CEBC Building Systems in Europe 2006

8/8/2019 CEBC Building Systems in Europe 2006

1/19C o ns o r t i um o f E u r op e an Bu i l d i n g C o nt r o l

BCRBuilding Control ReportJune 2006

Issue 2

Building Control Systems in Europe


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Consortium of European Building Control

The Consortium of European Building Control (CEBC) is a pan-European body thatrepresents the profession of Building Control across Europe.

Its membership encompasses government departments, professional bodies andInstitutions, and private companies.

The Consortium meets as a body twice a year at locations around Europe. A theme ischosen for each meeting depending on the country to be visited. A typical meeting mayinclude a technical site visit and papers given linked to a particular theme.

At recent meetings, members have debated the following topics:-

N Philosophy of ControlN Fire Safety EngineeringN European Directive of the Energy Performance of BuildingsN Innovations in Timber Framed Building ConstructionN Access to buildings legislation across EuropeN Reconstruction, renovation and quality of buildingsN CE Marking and market surveillance

Each meeting also allows members to debate issues developing in their respectivecountries and to be able to share information and experiences. This has been particularlyimportant on subjects such as defects in construction products and durability.

Author of report R Mikulits AustriaEmail [email protected]

Published by

The Consortium of European Building Control53 Goodwood CloseIPSWICH

IP1 6SYUnited Kingdom

Tel: 0044 1473 748182Fax: 0044 1473 741881Email: [email protected]

This document is also available on the Consortiums web site at www.cebc.co.uk

ISBN 1842192248

C o n s or t i u m o f E u r o p ea n B u i l di n g C o n tr o l

Building Control Systems in Europe Building Control Report 1

Contents:

Executive Summary ................................................................................................ 2Background ............................................................................................................ 2Purpose .................................................................................................................. 2Methodology .......................................................................................................... 2Findings .................................................................................................................. 3

Planning and Zoning .............................................................................................. 3Control of Technical Requirements .................................................................... 3Control Activities during the Construction Phase................................................ 4Completion of the Building .................................................................................. 4Maintenance and Use ........................................................................................ 4

Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 4Annex A .................................................................................................................. 6Annex B .................................................................................................................. 8



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European countries. European countries mean in this context members of the EuropeanEconomic Area as well as candidate countries or countries which are about to becomecandidates.

In order to gather the necessary information from members in a coherent and comparablestructure, a template was designed by a small core group of CEBC. In presentations atthe occasion of regular CEBC meetings, the meaning of the questions and the expectedstyle of answers were explained. The detailed results of this enquiry are shown in annex Bto this study.

In analysing the completed templates the aim was to find common patterns and to distilleading systems of building control in Europe. In order to achieve this, a comprehensivetable was drafted, summarising the principal elements of building control in the respondingcountries. This table is shown in annex A.

Finally, the content of the templates and the overview in the comprehensive table werematched with the results of the discussions during CEBC meetings and in interviews. This

allowed to give an interpretation and to draw some conclusions about trends.

FFiinnddiinnggss

The basis of the analysis are responses from 21 countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia,Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland,Latvia, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and theUnited Kingdom). With regard to the United Kingdom the responses referred to the legalsystem in England and Wales. For Austria, Germany and partly also Belgium the federalstructure of these countries required to ref er to a "common denominator", since it was notpossible to give details for all provinces (Laender) or regions in these countries. Thedescription of the findings follows the structure of the template.

Planning and Zoning

The control whether a building project is in accordance with local development plans,especially with regard to the height of the building, to distances to the plot boundaries andto other buildings, and to the use of the building, is partly performed by the buildingauthorities, partly by special planning departments (which are, however, often also part ofthe local governments). This control activity is normally performed by authorities, not byindependent private persons or private building control organisations and the conclusionhere is that economic, political and social decisions remain the responsibility of the localor regional authorities.

Control of Technical Requirements

In the approval of the general plans and issuing of building permits, the buildingauthorities are still involved with three exceptions: In Ireland this is the duty of anotherauthority, in the UK this may be done by private building control institutions, and in Franceonly private controllers intervene (and only for public buildings this is compulsory, howeverfor other buildings it might be necessary for insurance purposes). In those countries where


Building Control ReportBuilding Control Systems in Europe2

EExxeeccuuttiivvee SSuummmmaarryy

The purpose of the study is to provide information about building control systems inEurope. This information may be required by architects, developers and contractors, nolonger working in national markets, but in the common market for services and forconstruction products, in which cross border activities will increase.

