The Shelter Capacity of Core Land Area

 The shelter capacity of property depends on the core land area remaining for building footprint and parking lot area after all other site improvement topic areas are subtracted.

Shelter capacity is gross building area in square feet divided by the buildable acres occupied.

This principle is illustrated by Diagram 1, based on the G1 Building Design Category.

The G1 category is one of six in a building classification system based on the primary parking system used to serve building activity. The G1 category addresses all buildings served by a parking lot around, but not under, the building on the same premise.

Diagram 1 illustrates the principle noted. It shows a series of site plan topic rings surrounding a black rectangle designating the core area available for building cover (BCA) and parking lot area (PLA).

Site plan topics identified by the shaded cells of Table 1 c
an be measured in square feet or estimated as percentages of the land area involved. The topics in cells F4-F6 and F8 are subtracted from the gross land area given in cell F3 to find the buildable land area (BLA) remaining in cell F10. The entire process of measurement, or percentage estimation, and subtraction leads to the core area remaining in cell F33 and is explained in the italicized text below. The master equation that defines the shelter capacity of G1 core area under specified conditions depends on the identification of this quantity.

G1 CORE AREA DERIVATION

Gross land area is equal to the total land area defined to accommodate building construction or expansion, excluding future reserve areas.

Buildable land area (BLA) is equal to gross land area (GLA) minus the sum of unbuildable area (UNB), existing condition area (ECA), future expansion area (FXA), easement area (EAS), and public right-of-way area (ROW).

Unpaved open space (OSAU) is equal to a given percentage of buildable land area (BLA).

Impervious cover capacity (IMP) is equal to buildable land area (BLA) minus the unpaved open space present or planned (OSAU).

Impervious cover remaining (IMPR) is equal to total impervious cover (IMP) minus shared, or common, impervious cover present or planned (COSP).

Unpaved open space remaining (UOSR) is equal to total unpaved open space (OSAU) minus the common, or shared, unpaved open space present or planned (COSU).

Remaining shelter land area (SHA) is equal to the sum of the impervious cover remaining (IMPR) and unpaved open space remaining (UOSR).

Impervious cover (PSSP) present or planned in the shelter area (SHA) is equal to the sum of paved open space area (SOSP), miscellaneous pavement area (MPA), driveway area (DRA), exterior entry pavement area (EEP), and loading area (LDA) present or planned.

Unpaved open space remaining in the shelter area (UOSR) is equal to total unpaved open space (OSAU) minus the common or shared unpaved open space present or planned (COSU).

Core area impervious cover (CORE) is equal to shelter area (SHA) minus the sum of miscellaneous impervious cover area (PSSP) and remaining unpaved open space area (UOSR) in the shelter area.

G1 SHELTER CAPACITY

The shelter capacity of core land area, or the square feet of gross building area capacity (GBA) per acre of buildable land area (BLA), is defined for the G1 Building Design Category by the master equation derived in Table 2.7 of the book entitled, “The Equations of Urban Design”, by Walter M. Hosack. The equation states that:

GBA = ((af / (a+(fs))) * CORE                        Equation G1.L1

When:

s = estimated pkg. & circulation area per garage space in square feet

a = building square feet permitted per parking space

f = floor quantity

The equation shows that the gross building area (GBA) capacity of core land area (CORE) is a function of the (a), (f), and (s) values chosen for the coefficient in the equation. These are design decisions that are often limited by zoning ordinance regulations, but the ordinances have not understood, or been able to predict, their combined implications.

The (s) and (a) variables needed by the equation have been entered into shaded cells A35 and A36 of Table 1. The floor quantity variables needed (f) have been entered into shaded cells A44-A53. The equation in cell B39 produces the gross building area options (GBA) presented in cells B44-B53. These are converted into shelter capacity, intensity, intrusion, and context implication measurements in cells F44-J53 of the Implications Module. The equations used to produce the related measurements in Columns C-J of the Planning Forecast Panel and Implications Module are referenced on line 43 of the table. This system of measurement makes it possible to consistently compare and evaluate implications that may represent “excessive intensity” and “sprawl” at the ends of a shelter capacity spectrum that can now be calibrated.

When the gray cell topics in Table 1 are consistently measured at existing locations, the comparable planning and implication data calibrated can be evaluated to build the shelter capacity knowledge and vocabulary needed to begin forming a leadership language. It is needed to lead the many involved toward shelter in limited geographic areas defined to protect their source of life -- the Natural Domain.

Shelter capacity measurement, prediction, and implication evaluation has been derived as a quantitative foundation for the evaluation of shelter capacity options within a limited Built Domain that will remain after definition of an essential Natural Domain. These options have implications that include, but are not limited to, the physical, social, psychological, environmental, and economic results of option choices on the quality of life produced.

I have had the temerity to call the shelter capacity measurement and evaluation effort Tegimenics, and the body of leadership knowledge that can be consistently assembled in perpetuity, Tegimenology.

Walter M. Hosack, February 2026

PS: This discussion was limited to the G1 Building Design Category. The full discussion involving all six building design categories can be found in my book, “The Equations of Urban Design”. It is available from Amazon.com.

PSS: During this essay I discovered an error in my book concerning Diagram 1 and its correlation with Table 1. Diagram 1 has been corrected in this essay.