The values entered in the design specification template of a building design category forecast model determine the gross building area,
shelter capacity, intensity, intrusion, and context implications that will be
produced. This standardized format of classification, measurement, and
comparison can contribute to shelter design knowledge and leadership over time.
A building design category is a generic form of shelter that
may be occupied by any permitted activity group. The area may also assume any architectural
form or style. The design specification topics and algorithms for each category
vary, but the format and subtraction leading to the core area remaining for
building and parking cover remains the same. Master equations have been derived
to predict the gross building area, footprint, and shelter capacity, intensity,
intrusion, and context implications of the remaining core area based on the
specification values entered. A change to one or more of the specification
values entered produces a new implication predictions.
Research and evaluation of the results produced by building
category forecast models can build the knowledge needed to identify the
physical parameters that define what we have called “quality of life” or
“health, safety, and welfare”.
Activity groups occupy generic building design categories.
The residential activity group has been led by density measurements. The
non-residential group has been led by the floor area ratio. Both measurements
define limitations but do not lead the design specification decisions that
produce shelter capacity, intensity, intrusion, and context within the cities
we inhabit. The results have too often been shelter sprawl and excessive
shelter intensity expanding across the face of a limited planet expected to
serve an expanding population. At least one contributing factor has been the
lack of a consistent building classification system and design specification
format capable of measuring, predicting, evaluating, and building knowledge
about the physical design decisions needed to shelter our social and economic
activity within geographic limits.
BUILDING DESIGN CATEGORIES
The gross building area potential of a given land area is a
mathematical function of the building design category chosen. There are only
six when classification is diverted from architectural period and style to the
parking system used to serve a building. This classification makes the
mathematical prediction of gross building area options for any given land area
feasible.
In my opinion, the accurate calculation of shelter demand
and capacity is the only way to limit the Built Domain and protect our source
of life, the Natural Domain, from excessive pollution and encroachment. I’ve
mentioned building design category classification on many occasions but will
repeat it here since shelter capacity is a mathematical function of the choice.
The six categories are:
(G1) All buildings served by
surface parking around, but not under, the building on the same premise,
excluding land reserved for future expansion.
(G2) All buildings served by
surface parking around and/or under the building on the same premise, excluding
land reserved for future expansion.
(S1) All buildings served by
adjacent parking garage levels, spaces, and auxiliary surface parking that
consume a portion of the core land area on the same premises, excluding land
reserved for future expansion.
(S2) All buildings served by an
underground parking garage within the buildable land area of the premises, and
auxiliary surface parking area, excluding land reserved
for future expansion.
(S3) All buildings served by a
parking garage below the building, and auxiliary surface parking within the
core land area of the same premises, excluding land reserved for future
expansion.
(NP) All buildings without surface
or structure parking on the same premises.
I have included a seventh non-habitable building design
category in my book, “The Equations of Urban Design” to address remote,
stand-alone parking garage design options.
(PG) All buildings used as
independent parking structures on separate lots or parcels, excluding land
reserved for future expansion.
GENERIC SHELTER CAPACITY FORECAST MODELS
A generic building design category may be occupied by any
permitted activity. However, the characteristics of some activity groups
require modification of the design specification topics in a forecast model. A
forecast model related to the Residential Activity Group will be introduced as
an example after this discussion.
The shelter capacity of a building design category varies widely
depending on the values entered in the design specification template of its
forecast model. This can be explained by examining the design specification
topics and values entered in the modules of Table 1. They apply to the G1
Building Design Category, but the concept is universally applicable even though
the topics may be adjusted to suit some categories and occupant activity groups.
Land Module
The shaded cells on lines 3-20 of Table 1 identify value
entry locations in a typical Land Module. They are used by embedded template
equations to lead from the gross land area given in cell F3 to the buildable
land area calculated in cell F10, and the remaining shelter land area in cell
F17. A review of the module will reveal the subtraction used to arrive at the
land area available for shelter introduction in cell F17.
I’d like to draw special attention to the unpaved open space
specification (OSAU) in cell F11. It has often been ignored by design
standards, but determines the building compression of space introduced. In
addition, the remaining impervious cover percentage is identified by
subtraction in cell F12, and must be accommodated by the storm sewer capacity
present or proposed.
Core Module
Subtraction of shaded cell values and calculation continues
in cells F23-F32 to find the core land area (CORE) available for building and
parking cover in cell F33.
Planning Forecast Panel
The core value calculated in the Core Module of Table 1 is
the final value needed by the master equation in cell B39 to calculate gross
building area options (GBA) in cells B44-B53 of the Planning Forecast Panel.
These alternatives are a function of the floor quantity options entered into
shaded cells A44-A53.
I’d like to draw special attention to the estimated parking
and circulation area per space (s) entered in cell A35 and the building sq. ft.
permitted per parking space (a) entered in cell A36 since they combine with the
unpaved open space percentage entered in cell F11 to influence the remaining
land available for a building floor plan or “footprint” and the ensuing gross
building area potential produced by the floor quantity options entered in cells
A44-A53.
I should remind you that Table 1 is related to the G1
Building Design Category. Gross building area options are a function of a building
category choice and the design specification values entered in its design
specification module.
Gross building area alone is a value within a spectrum of
options that vary with the design category chosen and design specification values
entered, but it doesn’t indicate the implications involved. These are
calculated in the following module.
Implications Panel
The shelter capacity implications of a set of design
specification values and gross building area results in cells A44-A53 are measured
in column F of the Implications Panel, based on the equation in cell F43.
Intensity, Intrusion and Context implications are measured in columns G, H and
J based on the equations in cells G43, H43 and J43.