The study shows that building control in responding countries is less different thanexpected. While building control originally used to be only performed by authorities,private control elements can today be found in nearly all the responding countries, at leastby means of delegation of tasks to independent private experts. In some countries thereare also full private building control systems which are often related to insurance systems.

The development of the common market for services and products in the constructionsector in Europe will further increase the importance of private building control which can,different to authorities, extend its activities across national borders.

BBaacckkggrroouunndd

In the last two decades the building control systems in Europe have undergone significantchanges. Originally for most of the countries it was the duty of the building authority toissue building permits, to perform inspections on site, to issue completion certificates andby this to ensure the fulfilment of the building regulations. These government run buildingcontrol systems have been increasingly liberalised, but in different ways. Therequirements of the building regulations remained, while the control was partly reduced.This will lead or has already led to the demand for complementary voluntary systems forbuilding control.

Moreover, the common market for services and for construction products will certainlyincrease cross border activities in the construction business, which is still nationallydominated. Actors like architects, developers and contractors will increasingly strugglewith not only different building regulations, but also different building control traditions inEuropean countries.

PPuurrppoossee

Considering these developments, information on the building control schemes in

European countries will be required. To provide such information is the purpose of thisstudy about building control systems in Europe.

MMeetthhooddoollooggyy

The study is the result of discussions and workshops within the Consortium of EuropeanBuilding Control (CEBC) composing representatives of governmental and private buildingcontrol organisations as well as of bodies which are responsible for building regulations in


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insurance systems. One can conclude that there is a general trend of "privatisation" ofbuilding control activities, but there are two different ways how this trend manifests itself:

S Either by the means of delegation of tasks from the authorities to independentprivate persons, but within the proceedings led by the authority (Type A),

S or by the involvement of private control organisations or private approvedinspectors (Type B).

Private control organisations had originally been established as independent third partiesin the construction process on a voluntary basis, and diversified only later into theregulatory building control schemes. Private building control has in addition always had itsimportance for real estate investments of large international companies. Where suchprivate systems became strong enough by their technical skills and the financialguarantees they permit, a parallel development led to the above explained Type B,whereas in countries, where the state run building control systems were considered strongenough to ensure a proper quality of buildings, the TypeA development can be observed.It can be expected, that further liberalisation within the " Type A countries" may lead toproblems with the quality of buildings in the middle or long run. The need forcomplementary quality control in the construction (real estate) sector could trigger thedevelopment of private control institutions also in these countries.

Moreover, private building control could also be boosted by the development of thecommon market for services and products in the construction sector in Europe, becauseonly private building control can extend its activities across national borders.

An additional factor, which may influence building control in Europe, is market surveillancefor CE-marked construction products to be referred to building authorities. This trend canfor example be observed in Germany, but other Member States might follow.



the building authority approves the plans and technical details, the actual checking issometimes partly transferred to independent private experts (Austria, Croatia, Germany,Iceland, Norway and Slovenia).

Control Activities during the Construction Phase

In most of the countries the commencement of the construction has to be announced tothe authority, often a notice has also to be given to the authority at further critical stages ofthe construction process, depending on the complexity of the project. Inspections on siteare intended in most of the countries, but there are differences with regard to thefrequency of inspections and to the organisation of such inspections.

In those countries, where inspections by the building control officers of the buildingauthorities are provided for, such inspections are performed only when it appears to benecessary because of the size or complexity of the building project. In ten countries theinspections are partly delegated to private persons or even to the owner or the contractor(Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Iceland, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, Spainand Sweden).

In Denmark there are approved independent inspectors, and in the UK inspections mayalternatively be performed by private building control institutions. In France only privatecontrollers intervene. In Belgium site inspections are legally to be performed by thearchitect, but in practice this is not always the case.

Completion of the Building

Interestingly, in many countries completion certificates are still being issued. Only in eightcountries a declaration by the owner, builder or architect is sufficient at least for certaintypes of buildings (Austria, Croatia, Germany, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia, Spain andSweden). In France a completion certificate is issued by the private controller, which iscompulsory for public buildings but also required for insurance purposes.

Maintenance and Use

With regard to maintenance and use the requirements in the countries which respondedare roughly the same. The owner is responsible for maintaining the building in a propercondition with regard to the fulfilment of the technical requirements of the buildingregulations and the authorities can issue orders to repair the building or for evacuation or

demolition.

