Building design and siting on the plot

The building designer seeks design solutions that meet the objectives of the project initiator and are suitable for the chosen building site. The outcome of building design is the principal drawings, which are later attached to the building permit application. Building design may occur partly concurrently with specialist design.

If a prefabricated house solution is chosen for construction, the house supplier’s plans alone do not constitute the principal drawings. You will always need building design to produce the principal drawings (e.g., site plan, building elevation, yard plan, and ground levels shown in section drawings).

The building must conform to the detailed plan, be suitable for its surroundings and landscape, and meet requirements for aesthetics and proportionality.

Detailed plan regulations may include, for example:

• the amount of building rights
• the location of residential or adjacent buildings or the building area on the plot
• the number of storeys
• permitted outbuildings
• the orientation of the building
• the material and colour of the exterior cladding
• the type and colour of the roof

If you need to deviate from the detailed plan, you may need a separate deviation permit before the building permit, or if the deviation is minor, it may be granted in conjunction with the building permit. The need for a deviation permit outside the detached plan often depends on whether the proposed construction conforms to the master plan.

For detached houses, site-specific yard planning is also part of the building designer’s tasks.

Yard planning includes at least the following aspects:

• location and width of the vehicle access
• placement of functions within the yard area
• placement of stairs, terraces, and shelters within the yard area
• placement of yard buildings within the yard area
• storm water management
• traffic solutions
• planting areas
• surface structures
• potential retaining walls and embankments