Back in 2022, we were told that URA, BCA, SLA, and even the SCDF were going to acknowledge a new and shared definition of the term Gross Floor Area (GFA). That’s about to come into effect as of June this year, and realtors say it may already be affecting developer decisions – especially with regard to en-bloc efforts. Here’s what you need to know about GFA:

What’s wrong with the existing definition of GFA?

One of the reasons cited by the government is the way various agencies have differing definitions. For example, under the current definition, URA considers GFA to include the full thickness of external walls, whereas SLA measures up to the middle of the wall to determine GFA.

URA also doesn’t include void spaces (e.g., the vertical space between floor to ceiling) in the total GFA, whereas SLA does.

...