Spain 
Italy 
Greece 
Government Decree Launches “Rehabilitation as a Rule Project”
9 November 2017
The Government wants rehabilitation to be the main form of intervention in building and urban development, decreeing the implementation of the ” Rehabilitate as a Rule Project,” according to a resolution published today in the Diário da República.
In this context, the implementation of the “Rehabilitate as a Rule Project” aims at “preparing proposals to adapt the technical standards of construction to the requirements and specificities of building rehabilitation.”
According to the Council of Ministers’ resolution published today in the Diário da República, which comes into effect on Friday, “changing rehabilitation from being an exception to the rule implies coordinated intervention in several areas, namely in the regulatory regime covering construction, which for decades, has been oriented towards new builds.”
A new legal and regulatory framework
In the Portuguese government’s view, the rehabilitation of buildings should benefit from an up-to-date legal and regulatory framework suited to their specificities.
“This means reconciling legitimate expectations regarding compliance with the current standards of safety, habitability, comfort and simplification of the rehabilitation process, with the principles of environmental sustainability and protection of the country’s architectural heritage in the broadest sense”, the decree stated.
The project defines its objectives as an aim “to diagnose the current situation, identifying the constraints arising from the application of existing regulations to works in existing buildings; propose a national model for the bringing building technical standards up to date as regards to the rehabilitation of buildings, including guidelines for the review of specific regulations, and a corresponding implementation strategy; to prepare proposals for normative changes according to the model and guidelines referred to in the previous paragraph; and prepare a guidance document to complement any proposals.”
The “RcR Project” will be supported by the Environmental Fund, through an agreement to be concluded between it and entities of recognized technical competence, with attributions in the domains of construction and rehabilitation, including support to the network of focal points that are capable of expressing opinions on the results of the implementation of the project, as well as to transmit information, observations and suggestions.
The “RcR Project” network of focal points will be composed of the project’s coordinator, designated by the government minister responsible for housing, and representatives of the Regional Government of the Azores, the Regional Government of Madeira, the Institute of Housing and Urban Rehabilitation (IHRU), the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering (LNEC), the Institute of Public, Real Estate and Construction Markets (IMPIC), the National Institute for Rehabilitation (INR), Turismo de Portugal (TP), the Social Security Institute (ISS), the National Directorate-General (DGT), the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG), the Directorate General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC), the Directorate General for Local Authorities (DGAL) , the Directorate General for Social Security (DGSS), the Directorate General for Economic Activities (DGAE), the National Consumer Council (CNC), the Energy Agency (ADENE), the National Communications Authority (ANACOM), the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC), the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities (ANMP), the Order of Engineers (OE), the Order of Technical Engineers (OTS), the Order of Architects (OA) and the Portuguese Construction and Real Estate Confederation (CPCI).
“The execution of the ‘RcR Project’ must be completed within a year after the agreement has been signed with the Environmental Fund,” the resolution of the Council of Ministers, dated October 4 this year stated.
Original Story: Diário Imobiliário / Lusa
Translation: Richard Turner