Foreword

TCVN 9411 : 2012 was converted from TCXDVN 353 : 2005 according to the regulation in clause 1 of Article 69 of the Law on Standards and Technical Regulations and point b) clause 1 Article 7 of the Government’s Decree 127/2007/ND-CP dated August 1, 2007 detailing the implementation of some articles of the Law on Standards and Technical Regulations.

TCVN 9411 : 2012 was compiled by the Institute of Architecture, Urban and Rural Planning, proposed by the Ministry of Construction, appraised by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, and announced by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

TCVN 9411 : 2012

1. Scope of application

This standard applies to the design of individual houses constructed in rows with unified architecture and infrastructure system, meeting the requirements of urban design.

2. Referenced documents

The following referenced documents are essential for the application of this standard. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

TCVN 2622, Fire protection for buildings and structures – Design requirements;

TCVN 4474, Internal drainage – Design standard;

TCVN 4513, Internal water supply – Design standard;

TCVN 4605, Thermal engineering – Building envelope – Design standard;

TCVN 5687 : 2010, Ventilation – Air conditioning – Design standard;

TCVN 7447, Electrical installation of buildings;

TCVN 9385 : 2012¹⁾, Lightning protection for buildings and structures – Design, inspection and maintenance guidelines;

TCXD 16 : 1986¹⁾, Interior artificial lighting of civil works;

TCXD 29 : 1991¹⁾, Natural lighting in civil works – Design standard;

TCXDVN 264 : 2002¹⁾, Buildings and structures – Basic principles of design for accessibility of disabled people;

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1) TCVN to be published

1) TCXDs and TCXDVNs are being converted

3. Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply:

3.1

Individual house

A construction built within a residential land parcel, under the usage rights of a household or individual as prescribed by law, including cases of construction on a land lot of a housing project.

3.2

Row house

An type of individual house of households or individuals built adjacent to each other, connected through multiple stories, built close together in a row on adjacent land lots with a width smaller than the depth (length) of the house, sharing a common infrastructure system of the urban area.

3.3

Street-facing row house (townhouse)

A type of row house, built on street axes, commercial and service areas according to the approved planning. In addition to residential function, street-facing row houses are also used as retail stores, service offices, motels, hotels, small production facilities and other services.

3.4

Row house with garden

A type of row house, with a front or back yard space within the premises of each house and dimensions uniformly taken across the row according to the detailed planning of the area.

3.5

Red boundary line

The boundary line dividing the land lot for construction belonging to the ownership rights and the land reserved for traffic roads or technical infrastructure works.

3.6

Construction boundary line

The boundary defining the permitted building limit on the land lot.

4. General provisions

4.1 Row houses are constructed according to the general planning along urban roads or on the outskirts. The design and construction must comply with the design and regulations on urban architecture approved for individual houses.

4.2 When designing new construction or renovation of row houses on both sides of an urban street, it must be harmonious with the overall architecture of the street and ensure the aesthetics of the building.

4.3 When designing the facade for a row of street-facing houses, the following principles must be ensured:

• Having the same number of floors and floor heights in a row of houses;
• Having harmonious architectural forms and uniform roofs in an area;
• Having common colors for a row of houses;
• Unifying the setback and form of fences for a row of houses;
• Having a unified technical infrastructure system;
• The length of a row of houses must not exceed 60 m. In a street section, there can be many different rows of houses.
• Between the rows of houses, traffic roads with a width of not less than 4.0 m must be arranged.

4.4 For newly constructed street-facing row houses that are not built simultaneously, the later houses must comply with the approved detailed planning and be consistent with the previously built houses in terms of ground floor level, first floor (ground floor) height, balcony level, height and protrusion of canopies, finishing colors, etc.

4.5 The following areas in urban areas are not allowed to build row houses:

• In the premises, on the roads or road sections that have been specified in the detailed planning as villas;
• Areas that already have stable planning; if row houses are to be built, they must be approved by the competent authority;
• In the premises of public works such as office headquarters, commercial and service works, small production facilities;
• On the roads, road sections, areas identified as architectural and urban landscape conservation sites.

