Building coverage ratio

In Turkish zoning, TAKS (taban alanı katsayısı) is the building coverage ratio. It limits the area a building may occupy on the ground in proportion to the plot area. Multiply the plot area by the TAKS value and you get the largest footprint the building may have. The value is set in the zoning plan and its notes and is shown on the plot’s zoning certificate.

How the footprint is defined

Roughly speaking, the footprint is the building’s outline at ground level. How open projections, eaves and certain stairs or ramps are treated is defined separately in the regulations. Basements may also be treated differently, as long as they stay below ground and meet the relevant conditions. Because these details can vary with the area and its plan notes, TAKS is always worked out together with the zoning certificate and the current regulation.

Effect on design

TAKS decides how much of the plot becomes building and how much stays as garden, parking or open space. A low value means more garden; a high one means a volume spread across the ground. Once setbacks are applied, the largest possible footprint is often smaller than TAKS alone would allow, especially on narrow or corner plots. Drawing these limits early on the site plan keeps massing studies realistic.