What is a public building? Definition
The term "public building" refers to facilities that meet common social needs and are potentially accessible to everyone. The distinguishing features of this concept are easement and general availability. Its definition is contained in the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of April 12, 2002 on the technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location. Section 1, § 3, point 6 of the Regulation indicates that a public utility building is:
"[...] a building intended for the needs of public administration, justice, culture, religious worship, education, higher education, science, upbringing, health, social or welfare care, banking, trade, catering, services, including postal or telecommunications services , tourism, sports, passenger service in rail, road, air, sea or inland waterway transport, and any other building intended to perform similar functions; an office or social building is also considered a public utility building .
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Is an office building a public utility building and what does that mean?
According to the definition given above, an office building can most definitely be considered a public utility building. Freedom to choose a place of work is a universal value guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. It is therefore not surprising that office premises should be treated as potentially available to everyone.
This means that they must meet the requirements for public buildings. Provisions in this regard can be found in various legal acts (including the above-mentioned Regulation, the Construction Law and the Spatial Planning and Development Act, and the EU Directive on the energy efficiency of buildings and the Building Directive).
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Types of requirements that a public office building must meet
Like other public buildings, office buildings must meet many requirements in areas such as:
· Fire safety . The requirements include, among others: installation of fire protection systems or materials with an appropriate reaction to fire class.
· Structural safety . Especially in terms of movement, deformations and stresses of structure elements, for example under the influence of snow on the roof.
· Energy saving . Including an energy certificate that specifies the energy class of the facility and requirements for thermal insulation, heating, ventilation and lighting systems;
· Accessibility for people with disabilities . Includes, among others: providing adapted driveways, ramps, lifts and toilets.
· Other solutions that influence people's comfort . These include, for example, the minimum height of rooms, the appropriate number of toilets, and the air temperature.
· Compliance with the spatial development plan .
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