4.6 Street-facing row houses are allowed to have shared or separate structural components (foundations, columns, walls, floors, roofs or other adjoining structures of two adjacent houses).

• In case of shared walls, the floor beam, column or any part of the house structure must not be built beyond the centerline of the shared wall. The thickness of the shared wall must not be less than 0.2 m;
• In case of separate walls, construction is only allowed within the boundary of ownership or land use rights.

4.7 For row houses with gardens, the minimum dimension (measured from the house facade to the red boundary line) of the front yard is 2.4 m and uniformly taken according to the approved detailed planning. In case of an additional back yard, the minimum dimension of the back yard is 2.0 m.

4.8 The design of row houses must ensure other relevant regulations such as fire safety, environment, traffic, etc.

5. Planning requirements

5.1 Requirements for building lots

5.1.1 The building lot for row houses must have a width of not less than 4.5 m and an area of not less than 45 m². Depending on the area of the building lot, the building density of row houses is taken according to the regulations on construction planning [1].

NOTES:

1) Row houses built in projects must ensure a construction area of not less than 50 m² and a frontage width of not less than 5 m.

2) In case after site clearance or upgrading and renovation of the works, the remaining area is less than 15 m², the frontage width or depth compared to the building line is less than 3.0 m, construction is not allowed.

5.1.2 Street-facing row houses deeper than 18 m must have architectural solutions to create spaces that ensure ventilation and lighting.

NOTE: Empty yards, light wells, skylights and ventilation holes on the staircase block can be arranged for lighting and ventilation.

5.2 Setback requirements

5.2.1 Row houses must be constructed in compliance with the construction boundary line and the red boundary line.

5.2.2 The minimum setback of the facade of row houses from the red boundary line depends on the height of the building and the width of the road, and is taken according to the regulations on construction planning [1].

5.2.3 Row houses are allowed to be built flush with the red boundary line or have a setback depending on the specific planning of each street (see Figure 1a). In case of setting back more than the red boundary line, the area within this setback belongs to the owner’s usage rights. Along the red line of the house, a fence is allowed (see Figure 1b).

5.2.4 The facade of street-facing row houses with gardens must be set back by a minimum distance of 2.4 m from the construction boundary line (see Figure 1c).

Unit: millimeters

Figure 1 – Regulations on setbacks for street-facing row houses

5.3 Sightline requirements

To ensure safety and sightlines for vehicles traveling on the street, the houses at the corners must be chamfered according to the provisions in Table 1 (see Figure 2).

Table 1 – Dimensions of chamfers measured from the intersection with the road boundaries

Dimensions in meters

Unit: millimeters

e) Chamfer dimensions at intersection angle with road boundary greater than 1350

Figure 2 – Regulations on chamfer dimensions

5.4 Requirements for distances and relationships with adjacent buildings

5.4.1 The distance between the gable ends of two rows of houses must not be less than 4.0 m. Door leaves at a height from the sidewalk to 2.5 m when opened must not exceed the red boundary line.

5.4.2 The distance between the facades of two rows of street-facing houses is from 8.0 m to 12.0 m. The empty land between the two rows of houses must not have any in-fill construction. The side faces of street-facing row houses adjacent to the empty land are allowed to have windows and balconies.

5.4.3 In case two rows of houses have their backs facing each other, a distance of not less than 2.0 m (outside the building line) must be ensured to arrange technical pipelines along the houses. The rear faces of the two rows of houses are allowed to have exit doors, windows and ventilation openings at a height above 2.0 m from the floor. If necessary, a solid wall higher than 2.0 m can be built at the boundary between the two rows.

NOTE: If there is a back yard, the above distance is not required.

