling units for the EWS and LIG are given below:
Group Area (in Sq. m) EWS 21-27, LIG 28-60
Affordable Housing Project: For the purpose of this policy an affordable housing
project is defined as a Housing project wherein at least 60% of the Floor Area Ratio
(FAR)/Floor Space Index (FSI) consists of dwelling units with a carpet area of not more
than 60 square meters and 15% of the total project FAR/FSI or 35% of the total
number of dwelling units, whichever is higher, is reserved for EWS category.

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Author: Manish Mishra

Ref:- NBC2005, MHUPA STUDY

Incremental housing: Congestion of dwelling units is one of the critical factors

resulting in housing shortages. The policy shall thus focus on incremental housing which
will allow for pacing of construction as per the convenience of the owner and also allow
additions and extensions to existing dwelling units.
Rental housing: For the workers with ownership housing elsewhere or not preferring
ownership housing or who cannot afford ownership housing, the State shall endeavour
to facilitate rental housing by creating conducive environment for creation of affordable
rental housing stock.
Shelters and other form of housing: The State Government shall ensure that no
person is left homeless in the State. To this effect, transit homes, shelters for homeless,
dormitories and hostels with allied facilities, at affordable rates for those who can pay
and free for the destitute will be Model State Affordable Housing Policy for Urban Areas
5 encouraged. Further, the State shall endeavour to cater to the housing needs of other
categories of citizens such as the senior citizens, women, students, physically and
mentally challenged, SC/ST/OBC and Minorities, etc.

Develop zones for EWS / LIG / Middle Income Group in the Master plan.
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) /Floor Space Index (FSI): Liberal FAR/FSI norms to create
more housing stock to accommodate as much of the low income segment as
possible, subject to minimum of will be allowed for affordable housing projects.
Ground Coverage: subject to minimum of will be provided.
Density: Liberal density norms to create more housing stock to accommodate as
much of the low income segment as possible, subject to a minimum of will be
allowed for affordable housing projects.
Parking norms to be reduced/ rationalized for affordable housing projects.

Sizes of EWS and LIG Dwelling Units and method of measurement (Carpet
Area):
To establish the minimum size of a habitable EWS dwelling unit, the absolute minimum
size of areas as presented in the NBC code should be followed. The recommendations
on the size of Affordable Housing Dwelling Units are as follows:

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For Economically Weaker Section (EWS): 21- 27sq.m Carpet Area

For Lower Income Group (LIG-A): 28-40 sq.m Carpet Area

For Upper Lower Income Group (LIG-B): 41-60 sq.m Carpet Area

Author: Manish Mishra

Ref:- NBC2005, MHUPA STUDY

While the BIS Code IS 3861 : 2002, disallows the use of Super Built-up area,
but in practise sale price calculations by developers are based on varying
methods of measurement of the Super Built-up area and is therefore directly
linked to the income segment to which the dwelling unit is affordable. It is
therefore recommended that considering general practices, feedback from
developers and local bodies and as per actual calculation of dwelling units of
EWS and LIG category, a 25% loading is recommended as the maximum
permissible loading on carpet area to calculate Built-up Area and 40% to
calculate Super-built-up (Saleable) area.

The most important initiatives could take are: Develop zones for EWS/LIG/MIG in the
Master plan of states may have liberal development norms for Affordable Housing as
follows:-

FAR: 1.75 (Minimum)

Ground Coverage: 50%(Maximum)
Density: 500 DUs/ Hectare.

The IS code (IS 3861 : 2002) as drafted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and
as presented in the Indian Standard Method of Measurement of Plinth, Carpet and
Rentable Areas (Second Revision)which lays out the method of measurement of Plinth
Area, Carpet Area and Rentable Area4 in residential buildings. It has also considered
the National Building Code of India (NBC), 2005. On reading them together and based
on discussions with engineers and planners it has established that-

A Dwelling Unit/Tenement is defined, by the NBC code, as an

independent housing unit with separate facilities for living,
cooking and sanitary requirements.
The Method of Measurement of Carpet Area for residential buildings as per
IS 3861: 2002; excludes facilities for cooking and sanitary requirements.
It is therefore recommended that for defining Affordable Housing Dwelling
Units Carpet Area should be used as the universally applicable Method of
Measurement. Further that since Dwelling Units are being defined as against
residential buildings the Carpet Area calculation should include separate
facilities for living, cooking and sanitary requirements which are a minimum
of two rooms, a water sealed toilet, bathroom, individual potable water
connection, and space for a kitchen.

