Housing is a broad section of the construction industry that is focused on the erection of single- and multi-family buildings. Although this subject may seem uncomplicated, this is a mistaken assumption - the definition of housing is not at all that obvious. Find out what residential construction is and what you should know about it.
Housing construction - definition
The current version of the Building Act does not include a definition of housing construction. However, it can be found in older, already repealed legal acts - an example is the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of 13 September 1961. In this document, residential construction is defined as the construction of single buildings or complexes of buildings, which form a fragment of a housing estate or a whole housing estate.
How else can residential construction be defined? The determinant of this type of building is the function it performs - it is a cubic construction intended for residential use. Residential construction comprises buildings that can be used for permanent housing (e.g. single-family houses, flats in multi-family buildings) or temporary housing (school dormitories, workers' hotels, holiday homes).
Building types in housing
The subdivision of residential buildings can be done by taking into account various parameters, including, for example, the number of dwellings contained in the building or the consideration during its construction of the specific requirements of the people who will live there. This means that there is no single classification of residential buildings. For example, the Polish Classification of Building Objects (PKOB) divides residential construction into three groups:
- SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS. These range from stand-alone buildings (e.g. houses, villas and bungalows) to semi-detached or terraced houses. The second group of buildings is distinguished by the fact that each dwelling has its own entrance from ground level.
- TWO-APARTMENT AND MULTI-APARTMENT BUILDINGS. This category includes semi-detached houses with two flats, small multi-family buildings (so-called blocks of flats, townhouses) and large multi-family buildings (so-called high-rise buildings).
- COLLECTIVE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS. Homes for senior citizens, workers' hotels, dormitories, dormitories or social care homes are examples of housing in this category.
Modern modular construction allows for the construction of each of the indicated types of residential buildings – the technology of prefabricated modules with a wooden frame developed by Unihouse enables the construction of buildings with up to 8 storeys.
Differences between residential construction and housing construction
The terms "residential construction" and "residential construction" are often used interchangeably - as synonyms. Is this right? There is no clear distinction between these concepts in the regulations. It is common to speak of residential construction and residential construction, while the Construction Law only provides a definition of a single-family residential building. Sometimes you can come across a distinction between the terms "residential construction" and "residential construction". This division shows that:
RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION is a narrower concept – it only includes single-family and multi-family buildings. This refers to buildings in which people live permanently.
RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION is a broader term – it also includes buildings intended for temporary residence, e.g. workers' hotels. You can also hear the statement that residential construction is buildings built with the needs of specific groups of users in mind, e.g. students (dormitories) or the elderly (senior citizens' homes).
However, the above division is not reflected in legal regulations or terms used in public statistics (GUS).
The impact of residential construction in Poland on the market
For many years, it has been said that there is a shortage of apartments in Poland - even about 2 million. It should not be surprising that until recently, development companies were putting into use more and more premises each year. How is the housing construction in Poland currently looking? According to data collected by the Central Statistical Office, the situation changed in the first half of 2024 - 95.6 thousand apartments were put into use at that time, which is 16.2 thousand premises less than in the same period of the previous year.
Lower investor activity in the construction market is not a desirable situation – in Poland, the residential construction sector has a large impact on the entire market. How? Here are some examples:
Employment. It is estimated that the construction sector may employ several hundred thousand people with various qualifications – from manual workers, through engineers, to architects and people specializing in real estate. In other words, this industry is one of the largest employers in Poland.
Economy. The condition of the construction industry also affects other sectors of the Polish economy. It is enough to mention transport companies or companies producing construction and finishing materials. Service companies, e.g. those providing interior design services, may also lose out from the unfavorable situation in the construction industry.
Infrastructure. In Poland, many construction companies participate in public tenders, in which contractors are selected, among others, for new roads. The development of communication routes is of key importance for the development of regions and regional economies.
According to the Central Statistical Office, the average construction time of a new residential building has also increased recently - in the first quarter of 2023 it was 44 months. Investors who do not want to wait so long for results should be interested in modular construction. In the case of the modular technology offered by Unihouse, it is possible to shorten the investment implementation time by at least 50 percent compared to construction using traditional technology.