5.4.4 Distances from architectural elements to technical infrastructure systems and urban trees:

5.4.4.1 Distances from architectural elements to the nearest power lines:

a) In the horizontal plane:

• To high voltage lines: 4.0 m (from the outermost edge of the architecture);
• To medium voltage lines: 2.5 m (from the outermost edge of the architecture);
• To low voltage lines:

+ From windows: 0.75 m;

+ From the outermost edge of balconies: 1.0 m;

• The minimum distance from the outermost edge of the architecture to power poles: 0.75 m.

b) In the vertical direction:

• The vertical distance from the building to the lowest power line must ensure:

+ For voltages up to 35KV: 3 m;

+ For voltages of 66-100KV: 4 m;

+ For voltages of 220 (230)KV: 5 m;

+ Above the roof, above balconies: 2.5 m;

+ Above windows: 0.5 m;

+ Below windows: 1.0 m;

+ Below balconies: 1.0 m.

5.4.4.2 The minimum distance from the outermost edge of architectural elements to urban underground pipelines and cables:

+ To underground cable routes: 1.0 m;

+ To the surface of underground pipes and manholes: 1.0 m.

5.4.4.3 The distance between the outermost edge of the wall adjacent to shrubs and wooden trees must be ensured from 2 m to 5 m.

NOTE: For areas with stable tree planting, this distance will be specified in the detailed planning of the street.

5.5 Height requirements

5.5.1 In all cases, row houses must not be higher than 6 stories. In alleys (lanes) with a width of less than 6 m, row houses must not be built higher than 4 stories.

5.5.2 The height of row houses must comply with the approved construction planning.

For areas without approved detailed planning, the building height must not exceed 4 times the width of the house (excluding the trellis or decorative architecture).

In a row of houses, if different heights are allowed, the maximum allowed height is only 2 stories higher than the average height of the entire row. The height of the first floor (ground floor) must be uniform.

For row houses with gardens, the height must not exceed 3 times the width of the house or according to the general restrictions of the detailed planning.

5.5.3 On streets with a width greater than 12 m, the height of row houses is limited by a 450 chamfer (the facade height of the house equals the street width).

In case of streets with a width less than or equal to 12 m, the height of row houses must not exceed the intersection between the street and the 450 chamfer (not greater than the street width).

For areas with internal roads, the height of row houses must not exceed the intersection between the road and the 300 chamfer (not exceeding 0.6 times the road width).

5.5.4 Depending on the location and size of each land lot, the height of row houses can be designed according to the following regulations:

• Land lots with an area of 30 m² to less than 40 m², frontage width greater than 3 m, depth from the building line greater than 5 m are allowed to be built with no more than 4 stories + 1 attic (the total height of the house must not exceed 16 m);
• Land lots with an area of 40 m² to 50 m², frontage width from over 3 m to under 8 m, depth from the building line greater than 5 m are allowed to be built with no more than 5 stories + 1 attic, or with a heat-resistant roof (the total height of the house must not exceed 20 m);
• Land lots with an area over 50 m², frontage width greater than 8 m, depth from the building line greater than 5 m or constructions on both sides of the road in restricted development planning areas are only allowed to build 6-story houses (the total height of the house must not exceed 24 m).

5.5.5 In case the row houses have setbacks, it is allowed to increase the height of the building according to the maximum height approved in the construction planning and regulations on architecture and landscape of the area.

NOTES:

1) In a row of street-facing houses, there should be a uniform setback for the entire street segment. In case the existing setbacks are not uniform, the common setback is determined by the average value of the existing setbacks, rounded to 0.5 m.

2) It is not allowed to build or install additional architectural objects higher than the permitted height of the building.

5.5.6 The clear height of the first floor (ground floor) must not be less than 3.6 m. For houses with a mezzanine floor, the height of the first floor must not be less than 2.7 m.

6. Architectural requirements

6.1 When designing row houses, it is necessary to be suitable with the usage function, socio-economic conditions, natural climatic conditions and selected design solutions.

NOTE: When constructing row houses, it is necessary to consider the usage needs of people with disabilities according to the provisions in TCXDVN 264: 2002.

6.2 The functional spaces in row houses must meet the following requirements:

• Reasonable in terms of usage chain, ensuring independence, enclosure, harmonious architectural space inside and outside the house;
• Adaptable to different arrangement needs, with flexible conversion capability; Having spacious, airy spaces, open layouts to increase the efficiency of the interior space of the house;
• Using reasonably, safely, without breaking the structure and stability of the building;
• Ensuring sanitary requirements and microclimate conditions.

