New building code regulation early next year

New building code regulations for the construction industry will be launched early next year.

The Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) has embarked on its second phase of its largest ever training programme to prepare the construction industry for new building code regulations.

The workshops started this month and will run until mid-November in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

Experts from the International Code Council (ICC) will lead these sessions that are designed to ensure trade professionals are ready to apply and comply the new regulations.

"The new building codes warrant the largest training of its kind to take place in the UAE," said Ahmed Shareef, Undersecretary of the DMA, and member of the Abu Dhabi Building Codes Higher Council.

"Our message to the construction industry is clear: take advantage of this opportunity to get ready for the new codes. Right now, we are in a process of consultation and training with our industry partners.

By taking the journey towards better buildings together, we can ensure that the transition to the new codes will be a smooth one."

These series of workshops started with the building codes fundamentals workshop as it will help the engineers, consultants and technical staff to understand the interrelatedness of the code requirements and help them to develop a procedure for applying them.

Delegates from the municipal system, relevant government entities, and the construction industry attended the first series of workshops to help prepare them to migrate to the new Codes once they become law.

Following on from the first workshops will be a suite of further training courses such as the International Fire Code - covering hazardous materials, International Energy Conservation Code fundamentals, International Building Codes workshops covering accessibility, means of egress, mixed occupancy and performing non-structural plan reviews.

All these training workshops are currently being offered by the DMA at subsidised rates.