Test Massing

Take two or more massing options, run the arithmetic on each, and put the results side by side. This is the design-side companion to /test-far: that command establishes the legal limit from the zoning source, this one tells you what each scheme adds up to so you can hold them against that limit, or against the brief.

Scope and limits, read first

What this does. For each option: gross floor area from plate area and floor count, overall height from floor count and floor-to-floor, net area if the user supplies a net-to-gross factor, and the deltas between options and against any target the user names.

What this does not do.

• It does not know any typical values. No default floor-to-floor height, no typical efficiency factor, no standard parapet. Every number comes from the user. A recalled "13'-6" is typical for office" is exactly the value this command must never supply.
• It does not judge legality. FAR, height limits, coverage, and setbacks are zoning questions with a jurisdiction behind them. Run /test-far for those; paste its limit here as a target if you want the comparison.
• It does not do sky exposure planes, setback geometry above a base, or any shaping rule. Those need the zoning text, not arithmetic.
• It does not check the program fit inside the massing. space-program builds the area requirement; this command tells you whether an option's GFA reaches it, not whether the rooms work.
• It does not count parking (/test-parking), estimate cost (/lookup-cost), or size structure.

Input you need

Ask for anything missing; never fill a value in. Per option:

1. A name or label, so the table reads (Option A, "the bar scheme").
2. Floor plate area, in the user's units. A stepped massing is fine: take plate area and floor count per segment and sum the segments.
3. Floor count, per segment if stepped.
4. Floor-to-floor height, per segment if it varies. If the user wants height above grade including a parapet or mechanical penthouse, they state that dimension too.

Optional, and applied only if given:

• Net-to-gross factor, from the user's own benchmark or brief. Without it, the net column reads n/a, not an assumed percentage.
• Targets: required GFA (from the brief or space-program), maximum GFA or height (from the user's zoning check), site area for a coverage or FAR figure.

Report in the units the user gave. Do not convert between imperial and metric, and do not round inputs to neater figures.

Output

Show the arithmetic for each option first, one block per option:

Option A
  GFA      = 12,000 sf x 6 floors            = 72,000 sf
  height   = 6 x 13.5 ft                     = 81.0 ft
  net      = 72,000 sf x 0.82 (user's factor) = 59,040 sf

Then the comparison table:

Option	GFA	Height	Floors	Net (if factor given)	vs target

• The vs target column shows the surplus or shortfall against each target the user supplied, with the target's stated source ("zoning max per your /test-far run", "brief requirement").
• If site area was given, add FAR and coverage as computed figures, labelled as arithmetic on the user's numbers, not as zoning findings.
• Close with one line per option naming what governs it: which target it misses or clears by the smallest margin.

Rules

• Never supply a floor-to-floor height, an efficiency factor, or any other design value. The whole command is arithmetic on the user's numbers.
• Stop and ask on a missing input rather than proceeding with a placeholder or a "typical" figure.
• A computed FAR is a number, not a compliance result. Say so whenever one appears, and point to /test-far for the legal check.
• Show the arithmetic before the table. A totals table nobody can trace is not checkable.
• Keep every option in the user's own units and precision.

Anti-patterns

• Filling in a floor-to-floor because the use is obvious ("office, so 13'-6""). That is a recalled value shaping a massing decision.
• Applying an efficiency factor the user never gave, or presenting 80-85% as a normal range.
• Declaring an option "compliant" because its computed FAR sits under a number the user mentioned in passing. Compliance needs the zoning text and belongs to /test-far.
• Converting the user's metric plate areas to imperial to match the table headings, or the reverse.
• Recommending an option. The command reports what each adds up to; the choice is design judgment and stays with the user.