Correlation and Comparison
The correlation of design specification decisions produces
gross building area predictions and shelter capacity, intensity, intrusion, and
context implications. Density is a product of these correlated decisions. It
does not lead them or define their desirable parameters. A
t the present time a review of implication calculations, or
measurements, is like staring at the first blood pressure readings. It took a
great deal of measurement, observation, correlation, and collaboration over
time to build the knowledge needed to define healthy parameters.
ACTIVITY GROUPS
Table 2 addresses the G1 Building Design Category when it is
occupied by the R1 Residential Activity Group. This group includes all single
family detached residential homes on recorded lots. The design specification
template of Table 2 includes Lot, Pavement, and Building Modules containing 24
shaded cells that require value entries.
The Table 2 design specification format has been chosen to
show hat the density entered does not lead the decisions required in the
remaining 23 shaded cells. It simply defines the minimum net lot area calculated
in cell G5, which is substantially below that used for current single-family
lots. Based on correlation of the other values entered in the shaded cells of
Table 2, the Planning Forecast Panel predicts that a two-story home, excluding
garage, could equal 1,016 sq. ft. in cell B43. It does not predict, however,
that a satisfactory floor plan and building elevation can be produced on the
lot size defined in cell G5.
The point is that the home area results produced in cells
B41-B49 are not a function of the density requirement. The most significant
factors were the unpaved open space percentage entered in cell F13, the
pavement requirements entered in cells F17-F20, and the garage requirements
entered in cells F25 and F26. Any or all of these values could be adjusted to
produce different home area results that would affect the shelter capacity,
intensity, intrusion, and context implications calculated in the Implications
Panel.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
I didn’t choose this example as an illustration of current
residential subdivision aspirations. I chose it to illustrate the mathematical
correlation of design specification decisions required to clarify leadership intent
regarding shelter capacity direction, and to illustrate the design decisions
involved with affordable housing; since I believe it comes down to the cost of
the land area devoted to each dwelling unit, the square foot area and cost of
the dwelling unit, and the open space that remans to relieve the intensity introduced.
This does not mean that these physical design decisions will be considered
compatible with adjacent land use decisions, patterns, and property values. It
is simply meant to explain the physical, mathematical decisions involved so
they can be carefully examined.
PS: REPEAT FROM “PURSUING URBAN DESIGN KNOWLEDGE”
“Gross building area can be occupied by any permitted
activity. Its internal capacity for activity varies with the specification
values entered in a companion activity group template. The addition of
an activity group template to a building category forecast model correlates the
predicted gross building area options for land with each option’s internal
capacity for the activity based on the specification values entered in the
companion activity group template. The results have economic potential related
to the scope of activity predicted within the gross building area options
predicted.
I’ve illustrated the building design category-activity group
relationship with the Residential Activity Group of specification templates in
several previous essays. A more complete presentation is included in my book, “The
Equations of Urban Design”.
Shelter capacity results have social, psychological,
environmental, and economic implications that remain to be correlated with
measurement and evaluation that can lead to knowledge regarding the quality of
life implied by measurable alternatives.
Currently the Shelter Division of the Built Domain is served
by Movement, Open Space, and Life Support Divisions in both the Urban and Rural
Phyla of a Built Domain that is currently a parasitic threat to the Natural
Domain. This threat cannot be addressed with debate over the details of
independent, conflicting zoning regulations that require arbitrary adjustment,
or land use master plans that depend on annexation of agriculture and the
Natural Domain to address budget deficiencies based on land use activity and
shelter capacity misallocation.
Shelter capacity evaluation is a measurement language
capable of evaluating options and guiding decisions toward the goal of
shelter for the activities of growing populations within limited geographic
areas designated and designed to protect their quality and source of life, the
Natural Domain. It is simply a classification and measurement language that can
be used to pursue research and define conclusions capable of consistent context
leadership, however.
The Latin word for shelter, roof, or cover is “tegimen”. I
pronounce it “tejimen”, even though this may offend Latin scholars, and would
like to suggest the word “Tegimenics”, “Tegimenistics”, or “Tegimenology”
as a label for those interested in pursuing the issue of shelter capacity and
quality of life for growing populations in limited geographic areas on a planet
in a universe that expects us to anticipate its unwritten Law of Limits. It is
a language intended to give a quantitative voice and credible support for
emerging but also ancient topics many refer to as urban design or city design
with roots in architectural design.”
PSS: REPEAT FROM SEVERAL EARLIER ESSAYS
“I self-published “The Equations of Urban Design” on
Amazon.com in 2020 to summarize and improve my work in three previous books
entitled, “Land Development Calculations”, editions 1 and 2 published by
McGraw-Hill in 2001 and 2010, and “The Science of City Design” self-published
on Amazon.com in 2016. They represent my continuing effort to explain the site
plan allocation that precedes architectural design, urban design, city design
and landscape architecture. It is the quantity allocation of building cover,
parking cover, pavement, unpaved open space, and floor quantity in a site plan
that determines shelter capacity options, context, and quality of life in mathematical
terms equal to the leadership debate involving private enterprise and
architecture, landscape architecture, government, city planning, real estate
law, zoning regulation, and economic development. The mission is to establish a
consistent leadership language for shelter debate and land consumption
decisions on a planet that does not compromise with failure to anticipate.
I also maintain a blog entitled, “Cities and Design” at www.wmhosack.blogspot.com that
began in September 2010. It currently contains 260+ essays for anyone
interested in following the topic. The more recent essays are also included on
LinkedIn.”
Walter M. Hosack, October 2025
