Building in developing countries
Building in developed countries
Between 40 and 90% of housing and private commercial
buildings are constructed without former title of land or
property, i.e. considered informal.
The vast majority of buildings are formally registered.
A lot of building work is carried out by owners with the
Most building work is executed by contractors.
help of family or friends and sometimes building artisans
A lot of housing is incremental, starting small, but
expanding and/or improving in quality over time, as
resources allow.
Most housing is a one-off final product that meets quality
standards from the onset.
Vernacular construction is still significant, based on
traditions that can date back a long time. It is important
in rural locations, but diminishing where urbanisation
occurs
Vernacular buildings are mainly of historical interest.
Nearly all current construction uses standardised so-
called modern materials and products.
Many countries are still predominantly rural, though
urbanising rapidly, with a high concentration of people in
and around one large city. In most rural areas, building
standards and regulations do not apply; quality is defined
by tradition.
Nearly all countries are highly urbanised, with a good
balance between large and middle size cities.
In urban areas, a significant proportion of housing is
in slums, usually far below prevailing standards. Close
to 1 billion people live in slums; they tend to be very
vulnerable.
Very little of the housing stock can be considered slums
in most countries.
For many people, their home is also their workplace.
Strict zoning regulations mean that few commercial
activities can be undertaken from home.
Few building artisans have had formal education or
training in building skills. Most learnt their craft from
other builders. Many countries do not have a formal
register of builders.
Builders need formal education and a qualification in
building to be considered skilled. Trade associations for
builders and contractors usually exist as well.
There is unlikely to be a formal certification process for
new materials, products and techniques.
There usually is a formal approval and certification
process for new materials, products and techniques that
also provides quality and performance specifications.
Many buildings are not built to conform to standards,
either because they are in locations where standards do
not apply, or because they are in informal settlements
where standards get ignored. For buildings that do
comply, inspection may be lax or corrupt; thus bad
practice is overlooked.
The systems for checking, approval and issue of building
permits and completion are usually thorough. Almost
all construction requires approval, except for small
temporary buildings. Compliance with building standards
and regulations is therefore high.
Many countries do not have their own systems of building
regulations and standards. They often use the standards
of their former colonial power or other developed country
without significant revision to reflect their own context.
Consideration of country-specific disaster risks might also
be absent.
Building regulations and standards are often country-
specific, but some are internationally or regionally
agreed (e.g. by ISO). They are regularly updated to
reflect new knowledge and legislation or to overcome
specific problems that have emerged with aspects. They
incorporate measures to mitigate disaster risks of the
country.
As many buildings are owner-built, the owner is often
present for much of the construction and so ensures that
the work is completed to his or her requirements. Where
no formal building codes or standards are followed,
diligent supervision by an owner can still help to
ensure that the outcome is a good and disaster resilient
building.
Ensuring quality of construction is usually the
responsibility of the architect (if one is employed),
building contractor and building inspector. Users or
owners are far less involved in day to day construction.
There is then some risk that the final building is not
entirely to their satisfaction.
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