ICC to Develop New Building Codes to Enhance Building Safety and Standards in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE, October 14, 2008: The Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with International Code Council (ICC), the world's leading building code authority and developers of the International Codes, the best practice standards that are used across the USA and in many countries around the world.
The MOU covers services with the DMA that include the adoption of the International Building Code (IBC) and lay the foundation for the development of the Abu Dhabi International Building Code, which are the standards that will guide the development of construction projects in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
H.E. Dr. Ju'an Salem Al Dhaheri, Chairman of Department of Municipal Affairs explained the significance of the MOU: "This is an important step to enhance construction standards in Abu Dhabi and safeguard the long-term security of the emirate's population."
The DMA stands committed to its mandates and views this initiative as an important step in guiding the growth of Abu Dhabi. H.E. Dr. Dhaheri continued, "There is a great need to provide clear and effective regulatory codes and guidelines that address the specific requirements of all sectors within the construction industry. We are confident that through the new codes we will achieve a state- of-the-art regulatory structure that will boost the public safety and building longevity."
On behalf of ICC President, Adolf Zubia and CEO, Richard Weiland, "we look forward to contributing to the promising future developments of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and its continued prosperity, by implementing the International Code Councils (ICC) family of codes and conformance programs. This will improve building quality, efficiency, safety and do it in a consistent way."
Once developed, the codes will be applied throughout the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by code administrators, construction design professionals and developers, and enforced through a rigorous program of inspections and legislation by the authorities.
H.E. Eng Ahmed Shareef, Undersecretary, Department of Municipal Affairs stated, "This agreement comes very timely, in support of our vision to create an advanced unified regulatory system for the construction industry. By adopting the International Codes, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi immediately raises its construction standards through benefits from the efforts of decades of code development work by world class experts." He added "The ultimate objective aims to establish the Abu Dhabi International Building Codes, custom-created guidelines that will serve the specific requirements, which would be achieved through the collaborative efforts of local experts from government departments, developers, international engineering and architectural firms, contractors, universities and the industry sector."
The International Code Council is a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention that develops the codes used to construct all types of commercial and residential buildings, including schools and public facilities. The international family of codes developed by ICC is currently implemented in all 50 states of the US. The vision of the International Code Council is to create public safety in the built environment while its mission is to provide the highest quality codes, standards, products, and services for all concerned.
The MOU Outlines the Following Objectives and Cooperative Efforts:
4. Establishment of training programs in various related fields for municipality employees and the construction industry within the Abu Dhabi Emirate.
The Department of Municipal Affairs will be collaborating on this project with pertinent government entities and stakeholders to ensure the success of the building.
About the ICC Codes:
- International Building Code
- Existing Building
- Residential
- Energy Conservation
- Fire
- Fuel Gas
- Mechanical
- Performance
- Plumbing
- Private Sewage Disposal
- Zoning
- Property Maintenance
- Urban-Wildland Interface
The International Code Council (ICC) was established in 1994 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a single set of comprehensive and coordinated national model construction codes. The founders of the ICC are Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA), International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), and Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc. (SBCCI). Since the early part of the last century, these nonprofit organizations developed the three separate sets of model codes used throughout the United States. Although regional code development has been effective and responsive to our country's needs, the time came for a single set of codes. The nation's three model code groups responded by creating the International Code Council and by developing codes without regional limitations the International Codes.
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About Department of Municipal Affairs:
The Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) commenced operations in May 2007, following the Abu Dhabi Executive Council's decision to integrate the Emirate's municipal system. As a new government entity, the Department of Municipal Affairs was created to lead, coordinate and oversee three municipalities in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region. The DMA has a regulatory role while the service delivery and operations are at the municipality level.
On the 5th of May 2008, the Department of Municipal Affairs along with the Abu Dhabi Municipality, Al Ain Municipality and Western Region Municipality embarked upon a new municipal services journey, with the signing of the historic Municipal Charter which aligns the DMA and three municipalities towards greater collaboration and cooperation.
For further information, please contact:
Department of Municipal Affairs
Mrs. Amal Al Jarwan
Tel: 971-2-4030311
Fax: 971-2-6777755
Email: amal@dma.abudhabi.ae
Impact Porter Novelli
Ms. Kate Chandler
Mobile: 971-50-822 6970
Fax: 971-2-4457078
Email: k.chandler@ipn.ae
© Press Release 2008
