The Fees on Construction Projects in Spain (II)

Professional Fees of Spanish Architects in Building Projects (II)

Type of Work, Construction Cost and Fee Proposal

For a proper calculation of the professional fees corresponding to a building project, an architect needs to know the type of work and all data necessary to estimate a probable construction cost.

Types of Building Work

Among the building projects, there are four main types:

• new construction, which involves the absence of previous buildings on site, or the complete demolition of any existing building before proceeding with the planned works
• extension, which implies that there is already a building and that the project implies expanding its built area
• reform, which implies that there is already a building, currently valid for its characteristic use, and that the project does not alter such characteristic use
• rehabilitation, which implies that there is already a building and that such building is not valid for its use, either because of its state of disrepair or because the projected use is different than the one for which the building was originally designed.

Construction Cost

The calculation of the fees for a building project typically goes through the previous estimate of a construction cost. A proper calculation of the construction cost shall require that the architect receives at least the following information:

• project location: municipality and sector within the municipality
• building height, in number of storeys
• list of building uses
• built area for each of the building uses
• pursued building qualities.

Fee Proposal for Building Projects

The calculation of the fees for a building project is complex enough to make it not feasible for architects to offer predetermined rates. They can't also offer their clients a calculation method that can be implemented without specialized knowledge. Therefore, normally, Spanish Architects will fulfil their legal obligation to report the amount of their fees for a building project by providing, upon request, a sufficiently detailed Fee Proposal.

Daniel Trujillano, Architect
http://www.arquitectotrujillano.com/home.html
Architecture Services for Building Projects in Spain