CCoonncclluussiioonnss

The organisation of building control in the responding countries is less different thanexpected. Private control elements can be found in nearly all the countries, at least bymeans of delegation of tasks to independent private experts. Proper private buildingcontrol systems are established only in eight countries (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia,France, Iceland, Ireland, Spain and The United Kingdom) and are often related to


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AAnnnneexxAA

--ccoonnttiinnuueedd

Austria

Belgium

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Iceland

Ireland

Latvia

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Slovenia

Slovakia

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

No

te:

3

3

2

1&

Cons

truc

tionp

hase

Announcemen

tstoau

thori

ty

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Inspec

tions

by

bu

ildingau

thori

ty

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Inspec

tions

byo

therau

thori

ty

X

4

Inspec

tions

bypriva

te,

indepen

den

texp

ert

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

No

inspec

tions

X

Comp

letion

Dec

lara

tion

byowner,

bu

ilderorarc

hitec

t

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Comp

letioncert

ifica

tebyau

thori

ty

X

4

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Comp

letioncert

ifica

tebypriva

te,

indepe

nden

texpert

X

Priva

tebu

ildingcon

tro

lsc

hemes

Comp

lemen

tarypriva

tebu

ildingcon

trol

ava

ila

ble

X

X

X

Comp

lemen

tary

priva

te

bu

ilding

con

tro

l

part

ly

compu

lsory

X

X

X

X

Priva

tebu

ildingcon

tro

laccep

tedtorep

lacecon

tro

lby

au

thori

ty

X

Note:

1

InScotlandtherearenoprivatea

pprovedinspectors.Permissiontobuild(buildingwarrant)mustbeobtainedbeforework

starts,andthereislesssiteinspection.Completioncertificates

areissuedbythedeveloperorow

ner,andcontrolisbyacceptingorrefusalofthiscertificate.

2

ThebuildingcontrolsysteminNo

rthernIrelandwhilstsimilartothatwhichappliesinEnglandandWaleshastwomaindifferences.PlanninginNorthernIrelandisacentralgovernment

functionwithnodirectlinkagewithbuildingcontrol.AlsothereisnosystemofapprovedinspectorscurrentlyoperatinginN

orthernIreland.

3

Duetothefederalstructurethere

mightbeslightdifferencesbetweentheprovinces

.

4

Onlyinspecialcases

.



AAnnnneexxAA

Austria

Belgium

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Iceland

Ireland

Latvia

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Slovenia

Slovakia

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

Note:

3

3

1&2

ZoningandPlanning

Planning

approvalbybuilding

authority

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Planningapprovalbyotherauthority

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

No

planningapproval

BuildingProject

Approvalofplansbybuilding

authority

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Approvalofplansbyotherauthority

X

Approvalofplansbyprivate,

independe

ntexpert

X

X

X

X

X

X

No

approvalofplans

X

Note:

1.

InScotlandtherearenoprivatea

pprovedinspectors.Permissiontobuild(buildingwarrant)mustbeobtainedbeforework

starts,andthereislesssiteinspection.Completioncertificates

areissuedbythedeveloperorow

ner,andcontrolisbyacceptingorrefusalofthiscertificate.

2.

ThebuildingcontrolsysteminNo

rthernIrelandwhilstsimilartothatwhichappliesinEnglandandWaleshastwomaindifferences.PlanninginNorthernIrelandisacentralgovernment

functionwithnodirectlinkagewithbuildingcontrol.AlsothereisnosystemofapprovedinspectorscurrentlyoperatinginN

orthernIreland.

3.

Duetothefederalstructurethere

mightbeslightdifferencesbetweentheprovinces.

4.

Onlyinspecialcases.


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CCEEBBCCTTeemmppllaatteeffoorrtthheebbuuiillddiinnggccoonnttrroollssyysstteemmssAAUUSSTTRRIIAA

Inputdocuments

Controlactions

Responsibility

ofcontrol

Remarks

Application/

Planning

Togetherwithapplicationfor

buildingproject,seebelow

Accordancewithlocaldevelopment

plan

Buildingauthority,whichisgenerallythe

localauthority.O

nlyinthefollowingtwo

casesitisthedistrictauthority:

