The text begins the parliamentary procedure for its vote in the Congress of Deputies.
The Council of Ministers, at its meeting this Tuesday, 18 January, and at the proposal of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma), approved the Draft Law on the Quality of Architecture for its subsequent submission to the Spanish Parliament, thus initiating its parliamentary processing. The future text is one of the reforms included in the Recovery Plan.
This is the first state law that was created with the aim of guaranteeing the quality of architecture as a good of general interest, with the main goals of promoting links that encourage the rapprochement of architecture with society. The future regulation also seeks to respond to the increased awareness of social and environmental issues and the revaluation of architectural heritage, a process that has accelerated with the pandemic.
The law includes specific measures to encourage the public authorities to promote the national and international dissemination of architecture, support for Spanish companies and professionals, the establishment of incentives and prizes that recognise quality, the promotion of research and innovation and, of course, the protection of the values of the built heritage. It also includes the promotion of sustainable urban rehabilitation, regeneration and renovation.
Architecture Quality Council
The law includes the creation of two fundamental bodies to guide action and strengthen the exemplary role of the public authorities towards this necessary quality: the House of Architecture and the Council for Architectural Quality.
The first of these aims, among other things, to bring the values of architecture closer to society, becoming a national and international benchmark for the dissemination of the discipline and promoting it as a tool for cultural diplomacy.
For its part, the Architecture Quality Council will be constituted as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and participation, as well as for consultation and advice on matters related to the contents of this law, such as promoting the adoption of general rules or measures to improve the quality of architecture, or modifying existing ones, as well as drawing up and disseminating model specifications and other documents for guidance.
Regulatory framework
The drafting of the Architectural Quality Act has been framed in a context in line with important European initiatives, such as the New European Bauhaus, the Renovation Wave and the Davos Declaration.
Furthermore, the law is in line with the Spanish Urban Agenda, the 2030 Agenda and the international Urban Agendas, with their triple demand for greater social, economic and environmental sustainability. It is, therefore, a legislative instrument that reinforces the exemplary role of the public administration, promoting the planning of the rehabilitation of the public building stock.
Along the same lines, the draft bill includes a series of amendments to Law 9/2017, of 8 November, on Public Sector Contracts, aimed at improving the quality of the architecture promoted by the Administration.
Next Generation Funds
The Architectural Quality Act is a necessary legislative instrument to consolidate a new model of economic, energy and ecological transition, which promotes greater inclusion and social cohesion, driven by the Next Generation Funds.
The law is included as reform 4 of component 2 of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), approved by the Spanish Government to tackle the crisis caused by Covid-19, which focuses on promoting actions to rehabilitate and improve the building stock, both in urban and rural areas.
It is also part of the European legislative initiatives to promote energy efficiency, renewable energies and the fight against energy poverty and will promote the application of the "energy efficiency first" principle, in accordance with Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/1749 of 28 September 2021.
Public participation process
In its drafting, this future law has been the subject of extensive public participation, since, in addition to the prior public consultation that took place in July 2020, a multidisciplinary participatory process structured in six roundtables was held, which could be followed telematically and openly, having a great impact on networks, including at the international level.
The debates can still be viewed on the website created for this purpose. Roundtable discussions were also held with the main sectors concerned, the academic and social sector, territorial administrations, professionals and schools.
Although the law is born to respond to an exceptional moment, it also does so with the purpose of establishing a global framework that is enduring over time, dynamic and capable of adapting to new challenges and objectives. In fact, it includes among its objectives the elaboration of a National Architecture Strategy, as a governance tool to implement it.
