Ordinance No. 304/2019 Architecture

3D model of rehabilitated building | Neves & Ferrão - Rehabilitation

Last September, the 12th, Ordinance no. 304/2019 was published. It defines the functional requirements of housing and construction applicable to rehabilitation operations in buildings or fractions within the building, with a building permit issued until 1 January 1977, where these are intended to be wholly or predominantly allocated to housing use. Passing the Regulamento Geral das Edificações Urbanas - RGEU (General Regulation of Urban Buildings, approved by Decree No. 38 382, of August the 7th, 1951, to be applicable subsidiarily to the requirements of this Ordinance.

This ordinance presents the definition of new concepts such as works of small spatial reorganization, works of large spatial reorganization, expansion works, reconstruction works, complete sanitary installation and complementary sanitary installation.

Depending on the type of intervention, the rules of this decree apply differently, as described in Article 3 of the same decree. In short, for works of minor spatial reorganization, the rules apply only to the spaces, installations and building elements that are the subject of intervention, for those of major spatial reorganization apply to all housing under intervention. For extension works, the extended part shall be governed by the RGEU and the pre-existing part shall apply the rules for works of small or large spatial reorganization as applicable. For reconstruction works, the reconstructed part must follow the RGEU. However, if the reconstruction is not for the entire building, the standards to be met are the same for works of small or large spatial reorganization as applicable, as well as for the pre-existing part of the building.

In enlarged or rebuilt parts "where there are strong constraints determined by the need for consistency with the existing building, the provisions of the present decree apply for works of major spatial reorganization, and the designer should base this on the descriptive memory of the project under Decree-Law 95/2019 of 18 July, which establishes the regime applicable to the rehabilitation of existing buildings or fractions. "

Sections II, III and IV provide rules for the interiors of dwellings, common spaces of buildings and joint buildings respectively.

According to Vanessa Nogueira, head of the Neves & Ferrão Architecture and Specialty Projects department, "the new rules regulate some of the existing failures in rehabilitation, however, to be able to function effectively, official structures will need to be adapted to respond to the volume of new processes coming in from the 15th of November."

Make sure to consult the new ordinance, which will take effect on the 15th of November.