GATE Architecture & Planning Syllabus 2025: Check Topics, Weightage, Download PDF

Part A: Common

Section 1: 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 bye laws; Codes and standards.

Section 2: 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.

Section 3: 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.

Section 4: Urban Design, Landscape and Conservation

Historical and modern examples of urban design; Elements of 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 byelaws; Urban renewal and conservation; heritage conservation; historical public spaces and gardens; Landscape design; Site planning.

Section 5: 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.

Section 6: Housing

Housing typologies; Concepts, principles and examples of neighbourhood; Residential densities; Affordable Housing; Real estate valuation.

Section 7: Services and Infrastructure

Fire fighting Systems; Building Safety and Security systems; Building Management Systems; Water treatment; Water supply and distribution system; Water harvesting systems; Principles, Planning and Design of storm water 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.

Part B1: Architecture

Section 1: 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, Postmodernism, 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.

Section 2: 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 strength of materials; Alternative building materials; Foundations; Design of structural elements with different materials; Elastic and Limit State design; Structural systems; Principles of Prestressing; High Rise and Long Span structures, gravity and lateral load resisting systems.

Section 3: 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 internal and external drainage system; Principles of electrification of buildings; Elevators and Escalators - standards and uses.

Part B2: Planning

Section 1: Regional and Settlement Planning

Regional delineation; Settlement hierarchy; Types and hierarchy of plans; Various schemes and programs of 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.

Section 2: 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, Panchayatiraj 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.

Section 3: Infrastructure Planning

Process and Principles of Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering; Road capacity and Travel demand forecasting; Traffic survey methods, Traffic flow Analysis; Traffic analysis and design considerations; Traffic and transport management and control in urban areas; Mass transportation planning; Intelligent Transportation Systems; Urban and Rural Infrastructure System Network.

Architecture & Design

20-30

Building and Structures

25-30

Urban Planning and Housing

15-20

Planning Techniques and Management

10-15

GATE Architecture/Planning (6th Edition)

B. K. Das

Building Construction

Sushil Kumar

Fundamentals of Town Planning

G. R. Hiraskar

Theory of Structures and Strength of Materials

Henry Taylor

Building Services and Equipment (Volume I and II)

Fred Hall

Building Material

P. C. Varghese

A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning

R.S Aggarwal