Forbuildin

gsofthefederalgovernment

Insmallmunicipalitieswhichhave

transferredth

istasktothedistrict

authority

Slightdifferencesa

provinces(Laender

Application/

Building

project

Copyoflandregisterand

proofsofpropertyrights

Plansanddescriptionofthe

project

Technicalreportsw

here

necessary

Forcertainprojectsforwhich

asimplifiedprocedureapplies:

Declarationofconformitywith

buildingregulations

Accordanceoftheprojectwith

buildingregulations

Buildingau

thority

Forcertain

projectsforwhicha

simplifiedpro

cedureapplies:Architector

independent

expert

Slightdifferences

amongst

provinces

(Laender)

Construction

phase

Noticeofcommencement

andofotherstageso

fthe

constructionactivities

Possiblyreportsfro

m

chimneysweeperandother

experts

Inspectionsonsite

Buildingauthority,independentprivate

expertorbuildin

gcontractor,dependingon

projectandonp

rovince(Land)

Slightdifferences

amongst

provinces

(Laender)

Completion

Noticeofcompletio

n

Declarationofconformitywith

buildingpermitandb

uilding

regulations

Checkingofdocumentation

Inspectionsonsite

Completioncertificate

Dependingonprojectandon

province(Land)

Buildingauthority,independentprivate

expertorbuildin

gcontractor,dependingon

projectandonp

rovince(Land)

Slightdifferences

amongst

provinces

(Laender)

Use

Maintenanceofthebuilding

Repairorder,evacuationorder,

demolitionorder

Owner

Buildingauthority

Note:

Duetothefederalstructuretheremightbeslightdifferencesbetweentheprovinces



AAnnnneexxBB

Countrytables


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Inputdocuments

Controlactions

Responsibilityofcontrol

Remarks

ConclusionsofFireauthority

,Healthauthority

,

Workplaceauthority(re

adyforuse)

Positivestatementofcustomeraboutbuilding

(readyforuse)

Workplaceauthority

Use

TheLatviaBuilding

Standardsettheprocedure

ofastructureapprovalfor

use

Constructionwork

guaranteeatleast2years

Theconstructionboardof

localgovernment

TheStateBuilding

Inspectorate

Fireauthority

Health

authority

Workplaceauthority



Inputdocuments

Controlactions

Responsibilityofcontrol

Remarks

8.

theconsentonprinc

iplebytherespective

institutionsondemolitiontheexistingbuildings

anddismantlingthese

rvicelinesandoncutting

treesandbusheswhereappropriate;

9.

thetechnicalprovisionsissuedbytheFireand

RescueEmergencySe

rviceoftheMinistryof

InternalAffairs;

10.othersmaterialsre

quiredfordesigning,

ifso

stipulatedbyconstruct

ionprovisions,

thedetailed

plan,

thetermsofrefer

enceconcerningplanning

andarchitectureorspe

cialisedbuilding

provisions;

11.planningandarchitectureprovisions;

12.specializedbuilding

provisions.

DESIGNING

Controlqualification

(contractor,supervisor)

Buildingpermission

(buildingpermitfora

specialisedbuildingshallbe

issuedbytheministry

supervisingthespecialised

construction,

therespective

ministrymaydelegatethe

saidrightstothe

constructionboard)


localgo

vernment


localgo

vernment

Construction

phase

Customer(client)andc

ontractoragreement

Contractorandsubcontractorsagreements

Customerprovidethec

ontractorwithall

documentsrequired(e.g.,acceptedbuilding

project)andreceivepe

rmitsandlicensesrelevant

totheconstructionwork.

Constructionregister

Registerforspecialwork

Registerofauthorshipsupervision

Performingcontrol:

1.notesofstateandlocal

governmentauthorityin

registers;

2.checkingacts.

Constructionsurveillanceby

supervisors

Inspectorsofthe

constru

ctionboardoflocal

government

TheStateBuilding

Inspectorate

Completion

Constructionplan

Buildingpermit

Constructionregister

Registerforspecialwork

Registerofauthorshipsupervision

Declarationsandcertifi

catesofbuildingmaterials

Testofbuildingmateria

lsreports

Acceptancecertificates

ofthefinishedelements

ofmajorconstructionsandnon-accessiblework

Checking

Documentscompletion


localgo

vernment

TheStateBuilding

Inspectorate

Region

alenvironmental

board

Fireau

thority

Health

authority

CEBC

-Templateforthebuildingco

ntrolsystems

LATVIA

(cont)

CEBC

-Templateforthebuildingco

ntrolsystems

LATVIA

(cont)


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ISBN 1842192248