• Understanding Architectural Laws and Regulations
• Architectural Permits and Licensing
• Building Code Compliance for Architects
  1. Building Height
  2. Barrier-Free Design
  3. Fire Safety
• Legal Considerations in Architectural Design
• Conclusion

Love them or hate them, there?s?no way around them. Laws and legal requirements regarding building codes, permits, licensing and contractual obligations provide a system to ensure smooth operation and a safeguard against disputes in the future. Since the rules may vary from nation to nation and sometimes even within the localities of a?nation, it is impossible to dive into every law architects should be familiar with. Instead, let?s?take a?look at the legal aspects of architectural design you should be aware of so that you can refer to these topics concerning your context.?

Understanding Architectural Laws and Regulations

Architectural practice operates within a framework of laws and regulations that govern building design, construction, and safety. These laws are put in place to protect the clients, the public, the designer and the building. These laws not only ensure certain standards of comfort for the user, but laws like height restrictions make sure the building does not appear disruptive to the context it belongs to. 

There are a few key pillars of regulations that contain individual laws that you should be aware of. Looking at it this way makes it easier to keep track of what you have to be aware of legally, rather than learning every law individually. 

Architectural Permits and Licensing

Before you put yourself out there as an architect, make sure you?re qualified to do so. Depending on where you?re from, obtaining the title of ?architect? can take you anywhere from 5 to 8 years. While some allow you to use the title after architecture school, other nations require you to undergo training and attend exams, while some nations have no minimum requirements in the first place. Make sure you know your regional rules even though you may have a professional education.

Once you?re eligible to call yourself an architect, decide how you want to continue your practice. The registration process may vary depending on whether you choose to start your firm, a partnership or a private limited company. This is not a concern if you choose to work in a firm for a salary.

Building Code Compliance for Architects

Often the cause of design revisions, building codes have a huge role in the final design outcome. These regulations ensure that there?s sufficient space for circulation, ventilation, parking and other functions. Building code compliance is a good start to ensure quality user experience once the structure is built. 

Building Height

Start by determining the permissible height and number of floors. Depending on the building type and location, the maximum legal height of the building varies. The height of the building further affects other factors, like the number of lifts for instance. Here are a few other key concepts you must be familiar with:

FAR: The floor area ratio is the relationship between the total usable floor area of the building and the area of the plot. 

Floor Area Ration = Total Building Floor Area / Total Plot Area

For instance, a 1000 sqft building sitting on a 2000 sqft plot of land has a FAR of 1000/2000, which is 0.5. 

Carpet Area: This is the usable floor area of a building, excluding the walls. The carpet area is a better figure to determine the floor area you get in a building. Typically, the carpet area is around 70% of the building floor area.

Built-up area: The built-up area is the sum of the usable floor area and the wall area. It is the total area of the built structure and includes corridors and balconies too.

Coverage: The building coverage is the amount of land in a plot that can be covered by the building. 

Barrier-Free Design

Barrier-free circulation is of primary importance. When designing, keep in mind that not everyone may experience the benefits we take for granted. Refer to your local codes to understand the specifications of providing ramps and escalators. 

Fire Safety

For safety during fires, you may have to use doors and windows designed to contain the spread of fire. There should be a sufficient number of sprinklers to ensure necessary coverage. Building codes also dictate the width and frequency of fire exits and the maximum distance of a fire station from any point of the building. 

Legal Considerations in Architectural Design

Depending on where you?re from, the rules can vary considerably. However, the core of these rules remains the same. 

As a professional, you are responsible for providing quality service. This may include multiple revisions and timely submissions, the terms of which you must establish with the client before accepting payment or taking on the project. 

Make sure you and your client agree on the rights to the building design. You may want to use pictures or videos of the finished project, but if the client is not willing to let you do so, there will be disputes at the end. Establishing the rights of the architect over intellectual property and also specifying the right to document the building within a specified period of completion of construction can prevent friction at the end.

Conclusion

Though it may sound impossible to keep track of every single rule when you start, it is necessary to ensure legal compliance. Make sure you have seniors in the industry who can help you out with this. Spend time working at an established firm for a while so that you familiarise yourself with these rules. There?s way more that you should be aware of but which is beyond the scope of this article. 

Take the pointers you received here and learn how it applies to the context you?re designing in. As time passes, you won?t feel the need to cross-check these rules now and then.

Sources

• https://www.byoungdesign.com/post/becoming-an-architect
• https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/floor-area-ratio.asp#:~:text=What%20Is%20Floor%20Area%20Ratio,a%20dense%20or%20urban%20construction.
• https://www.adanirealty.com/blogs/what-is-carpet-area-build-up-area-super-build-up-area
• https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/building-coverage?cursor=Cl4SWGoVc35sYXdpbnNpZGVyY29udHJhY3RzcjoLEhpEZWZpbml0aW9uU25pcHBldEdyb3VwX3Y0NiIaYnVpbGRpbmctY292ZXJhZ2UjMDAwMDAwMGEMogECZW4YACAA