Usage types are pre-determined by Giraffe to create standardized calculated properties for use in Analytics and Urban Calculations.
Type | Symbol | Use it for: |
Building Section |  | Building Massing |
Dwelling |  | Individual units, like in an apartment flow or townhomes/single family. |
Basement |  | Building sections that are below grade |
Land Use |  | Zoning and capacity studies |
Landscape |  | Green areas on grade or green roofs |
Road |  | Paved roads and paths |
Paved Area |  | Paved areas like plazas and on-grade parking |
Reference |  | Annotations, tags, labels, and region fills |
Image |  | Image uploads to be mapped on flat polygons |
Point |  | A point to attach a tag, label, or 3D model entourage to |
Line |  | A generic polyline with no building type properties or calculations required |
Polygon |  | A generic Polygon with no building type properties or calculations required |
3D |  | A generic 3D mass with no building type properties or calculations required |
Building Section
Building Sections usages are intended to represent the massing built form of buildings.
They contribute to calculations like FAR, gross floor area, building coverage, and more. Building usages also allow for solar exposure calculation.
Building sections always include the following properties:
Efficiency
Sell Efficiency
Levels
Floor to Floor
Some building section usages include a dwelling mix or additional properties like keys for hotels or jobs for commercial.
You can draw a building section type directly from the drawing toolbar. Anything in the Building tool is either a building section or a dwelling usage.
Dwelling
Dwelling sections are intended to represent individual units within a building like an apartment tower, or individual dwelling units like single family homes or townhomes.
They contribute to calculations like FAR, gross and net floor area, building coverage, and more. Dwelling usages also allow for solar exposure calculation.
Dwelling sections always include:
Efficiency
Sell Efficiency
Levels
Floor to Floor
Cars per Unit (req'd)
Price per Unit
Residents per Unit
Count Unit per level (true/false)
You can draw a dwelling section type directly from the drawing toolbar. Anything in the Building tool is either a building section or a dwelling usage.
Land Use
Land Use type usages are meant to model allowable built form across multiple lots.
Land Use usages represent the large-scale implications of zoning and other planning overlays. (Think a land use map).
Land use usages do not automatically contribute to calculations in Urban, but can be used in Analytics to create custom reports.
You can draw a land use type directly from the drawing toolbar. Anything in the Land Use tool is a land use usage.
Landscape
Landscape type usages represent greenspace or water.
Landscape usages contribute to open space, landscape areas, and roof landscape calculations (and more). Landscape also allows for solar exposure calculation.
You can draw a landscape type directly from the drawing toolbar. Landscape is in the Landscape and Parking tool.
Road
Road usages are line based an represent roads and footpaths.
Roads and footpaths contribute to paved area and are counted as impervious area.
You can draw a road type directly from the drawing toolbar. Roads are in the Landscape and Parking tool.
Paved Area
Paving type usages represent impervious areas like plazas or parking.
Paving usages contribute to paved area and site coverage calculations.
You can draw a paving type directly from the drawing toolbar. Paving is in the Landscape and Parking tool.
Basement
Basement type usages represent underground areas.
Basements contribute to gross building area, but do not contribute to site coverage.
Basements are not included in the drawing toolbar.
Generic
Generic types are for polygons without special built-form properties.
Generic types are not included in the drawing toolbar.