In order for a club soda or a restaurant in Costa Rica to obtain permission to use liquefied petroleum gas, the business must comply with the regulations that have been in effect since September and must then submit to the scrutiny of a certified specialist.
The 133 requirements to be met by restaurants and club soda are contained in the "General Regulations for the Regulation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Supply."
Between January and July of this year, works were processed in Costa Rica equivalent to 6.05 million square meters of construction, an area that exceeds in just 2% the reported in the same period of 2018.
The report prepared by the Federal College of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) records a slight increase in the area built between January and July 2018 and the same period of 2019, going from 5.93 million m2 to 6.05 million m2.
In Jacó and its surroundings, in recent years there has been an upturn in construction, mainly because of the development of residential projects.
Data from the Federal College of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) indicate that since 2016 the number of square meters of construction processed in the cantons of Esparza, Puntarenas, Garabito and Quepos, all of the central Pacific, have remained high.
Between 1990 and 2017, the constructed area of residential complexes in the condominium and apartment format in the Grand Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica grew from 5% to 25% of total space.
The most recent report from the State details that 80% of condominiums are in 24 districts, most of which are in the Western and Northern areas of the Grand Metropolitan Area (GAM).
The builders' association has reported that 6.4 million square meters were processed in 2017, 13% less than in 2016.
In a statement from the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction (CCC), the president of the organization, Jorge Arturo González, said that "... 'this slowdown highlights the need to boost private sector investment in construction, which has stopped not only because of political uncertainty, typical of an election year, but also due to excessive procedures, high financing costs, legal uncertainty, low competitiveness in infrastructure and high construction costs, among other things'."Seereport by the CCC (in Spanish).
Since October 2017, constructions whose coverage exceeds 20% of the land must submit a hydrogeological study.
The entry into force of the Generic Matrix for the Protection of Aquifers has generated doubts about what the projects that must comply with the presentation of the hydrogeological study really are.On the one hand, the guide indicates that constructions which have a coverage of land equal to or less than 20% of the area will not need the study, and on the other hand, representatives of the National Service of Underground Waters of Irrigation and Drainage (Senara), suggest a different interpretation.
Three underground railway lines with a large central exchange station is the basic concept for a project valued at $6 billion.
The Costa Rican College of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) started work on this project in 2014 and has now submitted it to the Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MOPT), in the form of a pre-feasibility study.
Facilities have been enabled to approve cadastral plans digitally without requiring the physical presence of surveyors and property owners at the offices of the National Registry.
The new initiative known as Approval of Topographic Plans (ATP) has made the process of approving cadastral plans in Costa Rica digital, as from now on the physical presence of surveyors and property owners on the premises of association of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) or the Land Registry will no longer be required reported that union.
Private construction fell by 2.6% as a result of the construction of middle-class housing, which accounted for 40% of all residential buildings, recording a drop of 15%.
Constructions for the private sector went down by 2.6% yoy in the fourth quarter 2015. According to a report by the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR), the contraction is mainly explained by residential buildings, which fell to an annual rate of 15%, with middle class homes and residential buildings showing the biggest declines.
In 2015 condominiums fueled a growth of 10% in housing projects, while commercial construction increased by 31%.
From a statement issued by the Association of Engineers and Architects:
In 2015, the Association of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) registered more than 9.2 million square meters, a figure that is 14% higher than the amount reported in the previous year.
The lack of new public works projects is putting downward pressure on the growth of the construction sector in Costa Rica, which went from 4.5% in 2015 to only 0.7% being projected for the new year.
The amount of square metres of construction in applications for permits up to June 2015 decreased by 7% compared to the same period in 2014, with office buildings and industry leading the decline, with negative rates of 22% and 10%, respectively.
Data from the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction shows the decline in the number of square meters of construction being processed with the Association of Engineers and Architects.
From May 27th to May 30th companies in the construction and architecture sector in Costa Rica will be holding a congress in which issues related to public works management will be discussed.
The twelfth edition of the congress entitled Public Infrastructure Architecture 2015 Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, is being organized by the College of Architects of Costa Rica and will be held in the CFIA auditorium, in the daytime from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm During the week of the conference week several events will be held which will allow for contact with representatives of the sectors involved
Without having read the contract with the construction company and ignoring final costs, the Legislature has approved the loan with the Chinese government to finance the extension of the road to Limón.
The loan with the government of China for $485 million is tied to a commercial contract with the Chinese state-run construction company CHEC, highly questioned not only technically but at the legal level, since it is one of the companies "...
The government has decided to monitor and regulate the profit margin accrued by construction companies and real estate developers.
While the Association of Engineers and Architects (CFIA) argues that "... the profit margin of construction companies in the country ranges between 5% and 40%" ... ", employers in the construction sector and developers assert that they are betting on margins of between 5% and 15%.