Design of Residential Building

• Largest single investment

• Residential building - building used for • Designing a good house in a small
dwelling limited space plot is the real test of an
• RB can be divided into three major architect.
areas. Rooms in a residential building.
1. Living area 1. VERANDAH:

2. Sleeping area Purpose:

3. Service area 2. Keeping cycles, scooters etc.
Requirements of different purpose rooms 3. Waiting room
and their grouping 4. Serves as a passage
• RB consists of various rooms for 5. Sitting in the evenings
different purposes. 6. Protects the walls
• Convenient, comfortable to its inmates. • On the south and west
• A sense of invitation • 120 m wide – if used simply for passage
• ≥ 1.8 m wide – if used as a sitting room
or a waiting-room
• > 4 m wide - uneconomical.
2. LIVING ROOM Location:
• Main area of contact with visitors • Best if located near the entrance
• Near the entrance verandah. verandah.
• Some times called drawing room, • Should not provide direct
drawing hall, a main living room or a passage/access to the bedroom and
lounge. W.C. or bathroom
Purposes: • Should be adjacent to the dinning room.
1. Lounge for relaxing. • Should- Accommodate furniture
2. Reception room. - allow proper circulation area
3. For holding social functions. • Should be sufficiently lighted and offer
an attractive view of the surrounding
4. On special occasions - dinning-room.
landscape, garden, etc.
5. Accommodate occasional guests.
• Should have a southern and, northern
6. On occasions of some religious aspect
discourse - congregation room.
Light & ventilation:
Size:
• The room should be well ventilated and
• Normal size - 4m x 5m.
lighted with large windows preferably
• Should be determined by the kind of starting from the floor level.
furniture needed.
• Glare of lights should be avoided in
• Depends upon the living standard of living room
the family
Furniture:
3. BED-ROOM:
• One spends more than one-third of his • The position of door - bed will be
life at rest, in sleep here. screened when open rather than
• Two persons - supposed to occupy one exposed.
room • A single leafed door
• A suitable allowance - for every piece of • Children of different sexes above ten -
furniture different bed rooms
• Quantity and quality of ventilation – than Furniture:
the floor area. • Bed, chair, cupboard, small table, etc.
Size:
4. DRESSING-ROOM:
• 4m x 3m - a good size for a bed room
• Should be attached to the bed-room.
• An oblong room - convenient • Furniture: - cupboard, dressing-table
particularly than a square one with a mirror and a chair.
Location: • There should be ample light.
• Better if on the west , North-West or  Lights the body and not the
South-west mirror
• A bath room combined with a  If - electric - should not cause a
dressing room attached to bed room glare
Ventilation:
• The position of the bed with respect
to the windows - cross air current
5. KITCHEN: Floor and wall surface:
“Architects should not be allowed to • A smooth , grease proof, - proper slope
design kitchen unless they know how to
• Lower 1m height of the wall should also
cook.”
have a smooth, tiled finishing.
• Health, comfort and happiness
Storage space:
• May be adjacent to the dinning room or
• Space above the level of the table,
separate
cabinets
Location:
• The space below the table
• Eastern or N.E. Corner
Equipment: 6. DINNING ROOM:
• Cabinets for storage, sink, stove, • Used mainly for dinning purposes
working table, refrigerator, and garbage • May be a separate, allocated in kitchen
bin or attached with living room
Lighting and ventilation: • Providing a separate dinning room is a
• Light should enter the kitchen from luxury and wasteful
two directions. • A combined living & dinning room is the
latest trend
• At least 15% of the floor area
• Better to make the division by means of
• Too many doors should be avoided.
removable or folding partition
- two doors
• Outlook - should provide a cheerful
view.
• If separate, it should be located near • Should be approachable from all the
kitchen as possible rooms
– Kitchen - should be screened
• Should not be directly over or under
• Service window may be provided any room other, than another W.C.,
• Should be provided with cup boards and Washing place, bath or terrace unless it
a wash basin in a corner has a water tight floor
• Size - depends on type of furniture and • Wall or partition - smooth material to a
the number of people to be served height of not less than 1m above the
– Minimum width - 3m. floor.
7. STORE ROOM: • Should not be open directly into any
• A place where things can be stored kitchen or cooking space by a door,
• For articles which are stored for long window or other opening
time Size:
• Should be close to kitchen and garage • Bath room - not less than 1.5 x 1.2m
or 1.8m2
8. BATH ROOM AND W.C.: • W.C. - Minimum - 1.1m2
• Should be provided with natural light and • Combined - not be less than 3m2 with
ventilation a minimum width of 1.5m.
–Windows - exterior wall
• Height - not less than 22 m
Equipments: • Should be well lighted and ventilated
• Bath tab , W.C. ,Wash basin, overhead • Minimum clear head room - 22m.
showers ,towel rail, hook hangers, a • Minimum clear width - should not be
looking mirror, and space for keeping less than 1m
soap, tooth brushes etc
• Maximum rise and width of tread shall
• Door - not be less than 65 cm
be 15cm & 30cm respectively.
• Should not have doors opening into
10. GUEST ROOM:
different rooms
• The door - when open it would screen • A spare room is welcome even in a
the actual place of bath or W.C. Pot small house
• At least one common bath room should • Can be used for other purposes. For
be provided example - library
• No bath should need to cross the • Should have a small verandah and
entrance hall from bed rooms bath room or at least a toilet attached
9. STAIRCASE: to it.
• Provide inter- communication between • As far as possible be, independent of
the floors other rooms except the drawing-room
Location: and front verandah
• Should be located in a place easily • Should have an independent access to
accessible to all the members of the the general bath-room and W.C
family
11. CHILDREN’S ROOM OR NURSERY: 12. GARAGE:
• Middle class families cannot afford to • Advantages of garage built as parts of the
allocate a separate room for the house:
nursery • No need to walk over rain to reach
• Should be under the eye of the mother garage
working in the kitchen • Quite close and handy to look over
• In small houses, a room or even a car
verandah adjoining the kitchen would • Ease transport of goods from garage
be very suitable for this purpose to kitchen
• Should have cross ventilation without • Width - 2.5m to 3m & length - 5m to 6m.
causing a perceptible draught. • Approach - at least 2.5m wide and as far
• Sufficient but not such as would cause as possible, it would be straight
a glare. • There should be at least a window
• Should have a sunny aspect with large provided for admitting light
low windows • Door - rolling shutter
Basic room Sizes
Space type Sizes
Living room 4.00 x 5.00 m
Dining room 3.50 x 4.00 m
Kitchen 3.00 x 3.50 m
Bath room 1.50 x 2.50 m
Bed room, master 3.50 x 4.50 m
Bed room 3.00 x 4.00 m
Entrance hall 2.00x 2.50 m
Utility 2.50 x 3.50 m
Hall width, Corridor 1.00 to 1.20 m
Stairs width 0.90 m
Garage, single 3.50 x 6.00 m
Garage, double 6.00 x 6.00 m
Basic door Sizes
Type of door Size
Front door 1.20 x 2.10

Back/side door 0.90 x 2.10

Interior room doors 0.70- 0.90 x 2.10

Single garage door 2.50 - 3.00 w x 2.10 h

Double garage door 5.00 w x 2.10 h