Administrative Resolution No. (154) of
2020
Concerning the Bylaw
on the
Dubai Green Building
System “Al Sa’fat” [1]
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The Director General of the Dubai Municipality,
After perusal
of:
The powers
legally vested in him under the Order of 1961 Establishing the Dubai
Municipality;
Local Order
No. (3) of 1999 Regulating Construction Works in the Emirate of Dubai and its
amendments;
Executive
Council Resolution No. (32) of 2018 Approving the Organisational Structure of
the Dubai Municipality;
Administrative
Resolution No. (125) of 2001 Approving the Bylaw Concerning Building
Requirements and Specifications and its amendments;
Administrative
Resolution No. (344) of 2011 Approving the Bylaw Concerning Green Building
Requirements and Specifications in the Emirate of Dubai; and
Administrative
Resolution No. (259) of 2017 Approving the Green Building Rating System "Al Sa'fat",
Does hereby
issue this Resolution.
The following words and expressions,
wherever mentioned in this Resolution, will have the meaning indicated opposite
each of them unless the context implies otherwise:
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Emirate: |
The Emirate of Dubai.
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DM: |
The Dubai Municipality.
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Director General:
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The director general of the DM.
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Bylaw: |
The Bylaw on the Dubai Green
Building System "Al Sa'fat" approved pursuant
to this Resolution. |
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Department: |
The Building Permit Department at the
Engineering and Planning Sector of the DM. |
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Building: |
This includes any Private Villa,
Investment Villa, traditional Arab house, Residential Building,
Commercial Building, Public Building, Industrial Building, or
mixed-use building; or any other building to which the
Bylaw applies. |
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Private Villa: |
A detached or semi-detached Building
that is entirely designated for a single family to live
in; that has a ground-floor entrance and independent car park
spaces; and that is surrounded by separate outdoor
spaces. |
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Investment Villa:
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A complex of detached, attached, or
semi-detached Private Villas that may have common outdoor spaces and recreational
facilities. The ownership of these
villas may be divided only if each of them has its own
legally required Setback. |
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Industrial Building:
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A Building that is used directly for
manufacturing or processing products, for technical production projects, or
for storage. This includes workshops, factories, and warehouses.
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Sa’fa: |
A rating symbol granted under a certificate
issued by the Department to the Owner of a Building that meets the relevant
standards, conditions, and requirements. This includes a
silver,
gold, or platinum Sa’fa. |
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a. Pursuant to this
Resolution, the Bylaw on the Dubai Green Building System “Al Sa’fat” attached to this
Resolution, inclusive of all mandatory and optional standards,
conditions, and requirements set forth therein, is approved.
b. In
designing and constructing Buildings in the Emirate, and obtaining the relevant
permits and approvals, all public and private entities in the Emirate must comply with the
standards, conditions, and requirements prescribed by the Bylaw.
a. This Resolution applies to:
1. any Building whose Construction is permitted after the effective
date of this Resolution, and any permitted additions or modifications to
that Building;
2. any additions or
modifications permitted after the effective date of this
Resolution in respect of a Building whose Construction
is permitted prior to the effective date of this Resolution;
3. any parts of a
Building whose Construction is permitted pursuant to the above-mentioned
Administrative Resolution No. (344) of 2011 where any additions or
modifications that may compromise energy efficiency in these parts,
or adversely affect the integrity and safety of the
Building, are applied for after the effective date of this Resolution, even if the
additions or modifications are not requested in respect of these parts;
b. Notwithstanding the
provisions of paragraph (a) of this Article, an Owner of a Building whose
Construction is permitted pursuant to the provisions of the above-mentioned Administrative
Resolution No. (344) of 2011 may apply to the Department for issuing the appropriate
Sa’fa certificate for the Building. In that case, the
Department will, after evaluating the Building, issue the requested certificate
in accordance with the standards, conditions, and requirements stipulated in
the Bylaw.
c. The provisions of
this Resolution do not apply to the temporary buildings to be demolished
within no later than two (2) years from the date of their Construction.
This Resolution aims to:
1. enhance the quality
of Buildings in the Emirate; increase the efficiency
of energy and water consumption and use of materials in
existing or future Buildings; and enhance the
integrity and safety of Buildings and the health and safety of
their
residents;
2. support the
strategic plans of the Emirate relating to Construction regulations with a view
to ensuring high quality and environment-friendly Buildings in order to achieve
the happiness and
welfare of users and occupants of these Buildings and to make Dubai a happy and
sustainable city;
3. improve the
efficiency of infrastructure in the Emirate with a view to meeting future
development requirements; and
4. reduce the negative impact
of Buildings on the health of people and on the environment throughout the Building
life cycle, which comprises selecting the most appropriate Construction
sites; designing, constructing, operating, and regularly maintaining Buildings;
and demolishing Buildings and recycling their materials.
a.
