Three Metrics Developers Should Understand

And a bonus test!

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As Architects, we work with many different developers, and each has their preferred way to drill down into numbers, build their proformas, and prioritize making decisions in the design.

There are some metrics, though, that I think often get overlooked - ratios that directly link design moves with construction costs. The theme you’ll notice in the following ratios is: square footage isn’t helpful unless it’s the *right* square footage. You can have a 1000 sf for a unit, but if it’s 5’x200’, it’s useless.

When we are working on feasibility and test fitting on complicated sites, we’re thinking about all of these, as we dial in the particularities of the site and the developer’s goals.

Ok, here they are:

1. Exterior wall perimeter to unit area ratio [“unit frontage”]

This one looks at how much exterior wall perimeter you have, per unit. If you’re trying to create units with windows in living rooms and bedrooms [which, despite being a source of constant debate, windowless bedrooms are allowed in many jurisdictions, in certain building types with sprinkler systems, etc]…then you need to provide enough length of wall to fit those rooms.