Form and Position：The Study of Building Capacity Distribution - with discussion about the common problems in China’s city development and urban planning

Abstract

FAR (Floor Area Ratio) is an important index to understand and study the spatial development pattern of the city. In the condition of a given FAR, the spatial distribution of the capacity always represents the city form in particular place. A good design proposal is necessary to give a comprehensive treatment to the different contradictions in the site. The contradictions contain both external problems such like how to deal with the relationship between the site and surrounding area and internal problems such like how to deal with the contradiction between orientation and landscape. In the process of historical period, the distribution of FAR is highly explored by architects and urbanists such like Walter Gropius, Rem Koolhaas, MVRDV and so on. In this paper, from a case study of urban design in Chongqing(China) , a methodology to create a understandable city form is present. This methodology is usually used at the beginning of a design proposal. Without considering the architectural style and material in advance, the urban form can have a visual assessment through the study on the distribution of FAR. Diverse spatial forms which come from different capacity distributions are explored, and then dealing with different contradictions, the urban designers need to give a contrast and assess between different forms, and finally conclude the optimize one. Combined with the case study, the authors argue the complex relationship between FAR, site coverage and architecture height. And the general problems in China’s city development and urban planning are also explored and discussed.