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New Building Code of International Standards for Capital Soon

ABU DHABI - A new building code conforming to international standards will be implemented across Abu Dhabi emirate before the end of this year, a senior government official has said.

The new code will update the decades-old present code.

The Department of Municipal Affairs in cooperation with the US-based International Code Council (ICC), the world’s leading building code authority and developers of international codes, has begun training sessions under its ‘International Building Code
Training Series’.

Ahmed Al Shareef, Under-secretary, Department of Municipal Affairs, said recently that the purpose of the training is to introduce and spread awareness among all sectors that have direct relations with the construction industry on the international building code developed by the ICC. The training will also prepare these sectors to implement the international codes.

The first four-day training session concluded in Abu Dhabi recently. The sessions will continue for six months covering municipal employees, relevant government agencies, engineering consultants and construction industry professionals.

Rashed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Chairman, Department of Municipal Affairs, emphasised the need to provide clear and effective regulatory codes and guidelines.

“The construction sector is one of the major industries due to the growth the emirate is witnessing and, therefore, requires proper governing laws that protect and guarantee the safety of the community,” he said.

The International Building Code Training Series will also be offered on a continuous basis in the adoption and code development stages in the future, to provide professional development opportunities for all concerned in the construction industry.

The session on international building codes, titled, ‘Fundamentals: structural and non structural provisions’ was conducted by Jay Woodward, senior staff architect with ICC’s Regional Office in Kansas City.

qudoos@khaleejtimes.com