Additional cases require the opinion of design council, postponed energy requirements

On 16 August 2022, a government decree was published amending certain construction, heritage protection, property management and government administration rules.

The amendments also affect the government decree on the design boards for town and country planning, architectural-engineering planning and specified additional cases where the National Architectural Design Council gives an opinion on architectural-technical documentation. Accordingly, from 17 August 2022, the National Architectural Design Council must give an opinion on the architectural-technical documentation for public building investments, for buildings with a total useful floor area of more than 5,000 sqm and for multi-apartment residential buildings of new construction with a total useful floor area of more than 1,500 sqm on a building plot and consisting of at least six dwellings. The building authority will reject the application for the building permit if the planned construction activity is intended to implement the above-mentioned investments and it was not recommended for approval by the central architectural-engineering design council in its technical opinion.

As a result of the amendments, the requirement of near-zero or better energy requirements will apply from 30 June 2024, i.e., the original deadline of 30 June 2022 has been extended by two more years in respect of all construction investments. Until the above date, the energy requirements for buildings in force on 31 December 2020 apply, however, the developer may opt to apply the nearly zero or more favourable energy requirements.