Planning Briefs
Barel Architects specializes in preparing City Building Plans proposals and programs, as well as Land Purpose Changes and Land Betterment proposals.
A City Building Plan is a guideline for the entire building process and once approved, it determines what is permitted and forbidden during the construction process. The City Building Plan is made up of 2 parts: a sketch, and rules and regulations.
The sketch is a map that divides the land into areas and plots. The rules and regulations specify what is permitted and what is forbidden in the construction process, such as the number of floors the building allowed, the permitted area for construction, and what the land is zoned for such as: residence, commerce, industry, public buildings, etc. Understanding how to write the rules and regulations is invaluable since it has to take into account a future sustainable design from the planning stage and an understanding and anticipation of the requirements and needs for future changes.
In order to prepare a City Building Plan proposal properly, it is necessary to have an in-depth understanding of the law directions and its practical implications, therefore, the office also offers legal assistance and consultation to the design team, when necessary.
Once the program, scheme and regulations are written, they are submitted for approval to the local planning and building committee and to the regional planning and building committee. After the City Building Plan proposal is approved, a building permit must be obtained. This is a document that details the construction more precisely and includes final building materials, architectural plans, and more.
The firm specializes in preparing all types of City Building Plans (CBP):
- CBP proposals that combine commercial, residential, and offices
- CBP proposals for increasing approved building percentages
- CBP proposals for adding additional floors
- CBP proposals for land purpose changes
- CBP proposals for present and future uses of the land
The program is a document that details the construction fundamentals and the guidelines for designing the building. The program is based on the client’s needs and requirements, on the specific terrain data, and of course on the particulars of the approved City Building Plan. The program contains, first and foremost, all the clients’ needs, the purpose of the project, and sometimes also the project budget. Afterwards, functional instructions will be detailed regarding the construction on the lot, such as size, land building rights, and instructions regarding the building itself: type of spaces in the building and the correlation between them, the construction method, the style of the design, and more.
The aim of the program is in fact to crystalize a plan upon which the building’s final design will be based. In order to write an accurate program, the firm’s staff must visit the site, understand the City Building Plan and its limitations, and find the solutions that will materialize the client’s hopes and desires at best. Barel Architects has a clear understanding that the City Building Plan and the program are the cornerstones for the right building of each and every client. Thus, the task of preparing and writing the plans is taken most seriously, by thinking outside of the box and ensuring meticulous attention to even the smallest of details.