KNOW ABOUT FSI / FAR

FSI    -   Floor Space Index

FAR   -  Floor Area Ratio

FSI and FAR are the same. However, Indians prefer to use the term FAR on FSI, whereas other countries use FSI more frequently. FSI and FAR both represent the calculation based on the ratio derived by dividing the Gross floor area with the total size of land on which the building is made.

The concept of FSI or FAR got introduced in America. It was introduced for the building control. Architects make their designs based on these important ratios. 

For Example,

Plot area is 1000 Sqm. Total area of building in all the floors is 1000 Sqm. Then, FSI is 1.0

FSI is based on the National Building Code (NBC). Floor space index varies from place to place under the rules and regulations imposed by the state or city’s Authority or Administration. 

How to apply the Floor Area Ratio in building a house?

For example, if the FSI/FAR is 1 and the total plot area is 2,000 sq.ft., then the maximum buildable area of the building must not be more than 2,000 sq.ft. FAR does not have many limitations on how many floors a building must have, except for the height and other limitations the municipal or development body holds in specific areas and zones. 

Therefore, one can construct a building with only two floors extending 1,000 sq.ft. or four floors with 500 sq.ft. each. FSI, however, prohibits public amenities such as common area, parking area, interior open space, pipes and basement completely used for parking. These areas are excluded while calculating FSI.

Illustration of Different FSI

                                        (BCR - Building Coverage Ratio)

Importance of FSI

• The Floor space index is imposed by the government as the restriction and it has its own benefit at the place where construction of buildings is increasing day by day.
• It maintains a balance between sustained, planned growth, and development is important.
• An average FSI value ensures the good development of the project.
• It maintains the ratio of open space to built space.
• FSI is the best option to reduce stress in the city.

From this concept of FSI,  Government has an idea of how to divide the land for what percentage of the city area must be dedicated to the park, what percent for the road, and how to divide the remaining into the different zones. This helps in a great way to keep the resources of the city on good terms with more greenery, lesser traffic, and a lot more other amenities. 

FSI regulates by the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) department.

Permissible value of the Floor Space Index (FSI) 

The permissible value of the Floor Space Index (FSI) differs from place to place. It also depends on the type of building. The FSI ratio value of a particular area is easily seen in all the building bylaws for different cities and municipalities. Different cities or municipalities may have different bylaws and thereafter different FSI values.

Permissible FSI/FAR value depends on:

•              Size of the plot

•              Type of building (residential, commercial, institutional, worship, etc.)

•              The width of the adjacent road

•              Availability of power, water, sewer lines

Impact of FAR on land value

FAR has a significant impact on land value. Higher permissible FAR brings higher land value.

Premium FSI

If anyone needs to extend the allowable Floor Space Index, they have to pay a Premium fee to the government. To get this FSI, the adjacent road of the land must be 30 feet.

•              30 to 40 Ft Road Width – 20 % Premium FSI

•              40 to 60 Ft Road Width – 30 % Premium FSI

•              More than 60 Ft Road Width – 40 % Premium FSI

If the land location of the building has 30 – 40 feet adjoining roadway, then you can avail the Premium FSI of 20% which means you can build 20% more than allowable FSI.

Which areas included in FSI / FAR ?

FAR covers the basic structure, walls, staircase or lobby space, but excludes the balcony or terrace. lift and lobby.

For commercial buildings: The government permits you to construct offices in basements. However, space will be added in the calculation of FAR practice in this case.

For group housing: The basement construction is permitted for parking, utilities, and services but these are not included in FAR

FSI in India’s top 10 cities

1. Delhi

As per the revised Delhi Master Plan 2021, uniform Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for both residential and commercial properties, permitting the regularisation of illegal construction. This means the FAR for 100 sq.m was earlier variable, varying from 1.8 to 2.25, but now it is approved to be a uniform 3.5 for 100 sq.m.

There is no FAR restriction on group housing projects while plots in the influence zones and Metro corridors are allowed a higher FSI. Redevelopment projects in Delhi are provided an FSI value of 4.

2. Mumbai

 The residential FSI for the island city has been raised to 3.0 and commercial to 5.0 from 1.3 for both. In the suburbs, the FSI for residential projects has been increased to 2.5 from 2.0 and for commercial it stands at 5.0 as against 2.5.