6.3 Functional spaces in row houses:

• Interaction functional space: including lobby spaces: receiving guests, transactions or other activities serving interaction needs;
• Service functional space: stores, service spaces, production, processing;
• Residential functional space: including bedrooms;
• Other spaces: parking space, electrical and water equipment, garbage collection, storage or other items;
• Traffic functional space: staircases, corridors, elevators (if any).

6.3.1 Interaction functional space

• The main lobby of a row house must be easily recognizable.
• In case of street-facing row houses, the lobby is usually combined with the interaction space of the house.

6.3.2 Service functional space

6.3.2.1 The service functional space in row houses is usually arranged on the first floor (ground floor) with direct access from the street, and is combined with the living space and vertically divided in the house.

6.3.2.2 In row houses, it is not allowed to arrange stores selling chemicals and goods that cause environmental pollution, fire and explosion to ensure safety and environmental hygiene.

6.3.3 Residential functional space

6.3.3.1 The main functions in the living space of row houses include: common living room; working and studying space; exercise room, playroom (listening to music, watching movies, displaying and other entertainment needs); ancestor worship space; bedrooms; dining room; kitchen; sanitary area (toilet, bath); laundry and clothes drying space; balcony or loggia; storage…

6.3.3.2 The area standards of building parts are taken according to usage requirements, ensuring safety and health for users.

6.3.4 Other functional spaces

6.3.4.1 In row houses, it is necessary to arrange parking spaces, storage, fire protection equipment, waste collection, backup water pumps, backup generators and other items.

6.3.4.2 In case row houses use the first floor (ground floor) as car parking space, it must ensure the fire safety requirements for buildings and structures [2].

6.3.5 Traffic functional space

6.3.5.1 The location of staircases, number of stairs and form of stairwells must meet the requirements of convenient use and safe evacuation. The width of staircases used for evacuation must not be less than 0.9 m. The width of the tread must not be less than 0.25 m, and the height of the riser must not exceed 0.19 m.

NOTE: Staircases used for people with disabilities need to comply with the provisions in TCXDVN 264 : 2002

6.3.5.2 If necessary, elevators can be arranged in row houses. The number, installation location and dimensions of the elevator shaft must be suitable with the usage requirements. The design and selection of elevators must be based on:

• The number of floors to be served;
• The amount of people to be transported to meet usage needs;
• Houses with people with disabilities using;
• Other technical requirements.

6.3.5.3 In addition to determining the technical parameters of the elevator, it is also necessary to consider the design solutions for the elevator shaft, machine room and equipment, economic factors, and the space occupied by the elevator.

6.3.5.4 The design, installation and usage requirements of elevators need to comply with the manufacturer’s regulations.

6.4 Requirements for designing building parts

6.4.1 Ground floor level, stair steps, car ramps, flower beds on the building facade

6.4.1.1 The ground floor level must be at least 150 mm higher than the sidewalk level (see Figure 3.a). In locations without clear sidewalks, the ground floor level must be at least 300 mm higher than the road surface level (see Figure 3.b).

NOTE: The sidewalk level is specified as level ± 0.000 at the location of the building to calculate the allowable height of the house.

Unit: millimeters

Figure 3 – Regulations on ground floor level

6.4.1.2 When designing and constructing street-facing row houses, it is necessary to pay attention to the following regulations:

6.4.1.2.1 In case the construction boundary coincides with the red boundary line (see Figure 4):

• Within the distance from the sidewalk surface up to a height of 3.5 m, no part of the house is allowed to protrude beyond the red boundary line, except for the following cases:

+ Vertical rainwater drainage pipes on the outside of the house: allowed to exceed the red boundary line by 0.2 m and must ensure aesthetics;

+ From a height of over 1.0 m (measured from the sidewalk surface), window sills, coping, decorative elements are allowed to exceed the red boundary line by 0.2 m (see Figure 4d).

