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Architecture vocabulary · Urban Planning and Design

Setback

Meaning in architecture, with examples

/ˈsetbæk/nounCommon term

In architecture, setback means: The minimum distance a building must keep from a plot boundary or street, set by planning rules; also an upper part of a building stepped back from the floor below.

In Turkish: çekme mesafesi, bahçe mesafesi

How it is used

Appears on every site plan and zoning check: front, side and rear setbacks. Architects say a building is 'set back' from the street. Setbacks on upper floors reduce the impact of tall buildings, as in early 20th-century New York towers.

Example sentences

  1. The zoning rules require a five-metre setback from the street.

  2. A setback on the top two floors creates a terrace and reduces the bulk of the building.

Common collocations

  • front setback
  • side setback
  • minimum setback
  • set back from the street
  • zoningThe system of dividing a city into areas where only certain uses, such as housing, offices or industry, and certain building sizes are allowed.
  • site planA drawing that shows the whole plot from above: the building's position, boundaries, access roads, landscaping, levels and its relationship to neighbouring buildings.
  • footprintThe area of ground that a building covers, measured by the outline of its outer walls at ground level.
  • floor area ratioThe total floor area of all storeys of a building divided by the area of its plot; a ratio of 2 means you can build twice the plot area in total.

More terms: Urban Planning and Design

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