3. Kolkata

As per the New Town Kolkata Building Rules, 2009, the range of FSI for residential buildings in Kolkata is between 1.5 and 2.5. The limit is fixed depending on the land use, road width, density, etc.

Recently, Kolkata civic body has made certain changes to the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) to allow the property owners to add an extra floor. This means that they will now get 3,000 sq ft extra space for construction, which is equivalent to the construction of an additional floor.

The real estate projects in Kolkata which are being developed within one kilometer of any metro line/route/corridor will have the eligibility to have a 20% higher floor area as compared to the floor area that was allowed previously. Apartments facing roads with width ranging between 15-24 m can apply for added floor area ratio to the tune of 15%. In the case of road width exceeding 24 m, this can go up to 20%. The floor area ratio is the ratio of the gross floor space of a building to the plot size.

4. Chennai

The permissible limit for FSI in Chennai is 2.0 which is a raise by 0.5 and it comes with retrospective effect from October 1, 2018. Though the increase in FSI will not be applicable in ecologically sensitive areas such as Aquifer Recharge Area, Red Hills Catchment Area, and Coastal Regulation Zone.

Construction of residential homes/buildings in Chennai, under Chennai’s 2nd Master Plan 2026 conforms to the FSI limit of 1.5 for normal residential buildings and 2 for high rise buildings.

As per Coastal Regulation Zone (CZR) 2011 Notification, the Floor Space Index (FSI) or the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) had been halted. On the other hand, in CRZ 2019 Notification, the state government decided to de-freeze the FSI and permit for construction projects.

5. Ahmedabad

After the implementation of the new General Development Control Regulations (GDCR) regulation which permits property owners and builders to redevelop buildings that are 25-meter high with higher Floor Area Ratio (FAR) along the roads which are less than 18-meter wide.

FSI in the prime localities of Ahmedabad is 1.2 while it goes up to 1.8 for localities in the suburbs.

Under the new rules, property owners will be granted a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 1.8 after which, they will have the option to avail paid FSI of up to 2.9, enabling property owners to reconstruct their old homes.

6. Bengaluru

The proposed FSI ranges from 2 to 5, depending on the size of the plot and the road and seeks to encourage vertical growth and wider open spaces in the form of setback areas. With this, properties along the Metro, suburban and bus corridors will benefit from the new policy.

7. Hyderabad

Hyderabad has not put FSI limitations that have indirectly managed the property prices to rise. The local body administration and urban development (MA&UD) department is, however, taking into consideration the reintroduction of floor space index (FSI) rule for high-rise buildings in Telangana.

8. Gurgaon

Under the new rules, FAR for residential plots in Gurgaon of 75 sq.m will be 2.64 and for 251 sq m till more than 500 sq.m, it will be 2.40.

The rate of the increased FAR also varies from Rs 485 to Rs 8,070 per sq.m depending upon the potential of zones. Similarly, the ground coverage for up to 75 sq m till 250 sq.m residential houses has been kept at 66%, while for 251 sq.m till over 500 sq.m houses, the ground coverage is 60%.

9. Noida

To boost the housing sector in Noida and Greater Noida, the State government has provided additional floor area ratio (FAR) along the newly operational Aqua Metro line, connecting Sector 52 and Greater Noida. This means that the developers are now allowed to add more floors in their high-rise structures. Gr Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) has hiked FAR within 500 meters of Noida- Gr Noida metro corridor, Aqua-Line from 3.5 to 4. This proposed hike will be applicable to ongoing and upcoming residential projects in the region.

For Noida and Greater Noida, the value of FSI is placed between 2.75 and 4, group housing projects are granted a FAR of 3.5. The industrial buildings are granted a maximum FAR of 1.5 while commercial buildings have a maximum FAR of 4, depending on building height and area coverage.

10. Pune

In March 2019, the state govt has announced the transit-oriented development policy in a 500-meter radius around the metro stations in Pune and fixed the maximum permissible floor space index (FSI) to 4. The FSI is up to 4 and depends on the size of the plot and the width of the road. The state government has also put a condition on the road width and plot size for getting 4 FSI.