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Dubai announces one-stop-shop app for construction services

New platform complies with requirements of Dubai Digital Authority’s ‘Digital City Experiences’, which offer an inclusive experience for property owners

Dubai Municipality announced the launch of its ‘Building in Dubai’ platform, a comprehensive suite of services catering to the construction industry. The initiative demonstrates Dubai’s accelerated digital transformation drive across sectors and the Municipality's relentless pursuit of cutting-edge innovation powered by smart systems.

Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, unveiled the platform on the sidelines of GITEX GLOBAL and detailed the extensive range of construction sector services, information and processes, provided both by Dubai Municipality and other related entities in the emirate, through the initiative. The platform is aimed at stakeholders across the sector, including property owners, developers, consultants and contractors. It will act as yet another factor in improving the sustainability of projects and strengthening Dubai's global competitiveness in the construction sector, which is regarded as one of the most progressive in the world.

Al Hajri said the 'Building in Dubai' platform solidifies Dubai's position as a global leader in harnessing technology and digital transformation to enhance the construction and building sector. This strategic initiative also mirrors the remarkable development that the emirate is going through and reaffirms its status as a prominent international hub in the fields of construction and transformative architecture.

Speaking on the occasion, he stated: “We launched the ‘Building in Dubai’ platform during the GITEX Global 2023. In a pioneering move, the platform will offer a variety of construction-related services on one platform, acting as a proactive and user-friendly digital service system that reduces hassle, saves time, and increases project owners’ satisfaction. The platform highlights the municipality’s efforts to establish an intelligent, sustainable and globally advanced construction sector by leveraging the latest technological innovations to provide superior construction permit services. This is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to position Dubai as a global centre for construction, building and urban development, further bolstering Dubai’s leadership and position on global competitiveness indices.”

He added that the municipality is spearheading digital transformation in the construction sector by developing a roadmap for implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the emirate by collaborating with partners and offering requisite building information to offer various smart services and create a ‘digital twin’ of Dubai.

Building permit via automated auditing

Mariam Al Muhairi, Acting CEO of the Buildings Regulation and Permits Agency at Dubai Municipality, highlighted the Municipality’s constant efforts to enhance building design standards. She also underscored the value of deploying Building Information Modelling (BIM) across a building’s lifecycle to achieve cost savings, shorter project timelines, faster permit issuance, improved construction and operational process efficiency, and reduced reliance on unskilled labour.

“Dubai Municipality issued the first building permit utilising automated auditing technology for a commercial residential tower with 37 floors in the Almerkadh area. The tower was designed in accordance with Dubai's Building Information Modelling (BIM) standards and specifications. This move underlines Dubai's global leadership in the use of automated auditing in building designs, with standards designed specifically for Dubai. Digital tools for performing automated auditing on models through a 3D model viewer to detect non-compliance with building code standards have been developed and made available 24/7 on the ‘Building in Dubai’ platform. This allows experts to analyse the audit results and rectify any issues discovered in the early phases,” Al Muhairi added.

A one-stop shop

The new platform complies with the requirements of Dubai Digital Authority’s ‘Digital City Experiences’, which offer an inclusive digital experience for property owners throughout the construction journey. It allows access to information on their projects, including land and building details, construction stages, as well as a construction consultant directory, informative contract templates, and a list and ratings of registered consultants and contractors.

The platform also features the latest technological innovations, such as automated auditing of building designs using Building Information Modelling (BIM), of which Dubai is global pioneer with regards to implementation, intelligent inspection, and deployment of artificial intelligence.

The platform, which is being developed in stages, will offer several essential services for property owners, developers, consultants, and contractors through the entire building construction process. These services will encompass all stages, starting from land acquisition, building design, construction permits and execution of the construction work to completion and service connection, occupancy, renting or selling the building, as well as additions, modifications, maintenance or demolition.

Dubai Municipality aims to consolidate all construction-related services on the new platform. It will also include services offered by partners from the government and private sectors, such as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

(DEWA), Dubai Civil Defense, Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment, Dubai Land Department, Dubai Customs, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), Dubai Development Authority, as well as services from telecommunications companies Etisalat and du.

All contractors can gain access to the ‘Building in Dubai’ platform to explore a wide array of services for property owners, developers, consultants, and contractors through the link https://buildindubai.gov.ae/.

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