Dubai earthquake code updated | GulfNews.

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May 22 2013 | Last updated 4:00 January 01, 1970

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News | UAE
Dubai earthquake code updated

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New projects required to raise threshold to withstand tremors up to 5.9

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Workers from buildings in Tecom had to evacuate as tremors from a strong earthquake that
hit Iran could be felt in Dubai.

Dubai: The civic authorities on Wednesday issued new rules asking all new
projects to raise the threshold of buildings to withstand earthquake tremors up to
5.9 on the Richter scale.
A senior official at Dubai Municipality told Gulf News that the standard was
raised as part of the authoritys aim to ensure the publics safety and the quality
of buildings in the emirate, as a result of the increasing number of earthquakes
recorded in Iran.

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Yousuf Abdullah Al Marzouqi, Acting Director of Buildings Department at Dubai

Municipality, explained that the new code is effective immediately and will be
carried out in buildings under construction and those that do not have a building
permit from the department.
The modifications will affect the requirements of the structural design and sector
loads related to earthquakes, while those related to wind speed have not been
changed and remains the same, said Al Marzouqi.

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The wind code that is now in use by the municipality states that structures
should withstand a basic wind speed of 45 metres per second for a threesecond gust, which is equivalent to 160km/h.
The seismic code was modified following a number of meetings with specialists,
which resulted in modifying the code so that buildings are divided into two
categories: zones 2A and 2B. Under the previous seismic code, there was only
zone 2A.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/dubai-earthquake-code-updated-1.1183962[22/05/13 3:05:42 PM]

Dubai earthquake code updated | GulfNews.com

Related Links
Earthquakes in UAE:
Timeline
Tremors from Iran quake
rattle Dubai residents
UAE equipped to deal
with any emergency

According to the new regulations, zone 2A covers

buildings that have between five to 10 floors, and
should withstand tremors up to 5.5 on the Richter
scale. Zone 2B covers buildings that have more
than 10 floors and are now required to withstand
tremors up to 5.9 on the Richter scale.
The seismic and wind code has been under review
since 2009 and its last draft was based upon basic
wind speed for design in conjunction with wind
tunnel testing.

In 2003, representatives from RWDI, a Canadian firm of consulting engineers

and scientists, carried out a wind climate analysis. They collected data from Abu
Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Qatar.
RWDIs findings recommended that high-rise structures should withstand a wind
speed of 36.4 metres per second, but the municipality is also taking a
conservative approach to the recommendation and will use a slightly higher
number of 38 metres per second.

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http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/dubai-earthquake-code-updated-1.1183962[22/05/13 3:05:42 PM]