WHAT IS THE TECHNICAL BUILDING CODE (CTE)?
The Technical Building Code (CTE), approved March 17, 2006 by The Council of Ministers , and enforceable as of March 29, 2007 for projects for which planning permission is sought.
It is the policy framework that establishes the requirements to be met by buildings in relation to the basic requirements of safety and habitability established by the Law on Construction Planning (LOE), which is designed to regulate the essential aspects of the building process establishing the duties and responsibilities of the actors involved in this process as well as the guarantees necessary for the proper development of the same, in order to ensure the quality by meeting the basic requirements.
With this new code is to overcome the current technical building regulations 1977 Spanish legislation to harmonize with the EU.
Structure and content:
The Technical Building Code is divided into two parts. In the first all the requirements detailed safety and habitability that are mandatory when constructing a building, according to the Law of Construction Planning.
The first part is further subdivided into several sections each relating to different areas to be regulated. In the field of security we find the provisions dealing with the structural safety, safety in case of fire and safety in use. Meanwhile, in the area of occupancy are including requirements related to safety, protection against noise and energy saving .
The second consists of the Basic Documents (DB), which are technical texts that deal with land transfer to practical requirements detailed in the first part of the CTE. Each of the documents includes limits and quantification of the basic requirements and a list of procedures allowing comply.
Basic Documents are:
DB SE: Structural Safety
It is composed in turn of five documents:
DB SE- AE Shares in building
DB SE- AE Shares in construction (April 2009)
DB SE -A: Steel structures
DB SE -A Steel structures (January 2008)
SE- DB F: Factory Structures
DB SE- F factory Structures (April 2009)
SE- M DB: Timber structures
SE- M DB Wood Structures (April 2009)
DB SE- C: Foundations
Foundations DB SE- C (January 2008)
DB SI: Safety in case of fire
DB SI Safety in case of fire (February 2010)
SUA DB: Safety of use and accessibility
DB Security SUA use and accessibility (February 2010)
DB HS: Health
DB HS Health (September 2009)
HE DB: Energy Saving
HE DB Power Saver (September 2013)
HR DB: Protection against noise
HR DB Noise Protection (September 2009)
The legislation is complemented by recognized documents, texts that are technical in nature and no regulatory power. These documents include the approval of the Ministry of Housing, which sets periodically updated thereof called General Registration CTE list.
They can be recognized technical guidelines or codes of good practice on procedures design, calculation, implementation, servicing and maintenance of products, building elements and systems documents. They can also be part of this group assessment methods and construction solutions , including software, on the building. Finally, they could also include reviews of the implementation of the CTE and other documents.
Development and maintenance:
The Ministry of Housing, through the Department of Architecture and Housing Policy is the body charged by the Government for the development and maintenance of CTE.
The CTE will be regularly updated according to the evolution of technology and the demands of society, for which the Council is created for Sustainability, Innovation and Building Quality (CSICE) as part of the Ministry of Housing collegial body, the corresponding contribution to achieving the objectives of quality of buildings chasing LOE, and measures to promote sustainable development in the building through the promotion and coordination of the criteria and actions of the government in promoting and improving sustainability, innovation and quality of the building, in close cooperation with industry players.
This is assisted by the CSICE CTE Commission is a collegiate body assisting and advising the Board on all matters related to the implementation, updating and development of CTE, in addition also has the participation of several research centers and universities and the collaboration of independent experts.
For more information or to download the various regulations, please consult the website of the Ministry of Development.