• Within the distance from the sidewalk surface up to a height of 3.5 m: All fixed parts of the house (canopies, ledges, balconies, eaves…, except for entrance roofs, sidewalk canopies) are allowed to exceed the red boundary line, but must ensure the protrusion does not exceed the limits specified in 6.4.2, and must comply with regulations on electrical safety and construction management specifically applied to the area.

NOTE: The protrusion is measured from the red boundary line to the outermost edge of the protruding part.

Unit: millimeters

a) In case the protruding part is a ledge, canopy, sloping roof	b) In case the protruding part is a window canopy
c) In case the protruding part is a roof eave dentil	d) Other parts such as coping, window sills, decorative elements

Figure 4 – Regulations on protrusion of building parts

6.4.1.2.2 In case the construction boundary is set back from the red boundary line:

• No part of the house is allowed to exceed the red boundary line;
• Building parts such as stair steps, car ramps, window sills, coping, window shutters, canopies, eaves, entrance roofs, building foundations are allowed to exceed the construction boundary.

6.4.1.2.3 All parts of the house, including architectural decorative elements, are not allowed to be constructed beyond the land lot boundary or the foundation boundary belonging to the usage rights of others.

6.4.2 Entrance roofs, sidewalk canopies

6.4.2.1 Within the distance from the sidewalk surface to a height of over 3.5 m, entrance roofs and sidewalk canopies are allowed. The protruding part of the entrance roof or sidewalk canopy must not be further than 0.6 m from the sidewalk edge, and must be at least 1.0 m narrower than the sidewalk width. It is not allowed to erect columns on the sidewalk (see Figure 5).

NOTES:

1) Entrance roof is the roof of the gate, attached to the outer wall of the house and extending to the entrance gate and/or covering a part of the walkway from the sidewalk or road to the house;

2) Sidewalk canopy is the roof attached to the outer wall of the house and covering a section of the sidewalk.

Unit: millimeters

Figure 5 – Permitted protrusion of entrance roofs, sidewalk canopies

6.4.2.2 Above the entrance roof or sidewalk canopy, it is not allowed to use as a balcony, terrace, planter or other architectural objects.

6.4.3 Doors, windows

6.4.3.1 It is not allowed to open doors, windows, ventilation openings if the house wall is built flush with the land lot boundary or the foundation boundary belonging to the usage rights of others. It is only allowed to open doors, windows, ventilation holes if the wall is built at least 2.0 m away from the adjacent land lot boundary or foundation boundary.

6.4.3.1 In case the adjacent land does not yet have a constructed building or is a low-rise building, it is allowed to open ventilation openings or fixed glass windows for lighting. The bottom edge of these openings must be at least 2.0 m above the floor. All these openings must be accepted to be unusable when the adjacent building is constructed.

6.4.3.2 If the row of houses is adjacent to public land such as flower gardens, parks, parking lots, vacant lots or other public spaces that do not affect the said row of houses, it is allowed to open fixed windows or decorative elements but must be considered and decided by the competent authority in each case.

6.4.4 Balconies

6.4.4.1 For houses with balconies facing the street, the position, height and protrusion of the balconies must comply with the approved detailed planning and follow the regulations on construction management of the area.

6.4.4.2 The protrusion of balconies for street-facing row houses depends on the width of the road and must not exceed the dimensions specified in Table 2.

Table 2 – Maximum protrusion of balconies

Dimensions in meters

6.4.4.3 The bottom of the balcony must be at least 3.5 m higher than the sidewalk surface.

6.4.4.4 It is not allowed to have balconies in alleys/lanes with a width of less than 4.0 m and with rows of houses on both sides of the alley. In case there is only one row of houses on one side of the alley, balconies with a maximum protrusion of 0.6 m are allowed.

NOTE: In case the road (or alley/lane) has an overhead electric line system, when constructing canopies or balconies, it must ensure the regulations on safety corridors for the electric line system.

6.4.5 Underground parts

6.4.5.1 All underground parts of the house must not exceed the red boundary line.

6.4.5.2 The outermost limit of the building foundation and underground pipelines must not exceed the land lot boundary or foundation boundary.

