An Explainer: Building Restrictions

A developer bought a piece of land with a sole intention of constructing a 100-storey building. However, depending on the building law prevalent in the city he may or may not be allowed to construct a skyscraper that tall. Across the world, laws that define construction impose certain restrictions on construction, depending on several measures. For instance, while the Burj Khalifa in Dubai has 163 floors, construction of tall buildings is not permitted in Delhi's Lutyen's Bungalow Zone. The Empire State Building that was built in 1931 also has 102 floors while strict building laws prevent the construction of tall structures in City Beautiful Chandigarh.  In short, the prevalent laws in a particular city put in place codes that developers have to follow when it comes to the size, shape and appearance of structures. Failure in meeting the standard norms will result in the demolition of the construction.

Often, these rules are set factoring in the geography and heritage of the place. For instance, strict building bye-laws in Chandigarh are meant for protecting the French architecture created by Le Corbusier. The same is true of the British-era built Lutyen's Bungalow Zone.