The Sa’fat classification under this Resolution is as follows:
1.
Silver Sa’fa: Satisfaction of the standards, conditions, and requirements of this Sa’fa is mandatory for all
Buildings in the Emirate.
2. Gold Sa’fa: Satisfaction of the standards, conditions, and requirements of this Sa’fa is optional for all
Buildings in the Emirate.
3. Platinum Sa’fa: Satisfaction of the standards, conditions, and
requirements of this Sa’fa is optional for all Buildings in the Emirate.
b.
Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-paragraph (a)(1) of this
Article, the satisfaction of certain standards, conditions, and
requirements of the Silver Sa’fa may be optional for Private Villas, Investment
Villas, and Industrial Buildings, as stipulated in the Bylaw, unless an
application for a higher category Sa’fa is submitted. Where a
higher category Sa'fa is applied for, all standards, conditions, and requirements
of that Sa’fa and all standards, conditions, and requirements of
the lower category Sa’fa, including any optional standards, conditions, and
requirements of the Silver Sa’fa, must be satisfied.
The Department will
issue a Building with the appropriate Sa’fa certificate after verifying
compliance with the standards, conditions, and requirements stipulated in the
Bylaw.
Upon a request submitted by the Owner of
a Building, the Director General or his authorised representative may exempt
the Building from certain standards, conditions, or requirements stipulated in
the Bylaw for the relevant Sa’fa certificate required for the Building and may replace
them with other requirements. This applies only to the following types of Buildings:
1.
special purpose Buildings to which the application of
certain standards, conditions, or requirements stipulated in the Bylaw is infeasible or may adversely affect the Buildings;
2.
the Heritage Buildings which are
specified by the Architectural Heritage and Antiquities Department at the
Support Services Sector of the DM, and to which the application of certain
standards, conditions, and requirements stipulated in the Bylaw is infeasible; and
3.
the Buildings designed to allow the use of new technologies that
contribute to producing, or reducing the consumption of, energy and water or to
achieving more benefits than those expected from applying the standards,
conditions, and requirements prescribed by the Bylaw.
The Owner of a Building may apply to the
Department for upgrading the Sa’fa certificate of his Building where the
requirements for a higher category Sa’fa are met. This upgrade will be made in
accordance with the relevant procedures approved by the DM.
a. The validity of a
Sa’fa certificate will be as follows:
1. A Silver Sa’fa
Certificate will be valid for an indefinite period for Private Villas and
Industrial Buildings. However, this certificate will be valid for fifteen (15)
years from the date of issuance for other types of Buildings, including
Investment Villas.
2. Gold and Platinum
Sa’fa Certificates will be valid for five (5) years from the date of issuance
for all types of Buildings.
b. Upon
expiry of a Sa'fa certificate, it will be renewed for the same period stipulated
in paragraph (a) of this Article, provided that the standards,
conditions, and requirements prescribed for issuing that certificate are
satisfied.
The provisions of the Bylaw apply without
prejudice to the application of any other standards, conditions, and
requirements prescribed by any Government Entity in the Emirate in
respect of the Buildings and works to which this Resolution applies. In the
event of conflict between such other standards, conditions, and requirements
and those prescribed by the Bylaw, the standards, conditions, and
requirements that achieve higher efficiency of energy and water
consumption and better energy and water savings, and promote the integrity
and safety of Buildings and the health and safety of their residents,
will apply.
The director of the Department will issue
the instructions required for the implementation of the provisions of this
Resolution, including those related to:
1. highlighting the
positive aspects and benefits of the Bylaw and its role in protecting the
environment; and urging Owners, consultants, and contractors to apply the
standards, conditions, and requirements stipulated therein to Construction
projects;
2. the method of
evaluation of Buildings for the purpose of issuing appropriate Sa’fa certificates; and
3. the manuals required
for the implementation of the provisions of this Resolution.
The above-mentioned Administrative
Resolution No. (344) of 2011 and Administrative Resolution No. (259) of 2017
are hereby repealed. Any provision in any other administrative resolution will
also be repealed to the extent that it contradicts the provisions of this
Resolution.
This Resolution will be published in the
Official Gazette and will come into force sixty (60) days after the date of its
publication.
Dawood Abdul
Rahman Al Hajiri
Director General
Dubai Municipality
Issued in Dubai on 9 August 2020
Corresponding to 19 Thu
al-Hijjah 1441 A.H.
©2020 The
Supreme Legislation Committee in the Emirate of Dubai
[1]Every effort has
been made to produce an accurate and complete English version of this
legislation. However, for the purpose of its interpretation and application,
reference must be made to the original Arabic text. In case of conflict, the
Arabic text will prevail.