6.4.5.3 In special cases, it is allowed for the building foundation to exceed the red boundary line or road (alley/lane) boundary by a maximum of 0.3 m, provided that the bottom level of the foundation is at least 2.4 m lower than the sidewalk level (see Figure 6).

Unit: millimeters

Figure 6 – Regulations on building foundation adjacent to the road

6.4.6 Fences and gates

6.4.6.1 For street-facing row houses, the front fence must have an open, light architectural form and aesthetics, uniformly according to the regulations of each area and must meet the following requirements:

a) The fence is not allowed to be constructed beyond the boundary including the foundation and has a maximum height of 2.6 m;

b) When the building facade is more than 2.4 m from the red boundary line or the boundary with the alley/lane, only open fences or shrub fences are allowed (see Figure 7.a);

c) In case the building facade is less than 2.4 m from the red boundary line or the alley/lane boundary, only light open fences with a height not exceeding 1.2 m or flower beds for boundary separation are allowed. (see Figure 7.b);

d) In case of special security requirements, the fence can be enclosed with lightweight materials. The enclosed part is only allowed to have a maximum height of 1.8 m.

e) The boundary separation between two houses must have an open fence with the same height as the front fence. The base part of the fence can be built solid with a maximum height of 0.6 m.

Unit: millimeters

Figure 7 – Regulations on gates and fences

6.4.6.2 When constructing gates for row houses (not townhouses), the following regulations must be followed:

a) Each row house is only allowed to open one main gate. The opening of additional sub-gates or emergency exits must be based on the specific requirements of the building and considered and decided by the competent authorities.

b) The gate leaves are not allowed to open beyond the red boundary line, the alley/lane boundary or the land boundary belonging to the usage rights of others The outer edge of the gate post must not encroach on the red boundary line.

6.4.7 Sidewalks

6.4.7.1 It is not allowed to change the sidewalk structure in front of the house.

6.4.7.2 Do not build stair steps within the sidewalk area.

6.4.8 Other technical requirements

6.4.8.1 The outlets of chimneys and ventilation ducts must not face the street.

6.4.8.2 Electrical equipment such as television antennas, satellite signal receiving devices, telecommunications transmitting stations, air conditioners, solar energy collectors, water tanks or other equipment if installed within the land lot boundary must ensure minimal impact on urban aesthetics and adjacent houses, comply with specialized regulations and be permitted by competent management agencies.

6.4.8.3 If air conditioners are placed on the facade, close to the red boundary line, they must be at a height above 2.7 m and must not discharge condensate directly onto the sidewalk or street.

6.4.8.4 It is not allowed to discharge rainwater, wastewater of all kinds (including condensate from air conditioners), dust, exhaust gases to neighboring houses.

6.4.8.5 The exterior of the house (facade, side faces) must not use colors or materials that affect vision, human health, hygiene requirements and traffic safety.

6.4.8.6 Do not use materials and advertising billboards placed on the facade of the house with a reflectivity greater than 70%.

6.4.8.7 Have solutions to prevent termites and insects for newly constructed buildings.

6.4.8.8 It is not allowed to use temporary roofs, limit the arrangement of clothes drying yards on the facade of the house.

7. Requirements for technical systems and environmental sanitation

7.1 Requirements for water supply system design

7.1.1 The design of water supply systems for row houses must comply with the regulations in TCVN 4513.

7.1.2 The water usage standards are calculated as follows:

– Type I urban areas: from 150 liters/person/day to 180 liters/person/day;

– Type II urban areas: from 120 liters/person/day to 150 liters/person/day;

– Type III, IV, V urban areas: from 80 liters/person/day to 100 liters/person/day.

7.1.3 Water tanks on the roof must be designed to be compatible with the architecture of the house, not creating a contrast in the vertical architectural form, not affecting the roof and house structure.

7.1.4 There must be an underground water tank in each house to ensure regular water supply for living and fire fighting when necessary.

7.1.5 The water supply pipe to the house must be connected to the common water supply pipe of the residential area.

7.2 Requirements for drainage system design

7.2.1 Standards for domestic wastewater are taken according to drainage standards and designed based on the gravity regime. The design of internal drainage systems must comply with the regulations in TCVN 4474.

