Compulsory use of an architect: abolition of the threshold under review

Current legislation requires the use of an architect for any building with a footprint of 170 m² or more, or 800 m² or more in the case of agricultural buildings.

A reform of this law is now under review. A working group is examining the potential benefits for the French building sector of abolishing this threshold.

The abolition would apply to the construction or refurbishment of a main residence. Only private individuals meeting set social criteria would be able to make use of it.

The aim of this exemption for private clients is to revive business for tradespeople, who are currently suffering from a drop in work. It is also clear that this change to the threshold for compulsory use of an architect will once again affect the latter.

The working group is due to submit its findings to the minister, Cécile Duflot, next September. The change to the threshold could come into force as early as the second half of 2014.

Update

Besides the project's scant credibility, the tradesperson/architect opposition rightly aroused the suspicions of many readers: this is indeed Actuarchi's April Fool's joke. There is no plan to amend or abolish the threshold for compulsory use of an architect.