Abu Dhabi to have unified building codes in early 2010

The Abu Dhabi Government has recently signed up to new and rigorous codes in urban and industrial building ,enforced by tough and inquisitive regulators, with hundreds of delegates from both private and public sector being despatched to training courses on every aspect of construction from seismic protection to fire control.

The new rules, the Abu Dhabi Building Codes, conform to the most demanding global standards and have been developed in tandem with the International Code Council (ICC), responsible for advising US regulators on their exacting regime.

The challenge is significant not least because of the extraordinary speed of construction growth across Abu Dhabi (construction industry contributed 4.7% to 2008 GDP) but because of its demanding climate, seismological features and the wide range of industrial activity powering the Emirate's economic expansion.

The regulatory environment needs to be all encompassing but sufficiently clear and practical that developers can act rigorously without slowing Abu Dhabi's infrastructure drive.

His Excellency Rashid Mubarak Al Hajeri, Chairman of DMA and Chairman of the Building Codes Higher Council, says:

"Abu Dhabi has stated clear ambitions not only in providing the best environment in which to live and work but to delivering the services which support that ambition. Top five governments supply this kind of legislative and regulatory framework and that is where we want to be."

"However, more important than this is the safety and welfare of people in our emirate. On that there is no room to compromise and government and private sector have come together to enhance confidence in our built environment," added His Excellency Al Hajeri.

The International Building Code also takes in energy efficiency and property maintenance in a region where climate soon takes its toll on building fabric. Training and legislation to support the code continues in Abu Dhabi in consultation with the ICC.