7.2.2 Rainwater and wastewater must not be discharged directly onto sidewalks or streets, but must flow through the sewer and underground pipe system from the house into the common drainage system of the city.

7.2.3 The roof rainwater drainage system must ensure rainwater drainage in all weather conditions throughout the year. The roof rainwater drainage system is collected through drainage outlets flowing to vertical pipes, connected to the house’s drainage system. The arrangement of rainwater drainage outlets on the roof must be based on the roof plan, the allowable drainage area of an outlet and the roof structure of the house.

7.2.4 Each house must have a septic tank installed to treat wastewater from the toilet area before discharging into the common drainage system of the city. It is recommended to arrange separate drainage systems for sewage and domestic water. The septic tank is buried underground and must have a protective cover.

7.2.5 The entire wastewater drainage system must be buried underground. The drainage system of each house must be connected to the common drainage system of the neighborhood.

7.2.6 The vertical pipe system must not leak and must be arranged without affecting the architectural aesthetics. Rainwater drainage pipes and gutters are not allowed to discharge water to the boundary of the adjacent land lot or foundation boundary.

7.3 Requirements for lighting design

7.3.1 Natural lighting design for row houses must comply with the regulations in TCXD 29 : 1991. Natural lighting can be side lighting, top lighting or combined lighting.

7.3.2 If combining natural lighting with sun shading, the architectural solutions must not affect natural lighting.

7.3.3 Artificial lighting design for row houses must comply with the regulations in TCXD 16 : 1986.

NOTE: Artificial lighting includes work lighting, emergency lighting, crowd dispersal lighting, and security lighting.

7.3.4 When designing artificial lighting, it must ensure the illuminance on the work desk or the object to be distinguished in each room.

7.3.5 The electrical wiring system must be designed independently from other systems and must ensure easy replacement and repair when necessary. Installation of electrical wiring and equipment must comply with the regulations in TCVN 7447. The lighting system is protected by circuit breakers. Control switches are placed at a height of 1.2 m.

NOTE: To ensure safety for young children at electrical outlets, control switches must have protective boxes or grids;

7.3.6 The design and installation of the electrical system need to follow the following requirements:

a) For row houses with gardens, the electrical box must be installed on the front fence wall. For street-facing row houses, the electrical box must be installed on the facade and within the boundary of the house;

a) The number and specifications of electrical wires, outlets, switches must be suitable with the design for electricity usage of each house;

b) The electrical distribution cabinet must have a grounding wire and must have an automatic circuit breaker. Electrical distribution cabinets must be made of metal and the size must be suitable for the types of electrical circuits.

c) For safety, all switches connected to the power source must use fuse switches and must be protected by a ground fault interrupter;

d) Electrical outlets and junction boxes installed in bathrooms and kitchens must be waterproof type, have interrupters and must be placed at appropriate positions and heights.

e) The lightning protection system must be installed on the top of the house structure and have a grounding wire. The calculation of the lightning protection system must comply with the regulations in TCVN 9385 : 2012.

7.4 Requirements for the design of communication, telecommunications and other technical systems

7.4.1 It is necessary to synchronously design the telecommunications and cable television systems inside and outside the building. The wires must have sufficient capacity to meet current and future usage needs. In case of necessity, there is an additional remote control system for technical equipment.

7.4.2 In the rooms, telephone outlets embedded in the wall are arranged at a height of 0.5 m depending on the interior architecture.

7.4.3 Design an anti-theft and security protection system for the entire house whenever possible.

7.5 Requirements for ventilation and air conditioning

7.5.1 The design of ventilation and air conditioning systems must comply with the regulations in TCVN 5687: 2010.

7.5.2 When designing ventilation and air conditioning systems, it is necessary to have reasonable technological solutions, architectural solutions and structures to ensure hygiene requirements, technical requirements, energy saving and economic efficiency.

7.5.3 Reserve installation positions for the air conditioning system to not affect the vertical architectural face of the building.

