Công văn 1245/BXD-KHCN

To: People’s Committees of central-affiliated cities and provinces

Recently, the Ministry of Construction has received opinions from various administrative divisions and companies requesting guidelines for criteria for architectural planning criteria applied to high-rise apartment buildings. The Ministry of Construction hereby provides some guidelines:

1. Regarding the implementation of TVXDVN 323:2004:

For the purpose of reviewing and converting Construction Standards into National Standards in accordance with the Law on Technical regulations and standards dated February 25, 2013 of the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Construction has promulgated Decision No. 212/QĐ-BXD on annulment of 169 Construction Standards. “TCXDVN 323:2004 - High-rise apartment buildings - Design standards” has some regulations that are not suitable for its regulated subjects (according to the Law on Technical regulations and standards), thus has been annulled. The application of TCXDVN 323:2004 to calculation of housing criteria is no longer applicable. Recently, the Ministry of Construction has formulated and is going to promulgate National Technical Regulation on apartment buildings, which provides for obligatory technical requirements for new or renovated apartment buildings, the part for apartments within multi-purpose buildings.

2. Regarding architectural and planning criteria:

a) Parking spaces (for cars, motorbikes, bicycles) of apartment buildings shall be calculated as follows:

- Commercial housing: at least 20 m² of parking space must be provided for every 100 m² of usable apartment area (including internal paths of the parking lot);

- Social housing: at least 12 m² of parking space must be provided for every 100 m² of usable apartment area (including internal paths of the parking lot);

Requirements of QCVN 08:2009/BXD shall apply to parking lots located in the basement or semi-basement of the apartment building.

b) Regarding determination of number of populations of apartment buildings in urban areas and urban areas under development:

Pursuant to the National strategy for housing development by 2020 and orientation towards 2030, which is approved by the Prime Minister in the Decision No. 2127/QĐ-TTg dated November 30, 2011, during the effective period of the Circular No. 02/2013/TT-BXD dated March 08, 2013 on guidelines for adjustment to the proportion of apartments in commercial housing projects, projects of investment in urban area development and conversion of commercial housing into social housing or service constructions", the Ministry of Construction hereby provides some guidelines:

- When adjusting the proportion of apartments of a commercial housing project or a project for conversion of commercial housing into social housing without changing the total floor area of housing under the planning approved by a competent authority, it is not required to review the population criterion and detailed planning on the scale of 1:500 or the overall floor plan of the project;

- If the adjustment to proportion of apartments of a commercial housing project and a project for conversion of commercial housing into social housing leads to a change in the total floor area of housing under the planning approved by a competent authority, the detailed planning on the scale of 1:500 or the overall floor plan of the projects must be adjusted. The expected population density of housing projects is 25 m² of usable floor area per person. After adjustment, if the population density does not exceed 1.5 times the old figure approved by a competent authority, the social and technical infrastructure indicators shall not be adjusted.

- 25 m² of floor plan per person shall apply to new housing development projects (commercial housing and social housing);

- Investors shall decide the proportion of apartments to satisfy demands of the local market.

Local governments shall send enquiries about the difficulties that arise during the implementation of this Dispatch to the Ministry of Finance./.