Building Standards in Europe

[BroDeal]

Since we have a bunch of europeans who post here, I might as well ask something I have always wondered about. What are the building standards like in various european countries? There are so many towns that look so quaint and picturesque. Meanwhile in the U.S. people are allowed to knock up any eyesore they want.

 

[Bala Verde]

From the day I arrived here, I have been lamenting the poor housing and general architecture, city planning in the US.

Everyting I see here is cheap and quick. It seems like the Ford T-bird approach has never disappeared. I have seen office buildings being constructed in weeks, to months, while in many European countries this takes so much longer.

In the Netherlands, since there is so little space, there are lots of restrictions for building, and it's quite a proces to get all the permissions from your local gvmt to build what you want. In most cases, you are not allowed to build a home that does not 'fit/match' its surroundings ie other homes.

First of all, the building material for homes is mostly brick and stone, compared to wood here, which they sometimes try to cover with 'brick panels' in order to give it an authentic brick look. Masons, craftsmen, do all the work, not people who understand how to knock up a frame and nailgun some panels against it. No wonder every hurricane here destroys whole villages, as the homes are not stronger than an average shed! On top of that, now I also know why Americans use so much more elctricity per person comared to Europeans. The wooden homes don't insulate as well against cold and heath. This means ACs are necesarry as well as lots of heating in the winter.

The insides of houses here are made of dry wall, something people in the Netherlands would only use in case they rearrange the house, and divide up a room with an extra wall. You can't attach anything to such a wall, unless you are lucky to find a stud.

City planning or community building invariably starts with the construction of a parking lot! I went to the national harbour in MD, and the although the location and some of the buildings are actually nicely designed (ha with images of las Ramblas in Barcelona, where the architects drew their inspiration), but still, the first thing you hit is an ugly garage.

I must admit, car access in and to cities is much more developed, as compared to historical European cities/villages. That's perhaps because of the car friendly culture. Perhaps you are refering to some of the images you see from Italy, and obviously those quaint villages have been there forever, and grew organically built around churches, initially driven by agricultural demands. If you want to move in there, some of these places are really degenerated as well, and need some interior redoing... The outside, stone walls, are usually still very usable.

I have always said that in 1000 years from now, archeologists will still find the adobe houses from Indians in NM, but no traces from the vanished US civilization. Why do you think the colloseum is still visible and accessible... It was built to last!

 

[R.0.t.O]

Very varied. In my experience in the UK they are overly conservative in most areas (and often in a very arbitrary way). It's difficult to get unusual or interesting buildings built here, outside central London anyway - you can get any monstrosity built that you want as long as its in a mock-Georgian style. But at the same time supermarkets and the like can wave money around and build the most insensitive barns wherever they feel like.

If you're thinking of the Giro, certainly in some regions of Italy there are many obstacles to overcome before you even apply for planning. Some regions only accept applications at particular times and with very strict conditions. But then a lot of the Veneto for instance is basically an industrial wasteland.

 

[rolfrae]

Since we have a bunch of europeans who post here, I might as well ask something I have always wondered about. What are the building standards like in various european countries? There are so many towns that look so quaint and picturesque. Meanwhile in the U.S. people are allowed to knock up any eyesore they want.

In Edinburgh, even though we are a World Heritage Site, developers could pretty much put up any old monstrosity, and knock down any old architectural gem - it all depended on having enough money to "sway" the City Council's planning department. I say it all in past tense as now there's no money to build anything, so the city is safe for a bit!

P.S. What's the prize for the poster who somehow twists this into a doping thread?

 

[Bala Verde]

In Edinburgh, even though we are a World Heritage Site, developers could pretty much put up any old monstrosity, and knock down any old architectural gem - it all depended on having enough money to "sway" the City Council's planning department. I say it all in past tense as now there's no money to build anything, so the city is safe for a bit!

P.S. What's the prize for the poster who somehow twists this into a doping thread?

So you think US constructors use EPO to speed up the building proces? Or perhaps architects use cocaine for inspiration and to liberate the mind?

 

[rolfrae]

So you think US constructors use EPO to speed up the building proces? Or perhaps architects use cocaine for inspiration and to liberate the mind?

I think they need to use a few more drugs, preferably hallucinogenics.