Floor Area Ratio
The ratio of total buildable floor area to plot area. For example, a floor area ratio of 1.00 on a 500 m² plot allows 500 m² of total construction area. It's one of the most fundamental zoning parameters determining a plot's building rights.
Also available in:Türkçe (Emsal (KAKS))·نسبة البناء (إمسال)
The definition in the regulation
Turkey's Planned Areas Zoning Regulation defines KAKS (emsal) as the ratio of the sum of all floor areas built on a building to the area of the zoning parcel[1]. The "floor area" counted is the total of all usable floors, including basement, mezzanine, attic rooms and open or closed projections, after the areas excluded from floor area are deducted[1]. So emsal can cover basements and attics, not just upper floors; what is not counted is listed separately.
Areas that do not count towards emsal
Under Article 22, the following are not counted in floor area, and so not in emsal[2]: car parking areas, the minimum shelter area the building needs, technical areas such as heating, cooling, plant, water tanks and generators, atrium and gallery voids, 70 m² in total of the mandatory caretaker flats, and balconies that meet the open-projection conditions up to 20% of the net area of the unit. Storage annexes in fully buried basements are also excluded up to 50% of the unit's net area[2].
The cap on excluded areas
The total of areas that can be left out of emsal under Article 22 or a municipality's zoning regulation may not exceed 30% of the parcel's total emsal-based area[2]. The regulation leaves some items, such as twice the mandatory car parking in basements, outside this cap[2]. So "emsal 1.20, i.e. 600 m²" is often not the whole story: the real construction area is larger once the excluded areas are added.
Emsal versus TAKS
Emsal limits the total floor area, while TAKS limits how much you cover at ground level. On a 500 m² plot with emsal 1.20 the total floor area is at most 600 m²; with TAKS 0.30 at most 150 m² of that can sit on the ground, and the rest spreads over upper floors. Try your own values in the Zoning / FAR Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What does emsal mean?
Emsal (KAKS, floor area ratio) is the sum of all floor areas built on a building divided by the parcel area. On a 500 m² plot with emsal 1.20 the total floor area can be at most 600 m².
How is emsal calculated?
Multiply the parcel area by the emsal value: 750 m² × 0.80 = 600 m² maximum floor area. You find the value on the parcel's zoning status document.
Do balconies count towards emsal?
Under Article 22 of the Planned Areas Zoning Regulation, balconies that meet the open-projection conditions are not counted in floor area, and so not in emsal, up to 20% of the unit's net area.
Do car parking and shelters count towards emsal?
No. Under Article 22, car parking areas and the minimum shelter area the building needs are not counted in floor area. The total of areas left out of emsal may not exceed 30% of the parcel's total emsal-based area (Article 5/8).
Sources
Articles that use this term
Other terms
- Cliff
- Brutalism
- Mass Optimization
- Rational Plan
- Asymmetric Façade
- Site Plan
- Schematic Design
- Zoning Status
- Building Permit
- Cantilever
- Landscape Design
- Land Parcel
- Soil Survey
- Retaining Wall
- Coastal Edge Line
- Construction Supervision (Yapı Denetim)
- Urban Transformation (Kentsel Dönüşüm)
- Site Coverage Ratio (TAKS)
- Title Deed (Tapu)
- Independent Unit (Bağımsız Bölüm)
- Condominium Ownership (Kat Mülkiyeti)
- Occupancy Permit (İskân)
- Alteration Permit (Tadilat Ruhsatı)
- Building Class (Yapı Sınıfı)