For sometime now the Delhi Urban Art Commission had felt the need for bringing out a document that will help the architects & promoters as well as all concerned to understand the mind of the Commission while considering different category of building proposals. With this objective in view the Commission introduced this document titled ‘Design Criteria for Architects’.

     These guidelines are not intended to curb individual expressions but make it more accountable to the collective urban quality. The objective of these guidelines is to assist architects to meet minimum standard of design of projects at the same time respecting public spaces thereby ensuring that the nature of architecture created is a value addition to the City. These guidelines are not supposed to be applied in a uniform standardized way but adapted to the specific condition on a project-to-project basis. The purpose of this document is to save on time, energy and cost in formulation of design proposals and its subsequent examination by the Delhi Urban Art Commission.

     For the sake of clarity, the guidelines have been broken up into two sections viz.’ General issues’ and ‘Examination Criteria’. The first Section ‘General Issues’ indicates broad parameters in the macro level urban context, which an architect/promoter is expected to follow while conceiving a project. The second section ‘Examination Criteria’ lists certain basic issues for different category of building projects, which an architect is expected to keep in focus while formulating the project design.