Building Code in Kuwait - Coursework Example

Building code in Kuwait Student’s name Institution’s Affiliation Course +Code Professor’s name Date Introduction According to the National Committee of Building Codes in Kuwait, effective building codes are essential because of the need to address the challenge of climate change, the reduction of high energy consumption rates, for instance, the development and adoption of green building standards and codes, and checking on exhaustion of natural resources (Sayegh, 2015). The national committee posits that addressing these components will lead to the demand for a unified and sustainable building and construction code going into the future. The basis of this assessment is to examine the building code in Kuwait by focusing on the definition, the relationship between the building code and architecture, the importance of the code in general and in architecture, and how a building code makes work easier. Definition of building code Different scholars and national regulatory bodies in different countries have attempted to define building code or BC. In his research, Kubba (2008) defines building codes as rules designed to govern the construction of all kinds of building, from public utilities, to residential and commercial. These rules are aimed at fulfilling two main goals. One, these rules are designed to save lives, protect public safety and health and the overall welfare because they relate to the construction and occupancy of buildings. Two, they are aimed at protecting the property in question in all its aspects and forms (Mahgoub, 2004). To achieve these two goals, building codes outline the minimum safety and comfort standards that must be observed and met in new construction or when carrying out major renovations. Additionally, the International Building Code states that a building code must establish the minimum standards or requirements aimed at safeguarding public health, safety and the general welfare by a building project meeting structural strength, stability, sanitation, adequate ventilation and lighting, ways of egress facilities, energy conservation, and safety to property and life from fire and other hazards (Mahgoub, 2002). It also highlights the need for a building to provide safe and accessible environment for fire fighters and emergency response in case of an emergency. The Relationship between Building Codes and Architecture According to Alkhaled (2015) building codes are created to establish restrictive authority over building and have existed in history for a long time. While they may not be legal instruments until enacted as laws, they have shaped, bounded and directed architecture. The two architects state that codes have helped to manage the complexity of architectural practices and established terms of interaction for the industry by widening the scope of both internal and external forces to consult during the implementation of such projects. The authors examine the effect of codes on the profession right from how architects use technology to how they impact on the foundational traditions of the industry (Jaffar, Oreszczyn & Raslan, 2014). Therefore, the relationship between architecture and building code is a fundamental one in the construction industry in any country, especially in emerging economies like Kuwait and other parts of the GCC region. Building codes influence the selection of materials that architects can use to build a structure. Secondly, these codes influence the size and shape of a building that an architect seeks to design for a client. For instance, based on the fire-resistance ability of construction material, codes permit different maximum areas per floor and the total number of floors that a building can have (Mahgoub, 2007). It follows that without necessary building codes in every jurisdiction; architects may not deliver quality outcomes because they may violate some of the local or national provisions in such areas. The relationship between building codes and architecture is fundamental in meeting the code’s requirements. For instance, advanced technology and the need to save energy because of global warming has made many countries including Kuwait to adopt a building code that places green building at the core of the construction industry. Imperatively, architects must ensure that the designs of their construction projects meet such new requirements (Reinhart et al. 2013). The National Committee of Building Code in Kuwait expects architects to design building that incorporate the use of renewable energy sources aimed at addressing climate change effects, and preservation of natural resources by the country (Sayegh, 2012). Architectural designs and works must ensure that they follow building codes so that their property are not outlawed, and demolished. Codes are an intrinsic part of the designs that an architect will create in a given jurisdiction. Understanding codes related to a project should start from the preliminary design of a building. These codes directly impact the architectural designs. For instance, in Kuwait, the building code emphasizes the need to have a predictable number of floors on a building. Again, the building codes allow architects to know the standards required in a country and reduces that amount of knowledge required to create workable designs for a project (Talen 2012). The architects can leverage on the knowledge found in the codes to create designs based on the codified responsibilities in a jurisdiction. It follows that with