Improvement of readability of the Dutch Building Decree using XML

On October 1 1992, new technical building regulations, a so-called Building Decree, came into force in the Netherlands. The Building Decree contains 14 chapters. The technical regulations of the Decree are given for newly built and existing works and split in different chapters depending on the usage function of the work. For non-residential buildings general requirements have been given, which shall be combined with specific clauses, given in another chapter, distinguished to the various usage functions. Two factors influence the public opinion about the outlook of the Dutch building regulations. These factors are: • The evaluation project of the modified Housing Act and the Building Decree, executed in 1995-1996; • The project "building regulations" of the policy plan of market mechanism, deregulation and quality of legislation, executed in 1996-1997. Both projects learn that people were satisfied with the performance-based concept, but the presentation of the Building Decree with different chapters for different types of works seemed too difficult to understand