Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

CA3629 Building and Fire Safety Control

– Building (Planning) Regulations (3)

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering

City University of Hong Kong
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

B(P)R – Part III

Heights, Site Coverage, Plot Ratio
 Bonus Plot Ratio/site coverage given in B(P)R 22
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

The permitted plot ratio and site coverage may be

exceeded in certain cases where part of lot abutting
street is dedicated to the public or acquired by the
Government for the purposes of public passage or
street widening…

The bonus plot ratio shall be obtained by dividing the product of 5

and the dedicated area by the area of the site and shall not be
greater than 20% of the permitted plot ratio of the site….

The bonus site coverage shall be obtained by dividing the product

of 1500 and the area of the lot so dedicated to the public by the
product of the area of the site and the height of the building

See PNAP APP-20,108

Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

• Max bonus plot ratio =

 permitted PR x 20% or
 permitted PR + 5 x dedicated or surrendered area
/ site area

• Max bonus site coverage =

 permitted SC +(1500 x dedicated or
surrendered area)/(site area x building height)
 Bonus PR = [5 x AR]/A, Portion to be returned to the Government
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

with maximum 0.2 A for road widening purpose

Road widening line Street

Pavement

AR

SITE SITE (with overall SITE

site area = A)

Rear Lane

SITE SITE

At ground level
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Dedication for Public Passage – to ‘exchange’

for additional plot ratio/ site coverage
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Dedication for Public Passage

Conditions for acceptance by Building
Authority
• alleviation of traffic congestion
• linkage of footbridge/ subway
• road safety or convenience
• provision of greenery compatible with
passageway
See PNAP APP108
 Bonus Concession
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Surrender of land for (under B(P)R 22) at ratio of

street widening 1:5

Dedication of land at (under B(P)R 22) normally

ground level for public at ratio of 1:5
passage

Dedication of land for (bonus granted under

public passage at level section 42 of BO) normally
other than ground level at ratio of 1:2
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Projections in relation to Site Coverage

and Plot Ratio
 Architectural fin
Bay window

a/c plant hood

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 PNAP APP-19 provides that the following projections from the face of a
building would have no significant impact on the building bulk and therefore
need not count as part of its plot ratio and site coverage component:
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• pitched roof eaves and flat roof overhangs (provided these are not
contained within parapet walls as part of an accessible roof)
• individual air-conditioner boxes and platforms which have a built-
in system for condensate disposal;
• individual canopies, window hoods and porches;
• window sills and window surrounds projecting not more than 100
mm;
• string courses, fins and architectural mouldings (but not structural
beams and columns;
• window flower boxes provided that they are small, individual and
non-continuous;
• external drainage pipes and gutters; and
• minor projections, such as sun-shadings that are genuine energy
efficiency measures.
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Bay window may be

excluded from GFA and
SC calculations
 Bay window may be
excluded from GFA and
SC calculations
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
 All other projections must be included in site coverage and plot ratio
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calculations, however, projection windows (bay windows) satisfying

the following criteria may be accepted as not counting for plot ratio:

• the projecting window is from living room, dining room or bedroom of

domestic accommodation only;
• only one such projecting window is allowed per room and it should be
located on one external wall only;
• the elevational area of the projecting window does not exceed 50% of the
area1 of the external wall where the projecting window is located;
• the extent of the projection is not more than 100 mm from the face of
the main external wall;
• the base is no less than 500 mm above finished floor level;
• the window complies fully with Building (Planning) Regulation 3A.
• the projecting windows will not form a piecemeal addition to existing
buildings
 Non-accountable Gross Floor Area
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
 Disregarded GFA - B(P)R Reg 23(3)(b)
Building Authority may disregard any floor space that he is
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satisfied is constructed or intended to be used solely for

parking motor vehicles, loading or unloading of motor
vehicles, or for refuse storage chambers, refuse storage and
material recovery chambers, material recovery chambers,
refuse storage and material recovery rooms, refuse chutes,
refuse hopper rooms and other types of facilities provided to
facilitate the separation of refuse to the satisfaction of the
Building Authority, or for access facilities for
telecommunications and broadcasting services, or occupied
solely by machinery or equipment for any lift, air-conditioning
or heating system or any similar service

The horizontal area of staircases, lift shafts and vertical ducts

should normally be measured for GFA together with the floor
through which they pass (PNAP APP2)
 PNAP APP2 - Floor spaces that may be disregarded
in determining the gross floor area are:
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• Motor vehicles parking and loading or unloading area

