Dic Design Guidelines

DUBAI INDUSTRIAL CITY
URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES

For
INDUSTRIAL AREAS
(INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS, LABOUR ACCOMODATION, LOGISTICS, SHOWROOMS AND
WORKSHOPS)
Version 6.0
September 2008
Copyright 2006 by Dubai International Properties

Copyright 2007 by Sama Dubai
Copyright 2008 by Dubai Industrial City
Note to Developers and End users

The purpose of the Urban Design Guidelines is to assist developers and end-users of
land within the Industrial City to understand the Citys goals and objectives for a high
quality and environmentally friendly development. All developers and end-users
must obtain the endorsement of DIC as landowner prior to submission to the relevant
Authorities. This set of document is designed to provide guidance to the individual
developers / end-users so that the Industrial City can be developed in an orderly
fashion and must be adhered to at all times. Deviations to the Urban Design
Guidelines must be endorsed by DIC and such deviations shall be granted under
special circumstances only.
Dubai Municipality (DM) regulations, both procedural and substantive, are to be
respected for all issues not referred to in these guidelines. Similarly, besides
compliance with Dubai Municipalitys minimum standard, all other regulatory bodies
and service authorities requirements shall be adhered to at all times. These will
include the various laws and regulations of the Emirate of Dubai as well as the
specific requirements of the Civil Defence Authority, Tecomm, Dubai Roads and
Transport Authority, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority etc.
The zoning intention and the permitted uses for each of the zones within the Industrial
City are clearly explained and all developers shall adhere to it. Any deviations to it
will require both DIC and Authorities endorsement and approval.
There is a desire on the part of DIC to achieve a sensible balanced and all around
harmony with respect to the exterior architecture of the Industrial City. Designers
should respect the colour and quality of materials deployed and the intention is to
have such unity embodied in their designs.
Developers are requested to abide to the zoning and planning intention of the plan
but innovative proposals can be presented for evaluation and will be considered on
its own merits.
All developers and tenants within the Dubai Industrial City are responsible for
providing for their own temporary power supply until the Dubai Industrial City power
network is in operation/function. All developers and tenants should supply enough
power to cater for their needs until permanent supply is available. DEWA supplied
power is unlikely to be available before fourth quarter of 2008.
All developers and tenants within the Dubai Industrial City are responsible to treat
their own industrial waste and are, under no circumstances, allowed to release it into
the Dubai Industrial City systems. All violators will be persecuted to the fullest extent.
Mains water from DEWA is unlikely to be available in adequate quantity before end
2007 (Phase I developments) and end 2009 (Phase 2 developments).
Mains sewerage is unlikely to be available before fourth quarter 2008 therefore
developers should provide sewage treatment facilities as part of their development
or arrange for off-site disposal at an authorised treatment facility.
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Record of revisions
Ver Date
Changes
Pages
3.0
Mar
06
Need for temporary power and for developers to

make their own arrangements for treating industrial
waste added.
3.1
Mar
06
Formatting, some headings added for clarity. No

change to substantive content.
4.0
Mar
06
Notes to Developers: need for temporary sewage

treatment and water supply added. Non-availability
of mains power period extended.
ii
Explanatory notes regarding revisions added.
iii
3.6 Ingress/Egress points constructed by Master

Developer, paid by Developer, added.
19
3.9 B deleted: superfluous text;
29
3.9 C clarified: description of water utility; added:

option to separately meter water that is to be
transported off-site;
29
3.9 E added: discharge limits for foul sewerage;
30
3.9 G added: requirements for developers internal fire

fighting systems
31
3.9 H added: utility connection requirements.
31
4 renumbered: entire section.
33-73
4.1
May
06
ii
By
Remarks
CAN
ECH/HPR
ECH/HPR
List of superseded pages from version 4.0:

i, iii, iv, v, 2-9 incl., 15-26 incl., 31.
Title page Version nr and date revised; Record of
revisions updated; contents page updated and
renumbered..
i, iii, iv, v
1.6 Heading amended.
1.6 various amendments and additions highlighting

environmental considerations.
1.7 pagination changed, definition of domestic

sewage added.
3-9
1.8 added: new section requiring compliance with

Construction (Design & Management) Regulations.
3.2 Reference error corrected in first paragraph.
15
3.3 New heading 3.3.1 added for previous content;

wording amended for clarity; table of buffer widths
amended for clarity and road category designations
revised to match drawing D0457-PL-003, reference to
same added; in table of ancillary structures allowed in
buffers, 11 kV sub-station added to green buffers, type
16, 17
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of sub-station allowed in physical buffer clarified.
5.0
Jan
07
3.3.2 new section with additional rules if sub-stations

encroach on green buffer.
17, 18
3.4 minor clarifications.
18
3.6 minor clarifications; added: need to avoid utility

entries, need to pair ingress/egress points with
neighbouring plots.
19, 20
Pagination changed due to above revisions.
21-26
3.9 Added: need to avoid utility entries when master

planning ingress/egress points.
31
Title page Version nr and date revised; Record of

revisions updated.
i, iv
Footer logos amended:

Dubai International Properties replaced with Sama
Dubai;
DIC logo updated
all
Note that since ALL pages are affected, this

document is classed as a major revision version even
though there are NO changes to the substantive
content.
6.0
Sep
08
Footer logos amended:

Sama Dubai removed
all
1.7 Boundary fence definition changed

Conditional use layout adjusted
4
5
3.2 story height revised
15
3.3.1road chamfer requirements added

Road hierarchy drawing added
Green buffer specification revised
16
17
18
3.3.2 clause 9 added (incl. drawing)
19
3.4 text revised
20
3.6 text revised, drawing added
21
3.8(A) Point 1 revised, drawing added
29, 30
3.8(B) Point 4 revised
31
3.9 (F) text revised

3.9 (H) text revised
Drawing added
34
34
35
4.2.3 B (iv) recommended list of industries removed

(v) 2 text revised
(vi) drawing added
(vii) wording revised
42
43
44, 45
47
Version 6.0
2 iv
(vii) 2 & 3 wording revised, drawing updated,

drawing removed
(ix) car parking dimensions updated
Point 3 added
Point 7 wording revised
(xi) point 2 wording revised
Parking lot dimensions on drawing updated
48
48
47
50
50
51
52
4.2.4 setback requirements for Zones 1-7 revised
54-60
4.4.7 wording revised
69
69
69
4.4.10 setback requirements updated

Table for Zone 8 revised
70
73
75
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Contents
Dubai Industrial City Urban Design Guidelines
1
GENERAL PROVISIONS ................................................................................................................ 1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.8
2
LAND USE ZONES ....................................................................................................................... 10
2.1
3
Land use zones and map ........................................................................................ 10
GENERAL DEVELOPMENT CONTROL GUIDELINES..................................................................... 15
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
4
Purpose of the Urban Design Guidelines ................................................................ 1

Applicability ................................................................................................................. 2
Authority ....................................................................................................................... 2
Administration and Procedures ................................................................................ 2
Revisions........................................................................................................................ 2
Environmental Considerations .................................................................................. 2
Definitions ..................................................................................................................... 3
Construction health and safety................................................................................ 9
Use class - Predominant and ancillary use ........................................................... 15

Building intensity floor area ratio, storey height ................................................ 15
Requirements for Buffer / setback from roads ..................................................... 15
Building setback and coverage requirements.................................................... 20
Landscaping and green coverage....................................................................... 20
Ingress / egress points............................................................................................... 21
Parking & loading regulations................................................................................. 22
Boundary walls and Fences & signage ................................................................. 29
Infrastructure / utilities controls. .............................................................................. 32
SPECIFIC URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES...................................................................................... 36
4.1
Introduction................................................................................................................ 36
4.2
Industrial Use - Urban Design Guidelines ............................................................... 36
4.3
Labour Accommodation Guidelines..................................................................... 61
Living Space .......................................................................................................................... 62
Toilet Facilities........................................................................................................................ 63
Refuse Storage and Collection System ............................................................................ 63
Cooking Area........................................................................................................................ 63
Housekeeping....................................................................................................................... 63
GUIDELINES ON CIVIL DEFENCE FORCE REQUIREMENTS ........................................................ 64
Fire Safety Provisions ............................................................................................................ 64
4.4
Showroom And Workshop Development Urban Design Guidelines................ 67
4.5
Logistics Deveopment Urban Design Guidelines ................................................ 73
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Chapter
1
1
General Provisions
1.1
Purpose of the Urban Design Guidelines

The following Urban Design Guidelines are intended as a reference framework
to assist the end-users / developers and their architects in understanding the
Citys goals and objectives for high quality development within the Industrial
City. The Urban Design Guidelines complement the mandatory site
development regulations contained in the specific plot development
guidelines chapter by providing good examples of potential design solutions
and by providing design interpretations of the various mandatory regulations.
The purpose of the Urban Design Guidelines shall be to promote the health,
safety and general welfare of the community living and working in the
Industrial City. It is also meant to regulate the use of the land, water and
structures within the boundaries of the Industrial City and to provide guidance
for the implementation of the Master Plan. It will also ensure that all the
tenants/ residents within the Industrial City will be able to co-exist
harmoniously.
The Dubai Industrial City guidelines are adopted for the following purposes:
1 To classify, designate, and regulate the use of structures and land
for residential, commercial, civic, industrial, academic and research
and development, governmental, recreational and other purposes in
accordance with sound planning principles and practices.
2 To manage development in the Community Area to ensure the
health, safety, and general welfare of the residents of the Industrial City.
3 To protect property values and quality of life throughout the
development of the Industrial City.
4
To achieve mutual compatibility between different land uses.
5 To regulate and limit the height and size of buildings and other
structures.
6
7
To regulate the design and appearance of development.

To prevent hazard from fire, flood, and accidents.
To facilitate adequate provisions for public and community facilities.
To ensure adequate on-site parking, access and loading areas.
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10 To regulate the quality of the environment; the vegetation and

pollution aspects.
1.2
Applicability
The requirements and regulations of this Urban Design Guidelines shall apply to
all the projects or developments located within the area known as the Dubai
Industrial City (DIC), Parcel ID#500-663.
The regulation set by this chapter shall be held to be the minimum
requirements. Within each component they shall be applied uniformly to each
class or kind of structure or land in the Community Area of the Industrial City
except approval for waiver is sought from DIC.
1.3
Authority
Dubai Industrial City (referred to as DIC) is the administrative and
development authority in the Industrial City and has the authority to establish
policies for and to regulate and control the use and development of land,
water and structures within the Community Area of the Industrial City. It has
the authority to require compliance with these regulations by the end-users /
developers, recommend amendments to the Regulations, and interpret the
requirements of the Regulations to end-users / developers.
1.4
Administration and Procedures

The Community Area of Dubai Industrial Citys Urban Design Guidelines shall
apply to the use and development of land, water, structures and advertising
signs located within the Community Area of Dubai Industrial City, including
land owned or leased.
DIC as landowner shall administer and enforce these regulations. DIC shall be
responsible for reviewing all development submittals to ensure compliance
with these Regulations, prior to the leaseholder making an application to
Dubai Municipality for a Building Permit.
1.5
Revisions
The provisions of these Guidelines shall be amended from time to time by DIC.
Amendments shall be consistent with the policies and purposes of these
Guidelines. Amendments shall come into effect at the date of adoption and
henceforth shall form part of these Guidelines.
1.6
Environmental Considerations
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required to be submitted with
individual planning applications for all industries but particularly for potentially
hazardous industries and those classified as heavy industries. An EIA shall
include relevant information on the project, the site and its environs, an
assessment of likely significant effects both direct and indirect, mitigation
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measures and an assessment of the risk of accidents together with preventive

