Dubai Municipality Unveils ‘Build in Dubai’ Platform During GITEX Global 2023

Dubai Municipality has introduced the ‘Build in Dubai’ platform, an exhaustive suite of services tailored to the construction industry. This initiative reflects Dubai’s commitment to rapid digital transformation across various sectors, driven by innovative smart systems.

During GITEX GLOBAL, His Excellency Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, unveiled the platform and provided insights into the extensive array of services, information, and processes related to the construction sector. This offering extends to stakeholders in the sector, including property owners, developers, consultants, and contractors. ‘Build in Dubai’ is poised to enhance project sustainability and bolster Dubai’s global competitiveness in the construction sector, renowned as one of the world’s most forward-looking industries.

His Excellency Al Hajri emphasized that the ‘Building in Dubai’ platform cements Dubai’s global leadership in leveraging technology and digital transformation to elevate the construction and building sector. This strategic endeavor mirrors the emirate’s extraordinary development and reaffirms its prominent international standing as a hub for cutting-edge construction and transformative architecture.

Addressing the audience, His Excellency stated – 

“During GITEX Global 2023, we proudly unveiled the ‘Building in Dubai’ platform, a pioneering endeavor that consolidates various construction-related services into a single, proactive, and user-friendly digital service system. This innovation is designed to streamline processes, save time, and enhance the satisfaction of project owners. It exemplifies the Municipality’s commitment to establishing an intelligent, sustainable, and globally advanced construction sector.

By harnessing the current technological creations, we aim to deliver superior construction permit services, aligning with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Our goal is to solidify Dubai’s status as a global epicenter for construction, building, and urban development, further elevating our global competitiveness and leadership.”

His Excellency also highlighted that the municipality is at the vanguard of digital transformation in the construction sector. It is actively working on a roadmap to implement Building Information Modelling (BIM) across the emirate. This involves collaborating with partners and providing essential building information to facilitate a range of intelligent services and establish a ‘digital twin’ of Dubai.

Automated Auditing for Building Permits

Mariam Al Muhairi, the Acting CEO of the Buildings Regulation and Permits Agency at Dubai Municipality, emphasized the Municipality’s ongoing commitment to elevating building design standards. She also emphasized the significance of implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) throughout a building’s lifecycle, resulting in cost savings, accelerated project timelines, expeditious permit approval, enhanced construction and operational process efficiency, and reduced dependency on unskilled labor.

“Dubai Municipality has achieved a milestone by issuing the first building permit for a 37-story commercial residential tower in the Almerkadh area, utilizing automated auditing technology. The tower’s design adheres to Dubai’s Building Information Modelling (BIM) standards and specifications. This significant step underscores Dubai’s global leadership in the implementation of automated auditing for building designs, tailored to Dubai’s unique requirements. 

The ‘Building in Dubai’ platform now offers digital tools for automated auditing, employing a 3D model viewer to identify deviations from building code standards. These tools are accessible 24/7 and enable experts to analyze audit results and address any issues during the early stages of development,” Al Muhairi explained.

A Comprehensive Hub

The newly launched platform aligns with the criteria set forth by the Dubai Digital Authority’s ‘Digital City Experiences,’ which aim to provide an all-encompassing digital journey for property owners throughout the construction process. This platform grants access to a wealth of project-related information, encompassing land and building particulars, construction progress updates, a directory of construction consultants, informative contract templates, and a comprehensive list with ratings of registered consultants and contractors.

Furthermore, the platform incorporates cutting-edge technological advancements, including automated auditing of building designs through Building Information Modelling (BIM), with Dubai pioneering its global implementation. It also encompasses intelligent inspection and the utilization of artificial intelligence, marking a significant leap in technological integration.

The evolving platform, developed in progressive stages, is set to provide an array of indispensable services catering to property owners, developers, consultants, and contractors throughout the entire building construction process. This comprehensive spectrum of services encompasses every phase, commencing with land acquisition, traversing through building design, construction permits, execution of construction, and culminating in completion, service connections, occupancy, rental, or sale of the building. Additionally, it encompasses services related to extensions, modifications, maintenance, and even demolition.

Dubai Municipality’s ambitious objective is to centralize all construction-related services within this new platform. This centralized ecosystem will also incorporate services from both government and private sector partners, including entities such as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai Civil Defense, Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment, Dubai Land Department, Dubai Customs, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), Dubai Development Authority, and services from telecommunication providers Etisalat and du.

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