7.5.4 The outdoor unit of the air conditioner and the exhaust ducts, exhaust fans from the kitchen must not be arranged facing the adjacent land lot boundary or foundation boundary within a range of less than 4 m.

7.5.5 When designing ventilation and air conditioning systems, it must ensure the allowable microclimate comfort limit indicators as specified in Table 3.

Table 3 – Indoor microclimate comfort limits in residential houses

7.5.6 To ensure natural ventilation, it is necessary to create cross ventilation using solutions of wind-receiving openings and wind-exiting openings.

7.5.7 It is necessary to use architectural and architectural physics solutions to design building envelopes in order to retain heat, avoid cold winds in winter, ensure ventilation, take advantage of natural wind and cross ventilation as specified in TCVN 4605.

7.6 Smoke and gas exhaust

7.6.1 It is not allowed to regularly discharge smoke and exhaust gases that cause pollution to the surrounding environment. The outlets of chimneys and ventilation ducts must not face the streets and surrounding houses.

7.6.2 For rooms with harmful gas generation, kitchens, toilets, it is necessary to design a mechanical ventilation system with wind energy exchange mechanisms in short intervals to ensure the environment according to standards.

7.6.3 The exhaust air flow must ensure 50 m³/h/toilet; 25 m³/h/urinal and 100 m³/h for the kitchen area.

7.6.4 When using vertical ventilation ducts for kitchens and sanitary areas, mechanical exhaust fans must be arranged.

8. Fire protection requirements

8.1 When designing fire prevention and fighting for row houses, it must comply with the regulations in TCVN 2622 and the fire safety requirements for buildings and structures [2].

8.2 It must prevent the spread of fire between two houses through window openings.

8.3 It must organize traffic roads and fire water supply systems for row house areas.

8.4 There must be solutions to prevent smoke from the stairwell from spreading to other floors and vice versa to ensure evacuation requirements in case of incidents.

8.5 Fire hose boxes are placed on each floor at staircase lobbies and must ensure water supply for firefighting when a fire occurs.

9. Requirements for finishing work and urban landscape

9.1 Finishing work needs to ensure meeting the requirements of usability, durability and aesthetics.

9.2 It is not allowed to construct architecture using temporary and crude materials in established urban areas.

9.3 It is not allowed to construct temporary patchwork structures on solid architecture (building grade from grade II and above) such as:

• Temporary structures on rooftop terraces, balconies, loggias of upper floors and flat-roofed ground floor houses;
• Adding eaves attached to existing architecture or attached to fences;
• Arbitrarily enclosing balconies, loggias, external corridors, arcades.

9.4 It is not recommended to use many colors and many decorative materials on the surface of the house. It is necessary to finish the exterior for each house in a harmonious and uniform manner for the entire row of street-facing houses. When finishing, it is necessary to unify specific details, colors and building materials for all types of houses. The design and use of materials for exterior finishing must be considered and approved by the management agencies.

NOTE: All types of houses must use colors that create a gentle combination. The color palette for the exterior will be provided for each specific area (in the urban design for each area).

9.5 Roof tiles should be colored by groups or by areas according to the specified planning. Decorative statues are not allowed on the roof. It is not allowed to attach decorative figures on balconies.

9.6 Doors and windows must use uniform materials for an area, a street or a street section according to the detailed planning or urban design of the area approved by the competent authority.

9.7 The facade of the house must not use colors with high contrast with horizontal or vertical stripes on window frames and spandrel walls. Do not use materials with reflectivity greater than 70%.

9.8 Corner details or decorative details of the building must not exceed 5% of the surface area of the building.

9.9 Solid fence walls must use the same color as the house color or white. Iron bars, aluminum bars of the fence must use colors that match the color of the house.

9.10 Types of doors, windows, counters or architectural decorative elements at a height of 3.0 m and below are not allowed to use reflective mercury glass.

REFERENCES

[1] QCXDVN 01 : 2008/BXD, Vietnam Construction Code – Construction Planning;

[2] QCVN 06 : 2010/BXD, National Technical Regulation – Fire Safety for Buildings and Structures.