Saudi Minister of Commerce and Investment, Majid al-Qassabi, Chairman of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, affirmed the importance of the Saudi Building Code as one of the most important pillars in supporting the national economy and enhancing citizens' safety measures.
Speaking during the first introductory workshop on "Saudi Building Code", the minister urged all members of the technical teams in the National Committee of Building Code to work hard to complete the basic requirements, ahead of the phase of obligatory compliance with the code.
The workshop was held on Saturday with the participation of members and representatives of technical teams and a number of specialists and interested parties.
Qasabi expressed his confidence that the Saudi Building Code represents a qualitative addition to the country and the citizen, including its technical requirements and operational and legal requirements that will achieve more safety rates in the construction sector of the Kingdom.
The Minister thanked all the representatives of the government bodies participating in the workshop wishing their work success, with its positive impact on the sustainability of buildings and public safety.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Committee of the Saudi Building Code Saad al-Qasabi, pointed out that the issuance of Royal Decree No. (M / 43) dated 26/4/1438 AH requires the application of the code on all construction and building sectors.
Saudi Building Code is the reference code for the GCC Building Code, as agreed by all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.
Saad al-Qasabi revealed that the National Committee of Building Code is working diligently ahead of the implementation stage through integrated regulations through the preparation of the implementing regulations for the code system and preparation of the classification list of violations.
The National Committee is also working to address gaps in the current national system of building code to reach an integrated institutional framework which ensures efficiency in the implementation of the code and updating it through an integrated focus of corporate governance and strategy.
The first workshop included an introduction of the work of the National Committee of Building Code, and draft of the executive regulations and the classification of violations.
The workshop also included the presentation of 11 subcommittees involved in the preparation, review and development of the code, with the participation of over 14 governmental agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Saudi Council for Engineers, Saudi Geological Survey and Saudi Aramco.
The National Committee of Building Code is currently finalizing the code update and preparing for the second workshop where the technical outputs of the working teams will be introduced to specialists of public and private sectors in various fields. The third introductory workshop will be for all interested parties and it is expected to be finalized over the next few months.