• Floor space occupied solely b machinery/equipment
• lift machine rooms, air-conditioning or heating system
rooms
• Any similar services: water tanks; boiler rooms; electrical
switch rooms; meter rooms; transformer rooms;
generator rooms; pump rooms; telephone equipment
rooms; CO2 rooms; sewage treatment plant rooms;
smoke extraction ducts in hotels; swimming pool
filtration plant rooms, etc.;
• Large voids
• Curtain walls and Claddings
• Public Transport Terminus
• Bicycle parking
• Other facilities e.g. swimming pool filtration rooms
 PNAP APP 42- Floor spaces that may be disregarded
in determining the gross floor area are:
• Amenity Features may be disregarded on
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application on a case-by- case basis:

– Counters, kiosks, offices, stores, guard rooms, lavatories for
watchman and management staff;
– Owners’ Corporation Office
– Horizontal Screens and Trellis
– Communal Podium Garden, Covered Landscaped and Play
Areas
– Recreational facilities : squash courts, gymnasia and indoor
swimming pools …
– Radio Base Stations of size not exceeding 1.5m (W) x 1m (D)
x 2.3m (H)
– An outdoor prefabricated structure, other than a radio
base station which does not exceed 3 cu.m in volume and
2m in height
– …
 Podium height
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
 [B(P)R 20(3) -
The site coverage for a non-domestic building, or the non-
domestic part of a composite building, on a class A, B or C site
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may, whatever the height of the building, exceed the permitted %

site coverage to a height not exceeding 15m above ground level.

Can be built up
to 100% site
coverage Floor level of the podium

15m
 Podium Height Relaxation
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

• Examples, upon application:

• Public transport terminus
• Better aesthetic or environmental effect
• Special design or use
• Special requirement under lease

• Relaxation
• Not more than 4 storeys
• Not more than 20m
See PNAP APP101
 Hotel Development
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Hotel Development-
Domestic OR non-domestic?
B(P)R 23A –
• “hotel” (旅館) means any premises whose owner, occupier or
proprietor holds out that, to the extent of his available
accommodation, he will provide sleeping accommodation for
any person presenting himself who appears able and willing
to pay a reasonable sum for the services and facilities
provided and is in a fit state to be received
• treat as a non-domestic building or a non-domestic part of a
composite building for site coverage as well as plot ratio
purposes and to disregard certain supporting facilities (e.g.
laundry) together with the setting down and picking up areas
for hotel users from gross floor area calculations

• the building when completed will be operated as a licensed

hotel under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation
Ordinance (Cap. 349)

• See PNAP APP -40

 Height of storey
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 Height of storey [B(P)R 24]
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ceiling

Domestic or office use Min. 2.5m

Min. 2.3m

Floor level
 Sloping ceiling
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Mean height of the

ceiling

Min. 2.5m
No point should
be lower than
2m
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Open space
For domestic buildings, open space should be provided at
the rear, or partly at the rear and partly at the side, at a
level of not less than 150mm below the floor of the
lowermost storey.

No domestic building to be within 1.5m of rear boundary;

access to be provided to open space [B(P)R 25 refers]
 Area of open space
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• Class A site: > 1/2 roof-over area

• Class B site: > 1/3 roof-over area
• Class C site: > 1/4 roof-over area

What are the respective site coverage?

Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Street < 4.5m

Plot ratio to be determined by
Building Authority [B(P)R 19]
 New Buildings to be set back
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Where the width of an existing street in

front of any new building is less than 4.5m,
no part of such building shall be nearer to
the centre line of the street than 2.25m
-(B(P)R 26
 Service Lane
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• In addition to open space under R25,

for every domestic building – at
rear or at side of building
• Lane condition to be decided by BA
(see PNAP APP-73)
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

• Lane not required

for
– 3m lane or street in
existence
– Detached or semi-
detached building
– Exempted by BA 3m
 GFA Concessions and Cap
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

PNAP APP151 - Building Design to Foster a Quality and

Sustainable Built Environment
• GFA concession of some sustainable building feature
• Max GFA concession : 10% of total GFA excluding
– Mandatory features & plant rooms
– Communal podium gardens
– Car-parks
– Voids in non-domestic buildings
– Bonus GFA under B(P)R 22
– Hotel concessions
• Pre-requisites: Follow Sustainable Building Design
Guidelines
 Building Height, Site Area, etc
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

B(P)R23 -
• Building height : height above mean street
level to height of roof over the highest
usable floor space, if more than 1 street,
use mean level of lowest street
• Site area : exclude street or required
service lane but included any area
dedicated to the public for the purposes of
passage.
 END
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering