Dubai Municipality has said that it has sent notices to several engineering consultancy offices following the detection of professional practices with inflated structural designs for citizens’ villas. These flouting cases were discovered to violate the specifications of the Dubai Building Code and had led to unnecessary hikes in construction costs for the lack of any established engineering requirement.
This move is in accordance with Dubai Municipality’s drive to regulate the construction industry and enhance compliance with approved standards. The move follows previous circulars sent to all consultancy offices across the emirate, compelling rigorous compliance with the Dubai Building Code and compliance with approved engineering standards. The objective is to guarantee structural efficiency without inflationary design, thus containing financial expenses for owners of property while protecting the rights of all concerned.
Eng. Maryam Al Muhairi, CEO of Dubai Municipality’s Buildings Regulation and Permits Agency, stated: “Compliance with the Dubai Building Code is a professional and ethical duty prior to being a regulatory requirement. Its purpose is to achieve a balance between construction quality and lower costs”.
We continue to observe consultancy offices’ and contractors’ practices to enforce compliance with approved specifications, keeping the excessive consumption of construction materials — and steel — in check and citizens from shouldering undue extra expenses. This ensures structural integrity, saves costs without compromising safety and quality, and uses best practices to ensure a safe and sustainable building environment.
Dubai Municipality affirmed that habitual breaches would adversely impact an office’s yearly appraisal and may lead to disciplinary action based on relevant laws and regulations.
Earlier this year, the Municipality suspended two engineering consultancy offices and prohibited them from licensing new projects for six months after it identified professional practices that violated approved regulations and professional ethics—acts considered detrimental to the interests of property owners and developers.
By strengthening compliance with the Dubai Building Code, Dubai Municipality further promotes the emirate’s construction industry, competitiveness, and minimization of waste and unnecessary expenses. All these assist in a favorable business environment as well as the global leadership of Dubai in sustainable urban growth.
