New in the Building Code: it will no longer be mandatory to install a bidet in homes
It has just sanctioned the Buenos Aires Legislature. Hotels will not have to meet that requirement either. The placement of bathtubs will also be optional.
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The bidet, for a long time, was a matter of Argentine national culture, almost like a classic, since in almost no country of the world it has it, not even the hotels. Less luxury ones. And now, it will no longer be mandatory in Buenos Aires that both homes and hotels that are built in the City have a bidet.
This was defined in the new Building Code, which sanctioned the Buenos Aires Legislature. Although the norm must still go through a public hearing and a second reading, the ruling party has the votes to approve it before the end of the year.
Although it sounds strange to many, until now private homes should include the bidet by law. This was confirmed in the Urban Planning Commission of the Legislature. And this is what is required, for example, when a developer presents the plans to build a building, since there is talk of a complete bathroom: lavatory, toilet, bathtub and bidet. As of the modification of the Code, the installation of the device will be optional.
This may have more relevance in the case of future hotels. And it goes in line with what happens in other countries, where it is rare to find bidets, even in the 5-star category. In some, they are replaced by elements similar to a shower, or by implements that are placed in the toilet.
The bidet was born in Europe in the eighteenth century, and originally installed in the bedrooms. Interestingly, today in many European countries it is considered "unhygienic", or a luxury item.
The change, in addition, facilitates the possibility that the future houses are smaller, because the bathrooms may have less space. In fact, the minimum surface area of a single studio was lowered from 29.30 to 21 square meters. The idea of allowing smaller buildings is one of the guidelines of the new Building Code.
In the same way, it will not be obligatory to install bathtubs either. But in this case the explanation comes on the one hand very worthy: accessibility. For the disabled or the elderly, bathtubs can be a problem, especially in hotels. In fact, in many establishments in other countries there are only showers.
The new Code also comes to regulate situations that have been commonplace for years but were not contemplated in the regulations. For example, it authorizes dry coatings and other construction materials and technologies. In some cases, they are not in the law because they did not even exist: the current Code was sanctioned in 1943.