# Unified building code likely by year-end



## Dubai-Lover (Jul 4, 2004)

Unified building code likely by year-end 


Dubai: A unified building code for the UAE's construction sector is expected to be approved by the government this year, a senior industry official said.

"We submitted a set of technical proposals a few years ago to the government on unifying the building code and other construction-related activities. The goal of these submissions was to promote standardisation in line with international best practices," said Imad Al Jamal, vice-chairman of the higher technical consultative committee of the UAE Contractors Association (UCA).

"Once approved, [the code] will set the guidelines for the industry. It is currently being reviewed by the government's legal department and we hope to get it approved later this year," Al Jamal said.

The UAE construction sector's activities are regulated by municipal authorities throughout the country.

Each municipality has its own individual building code.

The UAE has 16,000 registered construction companies, of which 4,000 are active.

The UCA has 800 members, representing large contractors.

The construction sector's contribution to the country's GDP rose to Dh17.66 billion in 2003, up from Dh16.97 billion the previous year.

This percentage is expected to decline by one to 1.5 per cent this year, due to the saturation of the real estate market, a senior industry official said.

"The construction sector's contribution to the country's GDP is expected to rise in the medium to long term, as the newly announced projects would take off by then," he said.


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