How small can a dwelling be? A revision of Portuguese building regulations

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the minimum necessary net internal area of dwellings that should be established by Portuguese building regulations.Design/methodology/approachThe following tasks are carried out: selecting the furniture and equipment necessary for each dwelling; determining the size of furniture and equipment and its typical arrangement; conceiving models of functional spaces; determining the net area of functional spaces and dwellings; comparing results with statistics on housing construction in Portugal and with mandatory area standards used in Portugal and ten other European countries.FindingsThe paper finds that the net internal area presently set by Portuguese building regulations should be increased by 5 to 15 percent. The net internal area figure obtained by the study is similar to mandatory regulations established by some other European countries.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses on the net internal area of dwellings, although other space standards are also important to assuring the practicability of dwelling spaces; area standards were set on the basis of the current Portuguese situation and required adaptation when used in different social, cultural and economic contexts; area standards constitute a safety‐net against unacceptable dwellings rather than good practice guidelines.Practical implicationsThe results may be used to support a review of Portuguese building regulations and provide guidelines for the design of dwellings.Originality/valueA methodology to determine area standards is presented and applied. Up‐to‐date information on furniture size and arrangements is collected. The comparison enables an understanding of how the results compare in a European context.