a better understanding of building codes, architects can create designs that adhere to local standards and ensure that the health, safety and welfare of those going to utilize such buildings are protected. Therefore, building codes are essential for architects to come up with excellent designs in any environment, especially at a time when the country is slowly embracing a green building code. Again, understanding building codes in a country reduces chances of misinterpreting designs so that eventually, the designs are changed to meet what such jurisdictions define as fire, fire-resistant materials, and the amount of materials that a typical floor should consume (Krarti & Ihm, 2016). These codes ensure that architectural designs conform to the expected standards in the country. The Importance of Building Codes in General and Architecture Building codes in Kuwait are one of the most essential components of ensuring that there is adequate quality of the country’s built environment. For instance, codes protect consumers from the impact of their ignorance through buying hazardous dwelling or renting commercial space that poses danger to the customers, employees and other users (Kubba, 2008). Imperatively, building codes are the essential foundation in promoting quality building infrastructure that meets society’s known and unknown goals. Building codes offer the acceptable minimum requirements for society in general and the architectural and construction industries in particular. The codes define what the “acceptable minimum” is in all construction undertakings in the country. BC allows stakeholders to understand the minimum safety standards and offers builders guidance so that they do not start from the beginning every moment something new is built (Talen, 2012). Secondly, building codes provide minimum and constant standards in construction in relation to quality and durable construction materials and methods that benefit consumers. Imperatively, the government of Kuwait benefits from the code in regulating building and construction activities so that all necessary minimum standards are met by construction companies and architects. The establishment of a building code ensures that a country’s construction industry’s economy is protected because it creates uniformity, lowers the cost of construction, and saves buildings form costly deformities. For instance, the Central Bank of Kuwait states that by 2011, the construction industry accounted for about thirty percent of the National Gross Domestic Product of non-oil funds (Kuwait Central Bank 2011). Therefore, having a building code for such an important GDP generator cannot be overemphasized. Having a robust building code offers a country professionals technology and information. Codes provide technological benefits to the professionals working in the building and construction industry in Kuwait. BC provides technical information for these professionals in areas including material selection, engineering designs, installation, and testing. For example, in the selection of the right materials, building codes describe the quality characteristics of such products, like uniformity, dimensions, and composition (Radhi, 2009). Secondly, codes address different aspects of engineering designs that include engineering formulas, design procedures, and testing methods aimed at determining the functional, physical and performance features of particular products and materials used in constructing a building. Again, codes offer installation guidelines of particular systems and products during the construction of buildings (Bougiatioti & Michael, 2015). Lastly, codes are essential in the testing of materials, methods, and procedures. The testing ensures that projects evaluate structural strength, and fire resistance procedures. Sound building codes protect and save buildings and lives by reducing potential hazards. These regulations ensure that owners, inhabitants, and other users are protected from harm caused by different hazards like structural collapse, fires, and dilapidated nature of such buildings and structure, especially if they suffer from several years of neglect (Gerges et al. 2016). Again, codes promote the well-being of communities because they preserve life and maintain the value of such property all the time. For instance, in their study, Meijer and Visscher (2008) demonstrated that having smoke alarms in private residences and apartments in Kuwait could save many lives. The researchers recommended that the building codes in the country should incorporate the installation smoke alarms in private houses to save lives in case of fire. The uniformity created by building code ensures that constructors and architects benefit from reduced costs of materials (Krarti, 2015). Further, codes eliminate restrictive and unjustified requirements and instead provide uniform and timely acceptance of new methods, products, and technology. Additionally, Kuwait can benefit from building codes because they will save the country the cost of mitigating building and construction defects. For instance, cases of building owners who supervise their projects instead of qualified contractors can be eliminated by having sound building codes in the country. The colossal costs of putting up a residence implores on the government to ensure that only qualified people manage such projects (Asif 2016). The government can achieve this through better code enforcement, and giving expanded mandate to building departments in different areas