改做開放式廚房是否一定要入則? 沒有入則會怎樣? 可否之後補入則?

改造開放式廚房主要涉及兩個問題:
1. 結構安全 - 要考慮改造工程會否涉及樓宇結構, 即改造廚房時要拆掉的的牆是否結構牆及/或包含其他結構組件(如柱). 若會涉及樓宇結構, 必須入則. 否則, 根據《建築物條例》第41(3)條, 拆除非結構牆本身無須向屋宇署入則申請.
2. 耐火結構 - 《建築物(建造)規例》第90條規定建築物需有適當的耐火結構, 詳細規定在屋宇署的《耐火結構守則》內. 守則定明一般須以耐火時效不少於1 小時的牆壁將廚房和單位其餘部分隔開, 廚房門亦要有不少於半小時的耐火時效. 雖然有關規定原意是針對用明火煮食的廚房, 但守則內並無特別字眼說明, 因此:
(a) 如果你的廚房是以上情況又是用明火煮食, 那入則也無用, 屋宇署不會批准的;
(b) 如果你的廚房是以上情況但不是用明火煮食, 那除了上面1.的問題, 你亦要在入則時向屋宇署申請豁免符合有關規定. 但由於你之後很容易便能改回明火煮食, 必須要有非常充分的理據才會獲得豁免, 據知目前只有少數新樓盤獲批提供開放式廚房, 現樓改建的多是(但不肯定是否全部都是)私下進行.
所以基本上是必須入則, 但屋宇署未必批准.
入則必須在動工前申請, 絕對不能事後補回. 若你沒有入則便私下進行有關工程, 便等於僭健, 屋宇署知道後會根據政策考慮是否存在即時危險, 若是, 可根據《建築物條例》發出命令要求你將有關地方還原, 甚至提出檢控. 若否, 不會即時採取行動, 但會發出勸籲信甚至是可在田土廳註契的警告通知, 希望你主動將有關地方還原.
若要入則, 手續就是聘用認可人士 (Authorized Person - AP) (若涉及結構改動, 視乎複雜程度, 可能要同時聘用註冊結構工程師 (Registered Structural Engineer - RSE) )替你擬備可行方案, 向屋宇署入則申請及取得展開工程的書面同意, 之後必須聘用註冊一般建築承建商 (Registered General Building Contractor - RGBC) 負責進行工程, 完工後要通知屋宇署及提交工程的相關記錄.

2007-09-28 23:38:55 補充：
原來你已經做了...... 那等於僭健, 有什麼意外一般保險是不會賠償的, 另外他日賣樓買家可以因單位有僭健而提出踢契, 這又是另一項風險.《建築物條例》並沒有任何事後入則的機制, 現在除了還原外並沒有任何解決方法.

It depends.

Column and beam must be structural elements. You can't demolish them without approval by Building Department

There are two types of walls, i.e. structural wall and non structural wall. For structural wall, it is at least 150mm thick with rebars. For non-structural wall, they can be formed by plain concrete (w/o rebars) or by bricks. the thickness nomorally <=125mm. Of course, these figures are just indicative, but not a must. You shall get approval from BD (A&A works) before demolishing any structural wall.

Beside judging by wall thickness, the formal way to do so is by referring to the building plans. They are all available in BD. (see http://www.bd.gov.hk/chineseT/services/index_support4.html). There are mainly two types of building plan, i.e. structural plan and general building plan. GBP shows everythings, including structural and non-structural elements, while SP only shows structural elements.

Even for non-structural wall, you still have to take care of the E&M services cast inside your non-structural wall. Electric ducts, water pipes, drainage pipe, etc. may probably be cast in the the wall. When you demolish the non-structural wall, you have to divert all those services.

For structural wall, you can still demolish it with approval from BD. You must high a RSE / AP to submit an A&A (Alternation and Addition) submission to BD to get its no objection consent. Normally, you have to do sth to strengthen the structure so as to demolish the structural element.

For example, if you plans to demolish a structural wall, should have to construct a structural steel portal frame (工字鋼龍門架) to divert the loading from top to the bottom. For details, you can enquire your structural consultant (i.e. RSE). The consultation fee (i.e. getting approval from BD) is around HK$20,000.00 depending on the extent of your A&A works. The approval time solely for BD is around 60 days.

2007-09-28 11:28:58 補充：
column = 柱beam = 樑 / 陣

2007-09-28 11:35:04 補充：
BD = Building Departmenthttp://www.bd.gov.hk/chineseT/index_tc.html

2007-09-28 11:35:18 補充：
RSE = Registered Structural Engineer / 註冊結構工程師http://www.bd.gov.hk/chineseT/inform/c_rse_1.htmlAP = Authorised Person / 認可人士http://www.bd.gov.hk/chineseT/inform/c_api_1.htmlhttp://www.bd.gov.hk/chineseT/inform/c_apii_1.html