Floor area ratio refers to the total sum area of the buildings on a specific region to the size of the land of that region. Floor Area Ratios Transfer therefore refers to the change of ownerships rights to the next person. Architectures are increasingly finding it more convenient to use this model as a modern building design especially where the government has strict regulations controlling the city planning. The role of the government should be to create more opportunities of this nature to act as an incentive to the investors to continue putting more resources in the real estate industry. In countries like Japan, china, and some parts of the United States of America where growth in population has become tremendous, there is a gradual downturn in the traditional methods of city planning. (Meriam 2004)
When transferring a building property floor area ratios are important in that the acquirer will be provided with an avid knowledge of the extensive area the property occupies and that in case of any eventuality like litigation the owner will have to make appropriate references without doubt. A building design with floor Area Ratio is more flexible than the one built with fixed length, height, and width. This ensures that the floor area correlates well with other elements in the zoning like the total area for parking that may be required or the partitions, number of units required for residential purpose and etc. (Meriam 2004)
The floor area ratios can also be used to severely restrict the amount of construction required in an area. This will guide the architecture throughout the building process and therefore minimize any extra costs that may be associated with poor building design. To the broader sense it will confine the architecture exclusively to the identified area and avoid unnecessary confusion with the neighboring environment. A good building design should be flexible enough to incorporate all aspects of change inherent in the process right from its inception to completion; this is only achieved by adopting the Floor Area Ratios. However this design may suffer from the following drawbacks:
During the transfers of unused floor areas from one site of the existing building to the main site, care needs to be taken especially on zoning. If this is not done then excessive transfer may lead to un-proportional building i.e. out of scale. When this happens the architecture will need to spend extra cost for correction or redesign the new building. This is time consuming as well as discouraging. This explains why the Floor Area Ratios Transfer model is still unpopular in some countries in then world. (Lee 2)
Another problem is that most sites overlap zoning, the development regulation for these sites are very confusing and therefore resulting to abolition of dissimilarity between zoning districts, which leads to production of oversized buildings. This is also additional expenditure on its own. It’s also believed that many public spaces allocated for zoning has been successful, but extra floor areas for housing courts and certain other public places have always produced big buildings devoid of reasonable benefits to the public. This implies that the public gains actually nothing from this kind of policy. (Meriam 2004)
The increasing use of technology requires modern business enterprises to be fitted with plants perceived to be technological. A space should be set a side for these big machines to avoid a deduction of the zoning floor area. A caution should be taken to ensure that the area set does not exceed the provisions. Zoning a gain may fail to recognize the differences in size and shape of some residential and commercial buildings and hence omit any reasonable control on their effects on the surrounding environment. (Cambringe Community Development 2009)
Problems associated with Floor Area Ratio Transfers
This model is not universally applicable; there are some regions in the world where it is not common perhaps due to the following:
Cost; this model is very expensive more so on single individuals who would want to use it in construction of their own residential homes. It is mainly used in large and modern cities. With the current economic global surge, people with little income are already eliminated. (Cambringe Community Development 2009)
Technical expertise: Floor Area Ratios require highly specialized knowhow in order to be used effectively. This therefore means that it can no longer be used by any ordinary persons; one needs to undertake a relevant training to understand it better. This leaves it to be limited to only a certain caliber of professional architects. (Cambringe Community Development 2009)
This technique is not desirable for a small- sized building. It requires a large building with an ample space like plazas and towers. It consumes a lot of space and therefore leaves a little room for effective flow of traffic in urban cities and towns. These cause inconveniencies to institutions as well as individuals. It’s therefore the responsibility of every city planning agencies to ensure that such buildings are not constructed within the central business district. Most cities in the world have a policy where such buildings are only found within the city suburbs. (Real estate space 2008)
Floor Area Ratios Transfers is still a new area of study but with the emerging trend in technology its gradually gaining momentum and many researchers are still experimenting. In order to achieve the millennium development goals this technique should be a priority in defining our success in the building and construction industry. A lot more people are reluctant to adopt this technique probably because of the perceived technical and financial constraints. A government that is aggressive in development has no option but to steer a head its sensitive economic units by promoting a culture of endless inventions and innovations in order to achieve its strategic and long term plans in a more effective and efficient way possible. By doing this it will be easy even for the next generation to emulate their leaders and be on the forefront in championing visionary leadership. (Real estate space 2008)
Building and construction are industries which are instrumental in defining a country’s infrastructure if there is a slippage then the country’s future can adversely appear bleak. A good infrastructure is a recipe for economic prosperity. Most entrepreneurs are now shifting their attention from stock market to real estate management, an area that seems to be promising its this reason that has suddenly led to rapid and radical revolution in the building and construction industry. If resources are managed properly, risks evaluated and capital wisely invested, then the growth in this industry is likely to double in the global arena. (Lee 4)
This can only be achieved through technological advancement in the building and construction industry. Incorporating modern methods like Floor Area Ratios in the architectural design and consciously trying to improve the internally existing skill base. People should also be informed and enlightened on the importance of new emerging methods of technology and how to acquire and use them especially in real estate management. This will ensure that benefits not only accrue to the government but also to everybody and hence even distribution of wealth. In a country where wealth is evenly distributed social evils like corruption, crime, and civil wars are reduced. People tend to be contented and unhealthy competition is reduced. (Lee 5)
The international community and other humanitarian organizations are encouraged to participate in helping a country achieve some of its social and economic needs. This way a country can serve as an example for others in the same region. (Real estate space 2008)
Conclusion
The modern technology in our midst has revolutionized the way in which we do things. Floor Area Ratios represents a technological improvement in the building and construction industry. Architects need to be more innovative so that they change this industry completely. Development in this industry will see a number of structural changes in the infrastructure; more investors will be interested in real estate and economy will automatically experience a positive change.
This can only happen if the government of the day provides conducive environment for both domestic and international investors, enlightening the locals as well as its work force on the limitations of being left behind and the advantages of using the modern technology in their respective industries so as to be self reliant and to promote a culture of entrepreneurship. While using Floor Area Ratios care should be taken to avoid being plunged into serous financial implications that arise due to limitations of this technique.
Works cited
Cambringe Community Development, The zoning guide, 2009. Web.
Lee David Medinets, Exchanging development rights in NYC, 2008. Web.
Meriam, Dwight., The Complete Guide to Zoning. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-144379-7, 2004.
Real estate space, Floor arae ratio and Residential property, 2008. Web.