Building Inspection: Over 30 Years of Ensuring Safety and Compliance with Building Regulations and Standards

The useful life of a building exceeds 50 years of use. This period typically leads to deterioration in its condition due to factors such as environmental conditions and modifications made over time.

Building owners, including those of land and other constructions, have the responsibility to maintain their properties in at least the minimum conditions of safety, health, and accessibility. This includes carrying out necessary works and projects to preserve the building and ensure it meets all requirements for habitability and effective use.

Conservation efforts should focus on maintaining buildings and constructions in the minimum conditions of:

• Safety: Ensuring that the building does not pose a risk to people or property. Necessary works must be carried out to secure, reinforce, or replace structural elements such as foundations, supports, beams, floors, and load-bearing walls, all of which directly impact the building's mechanical resistance and stability. Additionally, facades (both interior and exterior), party walls, chimneys, false ceilings, cornices, overhangs, and ornamental elements must be repaired if their condition jeopardizes safety.
• Healthiness: Preventing any risks to hygiene or public health. This requires addressing water leaks through the facade, roof, or ground and ensuring that the plumbing and sanitation systems are properly maintained and functional to suit their intended use.
• Accessibility: Ensuring that elements such as entrances, stairs, walkways, railings, handrails, signage, and sensory communication tools (e.g., Braille, raised reliefs, magnetic loops, etc.) are preserved and maintained in proper working order. This also applies to existing elevators and other vertical or horizontal communication systems within the building.
• Public Ornamentation and Decorum: Maintaining the building’s facade in a manner that does not detract from the urban aesthetic. This involves ensuring that the facade is in good condition through cleaning, painting, and necessary repairs or replacement of its materials.

All identified defects must be addressed through the appropriate repair projects and works.

The service planning typically involves the following phases:

• Conducting the Technical Inspection visit to the building.
• Evaluating and reporting on deficiencies and non-compliance with regulations found.
• Proposing corrective actions to restore the building to its proper operational state.
• Carrying out rehabilitation projects based on the deficiency report, covering all affected areas (structures, installations, facades, etc.).
• Monitoring and overseeing the rehabilitation works.

Applus+ employs specialized technicians in each inspection area, as well as the necessary personnel for drafting projects and managing construction works, with extensive experience in infrastructures providing building construction and maintenance services to both public administrations and private clients.

These building inspections are mandatory and are required by municipal regulations. In terms of sustainability, they help extend the useful life of buildings by enhancing their operational longevity. They also contribute to reducing environmental impact, improving the functionality and comfort of the facilities, and, consequently, enhancing the quality of life. Additionally, these inspections lead to economic savings through preventive maintenance, improve safety and user comfort, and ensure compliance with legal requirements.