Apartment tower floor plan: units per floor, lifts and fire exits

6.2.1 What does an apartment tower floor plan show?

An apartment tower floor plan shows one typical floor of a tower from above, with the flats and the shared spaces that connect them. It is different from the floor plan of a single flat. The tower plan shows how many flats share the floor and where the lifts and staircases are. It also shows the corridors and the service shafts. It also shows where your front door opens and which of your windows face the corridor or another flat. Use the plan for your exact tower, because towers in one project can have different layouts. Check whether the plan is a typical floor, and ask whether the lowest and highest floors differ. Then match it with the sanctioned plan. Section 4(2)(d) of the RERA Act, 2016 makes the builder file the sanctioned plan with the K-RERA registration. Section 2(n) lists staircases, lifts, lift lobbies, fire escapes and common entrances as common areas. You pay for these through the super built-up area, so check them.

Part of the tower plan	What to check
Flats per floor	How many flats share the floor and the lifts
Lifts	How many, where they are, and whether one is a service lift
Staircases	How many, and the route from your door to each
Corridors	Length, natural light and air
Shafts	What they carry, and where they sit next to your flat

6.2.2 How do you work out flats per lift?

Count the flats on your floor, multiply by the number of floors that the lifts serve, and divide by the number of lifts. This gives flats per lift for the whole tower. For example, a tower with 8 flats a floor and 20 floors has 160 flats. With 4 lifts, that is 40 flats per lift. With 3 lifts, it is about 53. The number helps you compare towers, but it does not tell you the waiting time by itself. Waiting time also depends on each lift’s capacity and speed, the height of the tower, and the morning rush. A tall tower with few lifts can mean long waits in the morning. Ask the builder for the lift specification in writing. It must give the number of lifts, the capacity in persons, the speed and any service or stretcher lift. Sachi did not check a statutory number of flats per lift for this chapter, so it does not give a target.

Tower (example)	Flats	Lifts	Flats per lift
8 flats a floor, 20 floors	160	4	40
8 flats a floor, 20 floors	160	3	About 53
6 flats a floor, 30 floors	180	4	45

6.2.3 What should you check about stairs and fire exits?

Find every staircase on the tower plan, and walk the route from your front door to each one. Check that the route to each staircase is short and direct, and that no door on it is kept locked. In Karnataka, a tall tower also needs a fire approval. The Karnataka Fire Force (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 added Section 13(3) to the Karnataka Fire Force Act, 1964. A person who proposes to construct a high-rise building must get a No Objection Certificate (NOC). The Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services department issues it. The Explanation defines a high-rise building as one of 21 metres or more in height, whatever its use. It refers to the National Building Code 2016. Section 13(4) makes the department follow the fire and life safety provisions of that Code. Ask the builder for the fire NOC of your tower, with its date.

1. Find both staircases on the tower plan.
2. Walk the route from your door to each staircase on the site visit.
3. Check that no door on the route is locked.
4. Ask for the fire NOC if the tower is 21 metres or taller.

6.2.4 How do corridors and neighbours affect daily life?

The corridor decides how private and how quiet your flat is, so look at where your door sits on it. A flat next to the lift lobby gets more footfall and noise. A flat at the end of a long corridor is quieter, but it is farther from the lifts. Check whether a bedroom window opens onto the corridor or faces a window of the next flat. Both can cost you privacy, and you may keep curtains closed all day. Look for a corridor with a window at the end. It can bring in light and air, while a closed corridor can feel dark and need lights all day. Count how many doors open near yours. Check where the garbage room or the refuse chute is on the floor, because it can bring smells. If a finished tower of the same builder exists, visit a floor and walk the corridor. The plan may not show the finishes, the lighting or the ventilation.

What to look at	Why it matters
Distance from your door to the lifts	Footfall and noise near the lobby, or a long walk at the end
Bedroom windows facing the corridor	Privacy and noise
Windows facing another flat	Privacy, and curtains closed all day
Window at the end of the corridor	Light and air in the corridor
Garbage room or refuse chute	Smell and noise near your door

6.2.5 How do shafts and service areas affect a flat?

Service shafts carry the pipes, drains and cables of the tower, and their position can affect noise, repairs and the space inside your flat. A drain shaft next to a bedroom can bring the sound of flowing water. If a shaft opens only from inside your flat, a plumber may need to enter your home to repair the building’s pipes. Ask the builder what runs through each shaft next to your flat, and how it is reached for maintenance. Check the unit plan for ledges or boxed-in pipes that can reduce usable wall space. The RERA Act, 2016 excludes the area under service shafts from your carpet area, under Section 2(k). Shafts can still change the shape of a room. After booking, Section 14(2) of the Act says the builder cannot change the sanctioned plan of your flat without your previous consent. A structural change is never a minor change. So check the tower plan before you book.

Shaft question	Why it matters
What runs through it	Drain pipes can be noisy next to a bedroom
Where it opens for repairs	A shaft opened from inside your flat means visits for repairs
Ledges or boxed pipes in your rooms	Less usable wall space for furniture

Sachi reads the tower plans and K-RERA filings for Bangalore projects. To compare flats per floor and lifts across towers in a project, Ask Sachi.