On Thursday November 15th, Asharqia Chamber, represented by the Contracting Committee, held a workshop in the presence of a member of the board of directors and the Chairman of the Contracting Committee Hamad bin Hamoud Al Hammad.
The Director General of the Department of Construction Code in the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Engineer Saeed bin Khaled Kodsah, announced the launch of the Saudi Building Code during November.
The biggest challenge facing code implementation is the lack of qualified and trained personnel as well as lack of English language skills for many trainees as the requirements of the code in English.
He stressed that the Ministry is in the process of developing an urgent initiative for the Saudi Building Code (Code platform), and providing technical support to the Secretariats using the offices of engineering and consulting code application, in addition to preparing a training program for the code after the update of specialists in the Ministry and Secretariats and Municipalities.
Kodsah said that the Saudi Building Code (SBC) is a set of requirements and subsequent implementing regulations and annexes related to construction that to ensure safety and public health.
One of the most important foundations for the application of the Building Code and achieve its objectives is to adopt effective and successful mechanisms that will bring out the regulations and controls of the code (requirements) from its scientific form to reality.
He pointed out the efforts of the Ministry to raise the efficiency and capabilities of specialists in the Municipal sector in the application code by preparing programs and providing training courses, which will contribute to the specialists and practitioners in their work in this area to reap the benefits of the code at the level of excellence.
He explained that the purpose of the Building Code and its application is to ensure safety and public health by providing "a healthy environment for buildings and installations" and to achieve the durability, sustainability, stability and protection of buildings and facilities, in addition to energy conservation "electricity and water" that to end disputes between parties involved in building and constructing.
He pointed to what the international studies have learned that the application of the Building Code reduces construction costs by 10% to 20% as well as reducing power consumption of electricity, water and operational maintenance from 30% to 40%.
He pointed out that the Building Code is a vital pioneering work and an important cultural shift in the field of urban development and construction sector in the Kingdom in order to reach a sophisticated construction industry, and that it is the result of collective efforts and the outcome of the participation of specialists in this field from all relevant parties.
He stressed that the building code applies to all stages of construction in the Kingdom, which is including the work of design, supervision, implementation, occupancy, maintenance, modification and removal (demolition).
All engineering drawings shall be in accordance with the Saudi Building Code.
Furthermore, a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber and Chairman of the Contracting Committee, Hamad bin Hamoud Al-Hammad, said that the lecture was part of the business plan of the Contracting Committee for 2018 in order to raise the awareness of the business sector of contractors and engineers with Saudi Building Code.
He stressed the importance of its existence and its application because of its active role in raising the quality of construction and maintaining the national economy by ensuring the safety of enterprises and residents.
He pointed out that the lecture aimed to raise awareness among the contractors sector from the Eastern Region of the importance of the Building Code and its role in the assistant engineers and technicians and enable them to carry out their work in safe ways.