to implement the necessary policies. Building Codes Make Easier As postulated, an effective code in the building industry will make work easy for all stakeholders. For architects, they will leverage on the knowledge coming from the regulator and have designs that are consistent with the regulations (Wei, Ramalho & Mandin, 2015). Imperatively, they won’t be required to change designs, and worry about the type of construction materials that shall be used in such projects. Secondly, architects will find it easy to design buildings with recommended specifications like height, and floor materials. As such they can reduce the cost of their designs (Willis 2015). For contractors, codes are essential in ensuring that work is done by following laid down procedures in relation to materials, zoning, and expertise required. On its part, codes will allow the government to control built environment, promote sustainable building, and mitigate climate change through better energy conservation methods, especially the adoption of green building codes. Conclusion It suffices to note that building codes play an essential role in the regulation of construction industry in Kuwait and the much of the GCC region. The government of Kuwait has demonstrated that building codes remain an essential component of having a sound infrastructural transformation in the country aimed at bettering the living conditions of the people, and accruing necessary economic benefits. Therefore, the importance and benefits of building codes remain critical in the modern Kuwaiti society. Reference Alkhaled, S.R., 2015. “A Framework to Evaluate the Impact of Building Legislation on the Performance of the Built Environment.” Kuwait-MIT Centre for Natural Resources and the Environment, Accessed on March 28, 2017, from https://cnre.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/VisitingStudentFinalReport_AlKhaled.pdf Al-ajmi, F.F. and Hanby, V.I., 2008. Simulation of energy consumption for Kuwaiti domestic buildings. Energy and buildings, vol.40, no. 6, pp.1101-1109. Alalouch, C., Saleh, M.S.E. and Al-Saadi, S., 2016. Energy-Efficient House in the GCC Region. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 216, pp.736-743. Asif, M., 2016. Growth and sustainability trends in the buildings sector in the GCC region with particular reference to the KSA and UAE. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 55, pp.1267-1273. Bougiatioti, F. and Michael, A., 2015. The architectural integration of active solar systems. Building applications in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 47, pp.966-982. Gerges, M., Ahiakwo, O., Jaeger, M. and Asaad, A., 2016. Building Information Modeling and Its Application in the State of Kuwait. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Civil, Environmental, Structural, Construction and Architectural Engineering, 10(1), pp.81-86. Jaffar, B., Oreszczyn, R., & Raslan, R., 2014. A framework to evaluate the energy efficiency potential of Kuwaiti homes. Energy and Sustainability V, 186 (25) Kubba, S., 2008. Architecture Forensics. McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. Krarti, M., 2015. Evaluation of large scale building energy efficiency retrofit program in Kuwait. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 50, pp.1069-1080. Krarti, M. and Ihm, P., 2016. Evaluation of net-zero energy residential buildings in the MENA region. Sustainable Cities and Society, 22, pp.116-125. Kuwait Central Bank, 2011. Discount Rate. Kuwait. http://www.cbk.gov.kw/ Mahgoub, Y., 2004. “Globalization and the built environment in Kuwait.” Habitat International, vol.28, no.4, pp.505-519. Mahgoub, Y., 2002. “The Development of private housing in Kuwait-the impact of building regulations.” Open House International, vol.27, no.2, pp.47-62. Mahgoub, Y., 2007. Hyper Identity: The Case of Kuwaiti Architecture. International Journal of Architectural Research, vol.1, no.1, pp.70–87 Meijjer, F., and Visscher, H. (2008). “Building regulations from a European perspective. The construction and building research of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyor (COBRA 2008),” Dublin Institute of Technology, 12 Greatest George Street London SWIP 3AD, United Kingdom. Radhi, H., 2009. Can envelope codes reduce electricity and CO 2 emissions in different types of buildings in the hot climate of Bahrain? Energy, vol.34, no.2, pp.205-215. Reinhart, C. F., Dogan, T., Jakubiec, A., Rakha, T., & Sang, A., 2013. UMI - an urban simulation environment for building energy use, daylighting and walkability. In BS2013(pp. 476–483). Chambery, France. Sayegh, A. A., 2012. “Overview on The Development of Green Buildings Codes for Kuwait: National Committee of Building Codes in Kuwait,” Pdf. Accessed on March 28, 2017, from http://www.paaet.edu.kw/mysite/Portals/88/Files/Alia_AlSayegh1.pdf Sayegh, A. A., 2015. “Kuwait Adaptation of Green Buildings Standards: Overview and Challenges: National Committee of Building Codes in Kuwait,” Pdf. Accessed on March 28, from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.linkme.qa/resource/resmgr/Presentations/Kuwait_Adaptation_of_Green_B.pdf Talen, E., 2012. City Rules: How Regulations Affect Urban Form (2nd ed.). Island Press. Wei, W., Ramalho, O. and Mandin, C., 2015. Indoor air quality requirements in green building certifications. Building and Environment, 92, pp.10-19. Willis, J., 2015. Fast Forwards: 10 Years of Sustainable Initiatives in the Gulf Region. Architectural Design, 85(1), pp.114-119. Read More

