Minimum requirements for permanent single storey houses

Abstract

The "Minimum Requirements for Permanent Single Sto~y Housing" given in this pamphlet must be regarded as guidelines for those who need a definition of the term "Permanent Housing" in Tanzania. T~ere are three main reasons why the guidelines are published:- 1. They can be a substitution for the former "Building Covenants. II 2. The building regulations .i.n force are limited to the major towns and are valid only for the most developed areas of these towns. The existing regulations are also partly not relevant to Tanzanian conditions. 3. Today permanent houses will be built allover the country in both urban and rural areas. The "Minimum Requirements for Permanent Single Stoi'y Housingrt have been worked out by National Housing and Building Research Unit. These guidelines were originally made as a substitution for the former "Building Covenants", which were used to define the quality of houses to be built on surveyed plots. The "Building Covenants" gave figures in Shillings for the minimum value of houses being built. During colonial times this method of specifying quality was a very efficient way of aChieving segregation. The Building Covenant for some areas was set very high so that only well-to-be people and mainly europeans could afford to build houses at the value required. This system is now abolished. The existing building regulations are limited to be used for certain areas of the major towns, city centres and IILowDensityrt areas, mainly for high cost and medium cost housing. The "Minimum Requirements for Permanent Single Story Houses" are not completely consistent