Chapter 01 Project basics
Before numbers can guide you, you need to know what they describe. Define the building first; estimate it second.
Begin with the facts ↓
01 Start here
Most projects begin with useful fragments. Until the fragments describe one coherent building, they cannot guide design or budget.
Numbers become useful only when you can explain what each one measures—and how they connect.
02 Chapter path
The order matters. Each answer gives context to the next, so the learner is never asked to estimate a building that has not yet been defined.
Who is it for, and what must it do well?
What land exists, and what sits on it?
How does the building grow vertically?
What is the approximate construction scale?
03 By the end
The goal is not a perfect estimate yet. It is a project definition strong enough to make every later decision meaningful.
I can state who the building serves and what it must do well.
I can separate the plot from the building footprint.
I can translate G+2 into three constructed levels.
I can describe approximate built-up area across all levels.