Factors affecting the implementation of the Saudi Building Code

Abstract

The objectives of this thesis are to assess the current practice of building authorities and design offices toward the enforcement of building codes and regulations in Saudi Arabia, to assess and rank factors affecting the implementation of the Saudi Building Code, to develop a plan of action to facilitate the implementation of the Saudi Building Code and to develop a set of guidelines to help A/E professionals implementing the building code requirements during the design stage. To achieve these objectives, literature review and interviews with building code specialists in both private and governmental sectors have been conducted. After that, a questionnaire form has been designed and addressed to 25 municipalities, 30 members of the National Committee of Saudi Building Code, 9 representatives of the General Administration of Civil Defense (GACD) and 50 A/E design offices. Moreover, two forms have been sent to the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization and the Saudi Council of Engineers. A total of 69 completed forms have been returned and the reults has been statically analyzed. The survey showed that there is no uniform code or standards implemented in Saudi Arabia so far except some regulations issued by concerned governmental departments, and even these regulations are not thoroughly implemented. With respect to the factors assessment, the study showed that the lack of professional training is the most influential factor, followed by the public awareness of building codes or facilities insurance. The third and fourth ranks were given to the group of factors related to the current practice of the governmental departments and A/E design offices practice and to the enforcement practice respectively. The groups of technical factors related to the code text, method of construction and materials were ranked as least influential factors. Finally, the study presents a plan of actions to facilitate the implementation of the proposed Saudi Building Code based on benchmarking with the practice of Saudi Aramco. The study also presents a set of guidelines that provides simplified methods and techniques to implement the basic requirements of the proposed Saudi Building Code during the design stage.