Massing
Before there are walls: draw a footprint, give it storeys, and the block stands on the site in white card. It reports its floor area, site coverage and plot ratio, checks itself against the setbacks, and builds walls from itself when you are ready.
Every property, and what it does
Select a massing block and these are its rows.
Block
How tall the block is.
| Field | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Storeys | How many storeys the block stands. | A count; default 2 |
| Floor to floor | The height of each storey. | Metres; default 3 |
| Base level | Raises or lowers the block from the ground it stands on. | Metres |
What it comes to
Read from the block and the site.
| Field | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | The area the block covers. | Square metres |
| Floor area | The footprint times the storeys. | Square metres |
| Height | The block's height. | Metres |
| Site coverage | The footprint as a share of the site. | Percent |
| Plot ratio | The floor area against the site area. | A ratio |
Against the rules set
Checked against the setbacks and height limit set for the site.
| Field | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the setback | Whether the block stays inside the buildable area. | Yes or no |
| Within the limit | Whether the block stays under the height limit. | Yes or no |
Build
From study to plan.
| Field | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Build walls | Builds walls on every storey from the block's outline. | One click |
How the Massing tool works
Open the Massing tool
In the editor, open Build and choose Massing block, or type MASSING (MASS).
Draw the footprint
Click each corner of the block. It stands on the site as white card, two storeys at 3 m to start.
Read the numbers
Set its storeys and floor height, and read its floor area, coverage and plot ratio against the site.
Build walls
When the study is settled, build walls from the block and carry on with the plan.
Massing questions, answered.
What is a massing block for?
Testing how much building fits a site before drawing walls: its floor area, site coverage and plot ratio.
Why is it white?
A volume study is white card on purpose: the moment a block takes a brick texture it reads as a building, and people argue about the wrong things.
Can a massing block become walls?
Yes. Build walls turns its outline into walls on every storey it stands.
Read on
- Wall Design: Draw walls in 2D and get rooms and the 3D model.
- Site plan docs: Plot boundary, levels, terraces and retaining walls.
- Walls and rooms docs: Drawing walls, build ups, rooms, slabs and shafts.