The authors examine the effect of codes on the profession right from how architects use technology to how they impact on the foundational traditions of the industry (Jaffar, Oreszczyn & Raslan, 2014). Therefore, the relationship between architecture and building code is a fundamental one in the construction industry in any country, especially in emerging economies like Kuwait and other parts of the GCC region. Building codes influence the selection of materials that architects can use to build a structure.

Secondly, these codes influence the size and shape of a building that an architect seeks to design for a client. For instance, based on the fire-resistance ability of construction material, codes permit different maximum areas per floor and the total number of floors that a building can have (Mahgoub, 2007). It follows that without necessary building codes in every jurisdiction; architects may not deliver quality outcomes because they may violate some of the local or national provisions in such areas.

The relationship between building codes and architecture is fundamental in meeting the code’s requirements. For instance, advanced technology and the need to save energy because of global warming has made many countries including Kuwait to adopt a building code that places green building at the core of the construction industry. Imperatively, architects must ensure that the designs of their construction projects meet such new requirements (Reinhart et al. 2013). The National Committee of Building Code in Kuwait expects architects to design building that incorporate the use of renewable energy sources aimed at addressing climate change effects, and preservation of natural resources by the country (Sayegh, 2012).

Architectural designs and works must ensure that they follow building codes so that their property are not outlawed, and demolished. Codes are an intrinsic part of the designs that an architect will create in a given jurisdiction. Understanding codes related to a project should start from the preliminary design of a building. These codes directly impact the architectural designs. For instance, in Kuwait, the building code emphasizes the need to have a predictable number of floors on a building.

Again, the building codes allow architects to know the standards required in a country and reduces that amount of knowledge required to create workable designs for a project (Talen 2012). The architects can leverage on the knowledge found in the codes to create designs based on the codified responsibilities in a jurisdiction. It follows that with a better understanding of building codes, architects can create designs that adhere to local standards and ensure that the health, safety and welfare of those going to utilize such buildings are protected.

Therefore, building codes are essential for architects to come up with excellent designs in any environment, especially at a time when the country is slowly embracing a green building code. Again, understanding building codes in a country reduces chances of misinterpreting designs so that eventually, the designs are changed to meet what such jurisdictions define as fire, fire-resistant materials, and the amount of materials that a typical floor should consume (Krarti & Ihm, 2016). These codes ensure that architectural designs conform to the expected standards in the country.

The Importance of Building Codes in General and Architecture Building codes in Kuwait are one of the most essential components of ensuring that there is adequate quality of the country’s built environment. For instance, codes protect consumers from the impact of their ignorance through buying hazardous dwelling or renting commercial space that poses danger to the customers, employees and other users (Kubba, 2008). Imperatively, building codes are the essential foundation in promoting quality building infrastructure that meets society’s known and unknown goals.

Building codes offer the acceptable minimum requirements for society in general and the architectural and construction industries in particular.

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