Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing has issued updated requirements for the construction of residential buildings of various types. These included villas, residential buildings, commercial residential buildings and administrative residential buildings. Under the updated requirements, it is allowed to increase heights of residential villas and construction ratios for all floors.

The updated specifications included a number of provisions related to facilitating various types of construction work for the beneficiaries. These provisions aimed to preserve safety of buildings and protect them from risks, in addition to providing the best standards in construction work such as increasing the proportion of built area in residential buildings and villas, and buildings for commercial, administrative and residential purposes. It also aims to reduce setback, which is the minimum open space required around any building or structure, in residential villas.

The requirements also included increasing the heights of residential villas, side walls, and rooftops; increasing the construction ratios for all floors, including the upper annex; allowing residential villas to be built with setbacks on the ground floor on all sides; and meeting public health and safety requirements in accordance with the requirements of the Saudi Building Code, as well as material specifications, implementation quality, reference manuals and codes.

The requirements for residential villas include that the total building area for the ground floor, including ground annexes, should not exceed 75 percent of the land area. The building area for the first floor should not exceed 75 percent of the land area, and the building area for the upper annex should not exceed 70 percent of the floor area below it, including vertical circulation elements such as stairs and elevators. If the upper annex is used as an independent residential unit, an additional parking space must be provided within the property boundaries.

The upper annex in residential villas must have a setback of at least 1.5 meters from the surrounding streets, squares, and fields. Each villa on a land space of 400 square meters (sqm) or less must have a parking space within the property boundaries, while villas of larger than 400 sqm must have two parking spaces.

The ministry said in a press statement on Monday that these requirements, which are aimed to meet the aspirations of the end beneficiaries, follow the best international practices. The updated requirements would apply to new building permits and take effect from their date of publication.

The requirements include spatial organization requirements and technical requirements, covering architectural, structural, electrical, mechanical, health work, fire prevention and protection requirements, and material specifications and execution quality.

The updated requirements are part of the ministry’s efforts to facilitate procedures and unify the requirements related to new construction licenses and harmonize them with the Saudi Building Code so as to achieve public health and safety as well as to improve the urban landscape.

The updated requirements are formulated in accordance with the best international practices followed in raising the quality of life, encouraging investment factors and improving the urban landscape. The ministry stressed that the requirements will contribute to controlling the development process and creating a positive impact on the urban environment and the urban fabric of Saudi cities.

The ministry noted that the new requirements keep pace with development projects in the residential sector and the ambitions and objectives of the strategic and structural plans for all cities in the Kingdom. It drew attention to the fact that the requirements include all technical requirements and municipal requirements that must be applied to residential buildings of all types.

The ministry invited owners of properties and projects, contractors, and engineering offices to review the requirements for the construction of residential buildings by visiting the link https://2u.pw/MaPAwSex.