Completed Buildings and Dwellings

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Sources and methods of data collection

Data presented in this publication are collected using the Annual Report on Completed Buildings and Dwellings (GRAĐ-10 form). This report is filled in by enumerators on the basis of their visits to counties. In the course of these visits, they define which buildings and dwellings were completed in the reporting year. The census is conducted through services in competent administration bodies competent for construction affairs in major cities, the City of Zagreb and the counties, authorised for issuing documents by which the construction is approved. Visits are based on an address book made up from data on building permits issued for buildings.

Coverage and comparability

Until 2002, data on total number of completed buildings and dwellings were collected from two sources: data on construction in private ownership based on records kept by bodies competent for construction in counties and records kept by contractors (legal entities) employing five or more persons. Due to the decreasing compatibility and difficulties in the control of coverage from different sources, a new report was introduced in 2002, which enables the monitoring of all data on completed buildings and dwellings from one source and using the same methodology.

Data on types of constructions and works are classified according to the National Classification of Types of Constructions – NKVG (Methodological Guidelines No. 41, ISBN 953-6667-33-9, Croatian Bureau of Statistics, 2002).

Data on dwellings were collected according to the methodology applied in the censuses of population, households and dwellings, which are harmonised with the Conference of European Statisticians Recommendations for the 2020 Censuses of Population and Housing, UN, New York and Geneva, 2015.

Definitions

Buildings are permanent constructions covered with a roof and closed with outer walls. They are built as separate useful units that protect from weather and other conditions, intended for dwelling, performing a certain activity, for accommodation and protection of animals, goods, equipment used in various industrial activities and for services etc.

In this survey, buildings are also constructions covered with a roof but without (some of) the walls (e.g. porches for vehicles, storage places) and underground constructions (e.g. underground shelters, underground garages, underground shopping centres).

Residential buildings are constructions in which 50% or more of the useful floor area is intended for dwelling purposes.

Non-residential buildings are constructions without dwelling areas, or those in which less than 50% of the overall useful floor area is used for dwelling purposes.

Floor area of buildings is the sum total of the area of all floors of the building placed inside the outer walls.

Volume of building is the sum total of the volumes of all roofed space of a building, including outer walls.

New construction is a newly built structure built on a location where no structure existed or on a location previously cleared by demolition.

Construction of new buildings also means building from the foundations of buildings that were completely demolished in war or were so dilapidated that they had to be demolished.

Additions and extensions are construction works that result in new usable units in addition to the existing constructions, for example, a completely new dwelling or business premise.

Extensions of existing constructions or usable utilities, such as an additional construction of rooms in an existing dwelling or in a business premise are not included.

Conversions of non-residential areas into new dwellings are construction works by which an existing area in a building (e.g. attic or cellar area that has not been appropriated for residence, garage, area where production or service activity is performed) is conversed into one or more dwellings.

Dwelling is a residential construction unit consisting of one or more rooms and its accessories (kitchen, pantry, bathroom, toilet) or without them and with a direct access from a passage, staircase, yard or street.

Useful floor area of a dwelling is the floor area of a dwelling, measured inside the walls of the dwelling.