The location, the region, almost not even the type of city matters. Whether you are in Madrid, Barcelona, Vigo or Jerez de la Frontera, the most likely thing is that if you take a walk through the streets of the center you will find the same image: asymmetrical facadesirregular, full of holes and patches. They have not been designed like this nor are they the work of any eccentric architect. This apparent aesthetic incoherence is the result of decades of arbitrary enclosures by apartment owners. The logic is simple: you have a terrace that doesn’t quite convince you, so you choose to fence it. The problem is that you do it on your own, without agreeing with the rest of the neighbors, and in the end the facades end up becoming an architectural pastiche. And with them (in addition) the set of cities. The phenomenon is frequent enough that there are people commenting on it on networks and specialized forums in urban planning: ‘Tetris-style’ enclosures are rampant in Spanish cities. The images may change from one location to another, but a walk through any urban area usually comes to find facades altered without rhyme or reason. Here is an untouched terrace. There is another one closed with aluminum carpentry and translucent glass. Two floors below, another that has opted for wood and an awning. Much more than facades Do they pose a problem? They are certainly cause for debate. First, because of its regulatory framework. Is it legal for each owner to do what they want with their terrace, without taking into account the rest of the community? What steps should you take if you want to do it correctly? Second, because beyond the block in question, the amalgams of enclosures influence something much more important: the urban landscapearchitectural coherence and visual hygiene, values that are usually very careful in sensitive areassuch as historic centers and protected buildingsbut which are often neglected in the rest of the city. One of the voices that has commented the most on the phenomenon of indiscriminate closures is the X account @MadridProyecta, which has warned about “‘Zero zones’ of lack of control” either flagrant cases in which they have completely distorted the original appearance of the properties. This phenomenon leads them to warn of the “vertical shanty town”a problem that does not occur homogeneously throughout the Spanish geography (it is less frequent on the Cantabrian coast, for example), but it does condition the urban reality of the country’s cities. “It has a serious impact on the urban landscape of Spain,” they acknowledge from Madrid Proyecta before remembering that in other latitudes of Spain it is less common to encounter indiscriminate closures. The reason? In addition to the regulatory framework of each country and cultural differences, there is another fundamental factor that comes into play, recalls María José Peñalver, treasurer of the Superior Council of the Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE): the antiquity of the building stock and its maintenance. Click on the image to go to the tweet. In 2023 the National Federation of Real Estate Associations analyzed the country’s constructions and estimated that the average age of the used housing stock in Spain around 43.5 years oldwhich among other issues explains why two of the problems that were most frequently pointed out are the scarcity of outdoor space and the poor insulation thermal. Both issues are closely related to enclosures, which They are usually carried out precisely to gain square meters or improve the comfort and soundproofing of homes. That a good part of the homes in Spain are over 40 years old It is a relevant fact because they were built before the regulations on thermal conditions were applied. According to the INE, nearly 40% of the buildings that were used for housing in 2011 had been built between the 60s and 80s. It is not a problem exclusive to Spain (85% of the blocks of the EU were built before 2000 and many of them have low energy performance), but it is a relevant fact when analyzing the phenomenon of enclosures in cities. Another key aspect is the regulatory framework. A quick search on the Internet turns up a good number of guides and articles that try to clarify whether or not it is legal to close a terrace and what requirements must be met to do so, which gives an idea of the high interest that the topic arouses. The simplest answer is: depends. It depends on the peculiarities of each case, what you want to do and, above all, what the community has decided before. The explanation must be sought in the law of laws regarding coexistence in buildings: the Horizontal Property Law (LPH), which in its seventh article sends a notice to sailors: “The owner of each apartment or premises may modify the architectural elements (…) when it does not undermine or alter the safety of the building, its structure, configuration or external state“. Closing a terrace can directly affect the exterior of the property and alter the façade. Furthermore, as remember Idealistalthough the terraces are for private enjoyment, many of their parts, such as the roof or coatings, are part of the common elements. In the article 10.3 and 17.4 of the LPH, in fact, it is recalled that one of the actions that must have authorization are closures, subject to the approval of three-fifths of the community. “The LPH considers that closing a balcony represents an alteration of the façade, being a common element that conditions the overall image of the building. To make a change of such magnitude it is necessary to obtain the consent of the community, so it is not a strictly personal decision,” comment the architect and urban planner Albert Nogueras in elDiario, where he recalls the need to also keep municipal ordinances in mind (which may vary from one city council to another), and the statutes approved by the community itself. The guides Regarding closures, they remind us of … Read more