With respect to Maximum and Minimum area for each Affordable Housing Dwelling Unit
category. For calculating the minimum area of DUs, it is recommended that following
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Author: Manish Mishra

Ref:- NBC2005, MHUPA STUDY

the National Building Code of India (NBC), 20055 drafted by the BIS, be used as the
determining guidance to calculate the minimum Carpet Area for dwelling units of EWS
category. Is has been taken into consideration that:

The MoHUPA Schemes (JNNURM, AHP, RAY) provide funding support to Dwelling
Units based on the Carpet Area of living, cooking and sanitary requirements as
well as balconies.

JNNURM and RAY Schemes provide minimum size of housing unit to be provided
on ownership basis to be of Carpet Area of 25 sq.m inclusive of balcony.

The NBC code, specifies the inclusion of balcony to be an optional part of the
Dwelling Unit. It also lays out minimum requirements in relation to dwelling units
that they should have at least two habitable rooms, where the total area of both
the rooms is not less than 15.5 sq.m; for separate water closet and bathroom
the minimum area should be 0.9 sq.m and 1.2 sq.m and for combined water
closet and bathroom it could be 1.8 sq.m and the minimum area for the kitchen
should be 3.3 sq.m. It also states that where provided the minimum width of the
Balcony should be 0.9 m and a maximum of 1.2 m.

It is recommended that to establish the minimum size of a habitable EWS

dwelling unit, the absolute minimum size of areas as presented in the NBC code
should be followed. This is recommended, that while larger areas and more
facilities, such as store and balcony increasingly balconies are not provided in
high density cities like Mumbai) may be desirable, the increase of costs related to
these facilities adds to the cost of the dwelling units and makes them even more
unaffordable for the EWS segment. With this in mind the it is recommended that
the minimum requirements for an EWS unit and the corresponding minimum
area should be as below:Area of 2 rooms
Area of Toilet
Area of Bath
Area of Kitchen
Total

15.5 m2
0.9 m2
1.2 m2
3.3 m2
20.9 m2

National Building Code, 2005 Annex C (Clause 12.20), Special Requirements

for Low Income Housing in Urban Areas, C-3 General Building Requirements

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As per the National Building Code of India, Annex C (Clause 12.20), C-3
General Building Requirements, C-3.3.4 Balcony, while refereeing to the
minimum dimensions of the Balcony mentions where provided, thereby
indicating that it is not an essential requirement of a Dwelling
Unit/Tenement. Therefore the minimum Carpet Area of Affordable

Author: Manish Mishra

Ref:- NBC2005, MHUPA STUDY

Housing Dwelling Unit for the EWS category should be taken as 21

m2, excluding balconies/verandah which is not essential
requirement as per the NBC code.

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In absence of the criterion of maximum Carpet Area, the developers may resort
to constructing DU with larger area for EWS which will make them unaffordable
for the target group. So, to discourage such a tendency and to ensure that
concessions and subsidies for the EWS segment are well targeted a maximum
Carpet Area also needs to be defined. The recommendations in this regard is
summarised in section 4.2.4.

Moreover, the permissible maximum loading on the Carpet Area to calculate

Built-up area and Super Built-up area needs to be established to make it
transparent, especially for the Affordable Housing dwelling units, as they may
receive concessions and subsidies from governments. The BIS Code IS 3861 :
2002, disallows the use of Super Built-up area, but in practise sale price
calculations by developers are based on varying methods of measurement of the
Super Built-up area and is therefore directly linked to the income segment to
which the dwelling unit is affordable. Its therefore recommended that while
Developers move to pricing based on built up area or carpet area a maximum
ratio has to be established for Affordable Housing dwelling units which are
approved/supported by government. This will also help make the existing
Affordable Housing Policy of some states (e.g Rajasthan) that are using Superbuilt up area as their criterion, compatible. Considering general practices,
feedback from developers and local bodies and as per actual calculation of
dwelling units of EWS and LIG category, a 25% loading is recommended as the
maximum permissible loading on carpet area to calculate Built-up Area and 40%
to calculate Super-built-up (Saleable) area7.

The carpet area for EWS DUs is defined as 21-27sqm and the range of 28-60
sqm for LIG is quite large, which could allow developers to avoid constructing
DUs with lower area in the range and thereby deprive certain section of the LIG
category to afford houses. So, it is recommended to divide the range as LIG-A
for carpet area between 28-40.9sqm and LIG-B for carpet area between 41-60
sqm. This will also enable projects to avail the benefits of Income tax and
Service tax under Affordable Housing in Partnership scheme, where the
maximum limit of area for LIG dwelling units has been capped at 60 m2 by
definition itself. Ministry of Finance, GoI (Department of Revenue) vide
Notification No. 25/2012-Service Tax has exempted the taxable services by way
of construction pertaining to low cost houses under the 'Scheme of Affordable
Housing in Partnership' up to a carpet area of 60 square metres. Likewise, CBDT
Notification

Author: Manish Mishra

Ref:- NBC2005, MHUPA STUDY