Workshop Reviews Guide to Omani Building Requirements

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning today organized a workshop in Muscat on a 'Guide to Omani Building Requirements'. The workshop reviewed the first draft of the general frame of the guide. More than 100 specialists from public institutions and private sector establishments took part in the workshop, which looked into general observations and means of adapting to international criteria and responding to the growing local demand in 'urban' and 'regulatory' domains. The guide was part of a set of 6 regulatory frameworks aimed to unify the practices of construction in Oman, notably in cooperation with experts from the International Code Council (ICC). The initial draft of the guide focused on two main parts: construction requirements and non-construction requirements. The guide also seeks to improve building quality and safety in Oman, enhance the efficient use of resources and alleviate environmental impacts from construction operations. Besides constituting an essential mechanism for ensuring the sustainability of urban projects, the abovementioned guide seeks to achieve a balance between urban development and environment conservation. The guide form the core component of measures to improve the standards safety and security in buildings, ensures compliance with international standards, unify building requirements and augment Oman's ability to attract international investments. Source: Oman News Agency