Standardisation and regulation

Framing

Since its foundation, LNEC has always considered standardization an essential activity within its mission. In 1949, the Standardization Section was created and integrated into the Building Process Study Service to support the development of LNEC Specifications. Furthermore, within the scope of national standardization, LNEC was not only a pioneer – the first LNEC Specification (1951) was published three years before the first Portuguese Standard (1954) – but has also been a major contributor to the normative body of work, as approximately 40% of the LNEC Specifications published up to 2005 were transposed into Portuguese Standards.

By delegation of the Portuguese Institute for Quality (IPQ), LNEC currently plays the role of Sectoral Standardization Body (ONS) for three domains, ensuring the coordination of three National Technical Standardization Committees; the Committees in question are CT 90, CT 115, and CT 156, which respectively cover the domains of Urban Water Systems, Structural Eurocodes, and Geotechnics in Civil Engineering.

This responsibility involves coordinating the participation of over a hundred technical specialists and monitoring the activity of six CEN (European Committee for Standardization) and two ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standardization committees.

In addition to this activity, approximately forty other technical specialists from LNEC actively participate in the work of national standardization committees under the responsibility of other ONS.

On the following pages of this Portal, information is presented regarding the standardization committees for which LNEC is the Sectoral Standardization Body