The International Code Council (ICC) signed an historic agreement supporting The Standardization Organization for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GSO) efforts to develop a unified Gulf Building Code for the region. The GSO represents the countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Gulf Building Code will be based on the Saudi Building Code, which will incorporate the latest provisions from the 2015 International Codes. This new Gulf Building Code will support the union of building practices, enhance safety and facilitate commerce in the region. After the codes are put into place, the Gulf Code will reflect the latest advances in building safety, affordability, and sustainability and be a driving force for innovation and safety advances in building design and construction.
“When the global building community comes together to promote health, welfare, and safety in the built environment, everyone benefits,” says Dwayne Garriss, President, ICC Board of Directors. “ICC is proud to support the GSO efforts to this end.”
The Code Council will support the GSO efforts with training and other resources to facilitate the development and implementation of the new Gulf Building Code. The GSO will also participate in the Code Council’s code development process on future iterations of the model I-Codes.
“We look forward to the GSO and its member states beginning a sustainable partnership and a continuing technical cooperation with the ICC before and after the launch of the GBC,” says GSO Secretary-General Nabil Amin Molla.
