Last week, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that with the new construction season, regulations will go into effect allowing citizens to download a design for a house up to 70 square meters in size for a symbolic zloty. The government's idea has caused outrage in the architectural community. The Polish Chamber of Architects has issued an official statement strongly opposing the project. According to experts, it not only harms the architectural profession. It will also cause a number of negative consequences for the activities of architects and studios, including problems in copyright supervision.
The IARP's position refers to the government project, which Prime Minister Morawiecki has described as a "property revolution." It is part of the "Polish Deal" program and aims to make it easier for citizens to build their own homes, including by providing them with house designs for a symbolic zloty. The designs in question are those of modern, environmentally friendly houses of up to 70 square meters.
As part of our procedures, we will simplify what we can, and houses up to 70 square meters will be able to be built without permits, without a construction manager, without a construction book, " Mateusz Morawiecki explained.
You can read more about the assumptions of the government project here.
"Property revolution" hits architectural profession and copyright law
The Prime Minister's announcement was promptly addressed by the Chamber of Architects of Poland.
After the many changes in the law that have occurred and are occurring in recent years, this is a blow to our profession! We will oppose these proposals ," IARP representatives wrote in a Facebook post.
Shortly thereafter, the IARP issued an official stance against, as the document's title reads, "the proposal for the state to give away free construction projects for single-family houses with a building area of up to 70 square meters."
IARP representatives are sounding the alarm against a number of negative consequences for architects and operating studios that the government project will entail.
The introduction into the public domain of free construction designs for single-family houses with a construction area of up to 70 square meters will result in the restriction or exclusion of the possibility for designers to conduct business in this segment of the design services market, and will constitute interference by state institutions in the design market, thus leading to its monopolization and unauthorized state aid. This will violate the principle of competition in relations to those performing economic activities ," the document reads.
IARP's position on the government's plan to make house designs available for a symbolic zloty
© IARP
Moreover, according to experts, the regulations the government intends to introduce will make it more difficult to supervise copyright laws.
With an unlimited number of releases of the construction project in question, it will be completely impossible in practice for the author to perform author supervision on all construction projects based on the project , IARP writes.
IARP's position on the government's plan to make house designs available for a symbolic zloty
© IARP
The architects emphasize that the state 's interference in the design market is completely unjustified, as there is currently no shortage of supply within the market to argue such a move. Therefore, they strongly oppose the government's plans. In their view, they do not meet the universally applicable principles of design with respect for the architectural profession. The government's plan to make house designs of up to 70 square meters available for a symbolic zloty, in the opinion of IARP:
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assumes an abstract, unified model of the family and leads to its objectification
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does not refer to a specific location with its physical conditions and limitations
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does not refer to specific legal conditions defining the rules of shaping space.
IARP's position on the government's plan to make house designs available for a symbolic zloty
© IARP
