GATE Architecture & Planning Syllabus 2025 - Best Books, Preparation Tips

Architecture, Planning, and Design

• Architectural Graphics

• Visual composition in 2D and 3D

• Computer Application in Architecture and Planning

• Anthropometrics

• Organization of space

• Circulation- horizontal and vertical

• Space Standards

• Universal design

• Building Byelaws

• Codes and standards

Services and Infrastructure

• Firefighting Systems

• Building Safety and Security systems

• Building Management Systems

• Water treatment

• Water supply and distribution system

• Water harvesting systems Principles, Planning and Design of stormwater drainage system

• Sewage disposal methods

• Methods of solid waste management - collection, transportation and disposal

• Recycling and Reuse of solid waste

• Land-use – transportation - urban form inter-relationships

• Design of roads, intersections, grade separators and parking areas

• Hierarchy of roads and level of service

• Para-transits and other modes of transportation, Pedestrian and slow-moving traffic planning

Housing

• Housing typologies

• Concepts, principles, and examples of a neighborhood

• Residential densities

• Affordable Housing

• Real estate valuation

Planning Process

• Salient concepts, theories and principles of urban planning

• Concepts of cities - Eco-City, Smart City

• Concepts and theories by trendsetting planners and designers

• Ekistics

• Urban sociology

• Social, Economic and environmental cost-benefit analysis

• Methods of non-spatial and spatial data analysis

• Development guidelines such as URDPFI

Urban Design, Landscape and Conservation

• Historical and modern examples of urban design

• Elements of the urban built environment – urban form, spaces, structure, pattern, fabric, texture, grain etc.

• Concepts and theories of urban design

• Principles, tools and techniques of urban design

• Public spaces, character, spatial qualities and Sense of Place

• Urban design interventions for sustainable development and transportation

• Development controls – FAR, densities and building bylaws

• Urban renewal and conservation

• Heritage conservation historical public spaces and gardens

• Landscape design

• Site planning

Environmental Planning and Design

• Natural and man-made ecosystem

• Ecological principles

• Environmental considerations in planning and design

• Environmental pollution- types, causes, controls and abatement strategies

• Sustainable development, goals and strategies

• Climate change and built environment

• Climate responsive design

Construction and Management

• Project management techniques e.g. PERT, CPM etc.

• Estimation and Specification; Professional practice and ethics

• Form and Structure

• Principles and design of disaster-resistant structures

• Temporary structures for rehabilitation

Building Services and Sustainability

• Solar architecture

• Thermal, visual and acoustic comfort in built environments

• Natural and Mechanical ventilation in buildings

• Air-Conditioning systems

• Sustainable building strategies

• Building Performance Simulation and Evaluation

• Intelligent Buildings

• Water supply

• Sewerage and drainage systems

• Sanitary fittings and fixtures

• Plumbing systems

• Principles of the internal and external drainage system

• Principles of electrification of buildings

• Elevators and Escalators - standards and uses

Building Construction and Structural systems

• Building construction techniques, methods and details

• Building systems and prefabrication of building elements

• Principles of Modular Coordination

• Construction planning and equipment

• Building material characteristics and applications

• Principles of the strength of materials

• Alternative building materials

• Foundations

• Design of structural elements with different materials

• Elastic and Limit State design

• Structural systems

• Principles of Pre-stressing

• High Rise and Long Span structures, gravity and lateral load resisting systems

History and Contemporary Architecture

• Principles of Art and Architecture

• World History of Architecture: Egyptian, Greco-Roman classical period, Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque-Rococo, etc.

• Recent trends in Contemporary Architecture: Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Eclecticism, International styles, Modernism, Deconstruction in architecture, etc.

• Influence of Modern art and Design in Architecture

• Indian vernacular and traditional Architecture, Oriental Architecture

• Works of renowned national and international architects

Infrastructure Planning

• Process and Principles of Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering

• Road capacity and Travel demand forecasting

• Traffic survey methods, Traffic flow Analysis

• Traffic analyses and design considerations

• Traffic and transport management and control in urban areas

• Mass transportation planning; Intelligent Transportation Systems

• Urban and Rural Infrastructure System Network

Planning Techniques and Management

• Application of G.I.S and Remote Sensing techniques in urban and regional planning

• Tools and techniques of Surveys – Physical, Topographical, Land use and Socio-economic Surveys

• Urban Economics, Law of demand and supply of land and its use in planning

• Graphic presentation of spatial data

• Local self-governance, Panchayati raj institutions

• Planning Legislation and implementation – Land Acquisition Act, PPP etc.

• Decision support system and Land Information System

• Urban geography and econometrics

• Management of Infrastructure Projects

• Demography and equity in planning

Regional and Settlement Planning

• Regional delineation

• Settlement hierarchy

• Types and hierarchy of plans

• Various schemes and programs of the central government

• Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), SEZ, SRZ etc.

• Public Perception and User Behavior

• National Housing Policies, Programs and Schemes

• Slums, Squatters and informal housing

• Standards for housing and community facilities

• Housing for special areas and needs

Contemporary Library Architecture - A Planning and Design Guide

Ken Worpole

Principles of Town Planning and Architecture

Biswas Hiranmay

Architect’s Guidebook for Competetive Exams

AR Swapnil Vidhate

• AR Ashok Goel
• AR Arjun Kamal