Bauakten

Bauakten, or construction records, are the documentary materials created and collected during the planning, construction, and ongoing management of a building or other built project. In German-speaking contexts they may be assembled by developers, architects, engineers, contractors, and public authorities, and they are often retained by the property owner or by municipal building departments as part of public records.

Typical contents include planning permits and approvals, architectural and structural drawings, technical specifications, contracts and change orders, daily site diaries, progress reports, material test results, inspection certificates, commissioning records, as-built drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, warranties, and correspondence among project participants.

These records document compliance with planning and construction standards, establish the design intent, support maintenance and renovations, and provide evidence in disputes or liability matters. They also support property transfers by confirming the project history and existing conditions, and can serve as historical sources for research.

Management varies by jurisdiction. Bauakten may be stored in paper form or digitally, often in a project file or municipal archive. Increasingly, they are integrated with building information modeling (BIM) and document management systems. Retention periods differ legally; some records become public after a set period, while others are restricted to authorized persons due to privacy, security, or contractual considerations.