Tuesday 5 June 2012

Video 01: Spanish Architect Fees for Building Projects in Spain

Spanish Architect Fees for Building Projects in Spain

Architect Daniel Trujillano
Architectural Designs for Building Projects in Spain

Monday 4 June 2012

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

Construction Cost Analysis and Estimating by Phillip F. Ostwald (2000-06-04)
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.
Architectural Design

Friday 1 June 2012

The Fees on Construction Projects in Spain (I)

Professional Fees of Spanish Architects in Building Projects (I)

Urban Conditions and Calculation of Fees

In Spain, we consider “building works”:
  • the new construction, unless it has great constructive and technical simplicity, with no residential or public character, and developed on one level
  • the extension, modification, reform or rehabilitation that alter the architectural characteristics
  • the total intervention works in catalogued buildings, that have some kind of environmental, artistic or historical protection
  • the partial intervention works affecting elements or parts to be protected.

Urban Conditions

Typically, applicable urban planning will impose conditions on how the building project can be materialized on each specific site. Between such conditions, the developer will find the maximum height of the building, the allowed building uses and the maximum buildable area. All this information is necessary for the architect to properly estimate the construction cost of the project. It becomes then necessary that the developer is notified in advance of the planning conditions that apply to his particular project, for which there are two main options:
  • asking the City Council a “Cédula urbanística” (Urban Report) about his land
  • instructing an architect a Study on applicable urban conditions.

The Calculation Method

Before the “Ley de Medidas Liberalizadoras en Materia de Suelo y de Colegios Profesionales” (Law of Liberalization Measures on Land and Professional Associations), the fee scales provided a method for Spanish Architects calculating professional fees corresponding to building projects, which consisted of a first estimate of the probable construction cost and then applying a percentage or fraction weighted by the project's built area and the assignment's complexity. Today, this referred calculation method is no longer mandatory, but it's still understood as reasonable that architect's professional fees are calculated as a weighted fraction of the construction cost.
Architectural Design