measures to be adopted.
The Environmental Protection & Safety Section (EPSS) of Dubai Municipality is
the responsible authority for processing and approving EIA submissions. EIA
studies must be undertaken in accordance with Technical Guideline no 4
Guidelines for Preparation of Environmental Impact Statements for New
Industrial Premises and Technical Guideline no 53 Environmental Impact
Assessment Procedures.
All industries shall take Dubai Municipality Environmental Standards and
Allowable Limits of Pollutants on Land, Water and Air Environments into
consideration during the design phase of the project. Best available
technology shall be used to ensure compliance with environmental standards,
including the minimising of energy consumption. Industries must also ensure
that wastes are minimised as far as possible by implementing in-house reduce,
reuse and recycle programmes. Industries generating industrial wastewater
will be required to have an on-site wastewater treatment plant of their own.
Domestic sewage may be discharged via the Industrial City foul sewer
network to the Industrial City central sewage treatment plant (STP). However,
attention is drawn to the Notes for developers at the beginning of this
volume with regard to the availability of such utilities.
Although there exists a substantial buffer zone between the developed area
of the Industrial City and the border with Abu Dhabi, this buffer provision is with
respect to typical industrial land uses. Further restrictions may apply to any
proposed large-scale industrial development that is a potential source of
buoyant discharges to air in the form of particulates, noxious gases, and
odorous substances.
Similarly, although the layout of the Industrial City incorporates physical
separation between industrial zones and residential zones and/or public
spaces, further restrictions may apply to any proposed industrial development
that is a potential source of buoyant discharges to air in the form of
particulates, noxious gases, and odorous substances.
The use of ozone depleting substances, either during construction of the
development or as a part of its end-use, is prohibited except where such use is
still permitted under Law and where the period of use is of limited duration.
All buildings should be designed according to best international practice in
energy conservation and adhere to relevant design codes.
1.7
Definitions
For the purpose of this document, the following words and phrases shall have
the following meanings ascribed to them:
Academic:
Educational Buildings
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Accessory Use:
(a) a use which is ancillary to the principal building, or use of

the principal building, situated on the same site, or
(b) a use which is ancillary to the principal use on the same site.
Amendments:
A physical change to the building that requires approval.
Block:
Multiple lots contained within the boundaries of a set of major

public roads
Boundary Fence:
A free-standing structure of metal, masonry or combination of

the above, located at the boundary of the plot. All walls and
fences, including foundations, shall be placed entirely inside
the lot to which they belong except where common walls are
agreed upon by both property owners. For DIC, the height of
the boundary wall is specified.
Buffer zone:
A strip of land established to protect one type of land use from

another with which it is incompatible. Green buffers are usually
landscaped areas.
Building height:
The vertical distance measured from the average elevation of

the finished grade at the front of the building to the highest
point of the structure, exclusive of parapet walls, roof structures
for elevators and stairways, and ventilating fans. Mechanical
equipment, chimneys, air conditioners, elevator penthouses,
minarets, water tanks, and similar appurtenances may not
exceed maximum building height by more than 5 meters.
Building Line:
The line that is located at the front yard setback of a lot and at
which determines where the front of the building shall be
located.
Building permit:
An authorization granted by the authorities certifying that the

design of a proposed structure to be erected on a designated
plot complies with all relevant provisions applicable to the use
or uses which the structure will contain. The permit allows
building construction to commence.
Building, main:
A building within which is conducted the principal use

permitted on the lot, as provided by these Regulations.
Building:
A permanently located structure having a room supported/

enclosed by walls or columns but excluding any courtyard such
structure may have; provided however, that no form of fabric
tent or vehicle shall be considered a building.
Business park:
This refers to an area set aside for non-pollutive industries and

businesses that engage in high technology, research and
development (R &D), high value-added and knowledge
intensive activities,
Car Park:
Land used to park motor vehicles.
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Community Area:
Means a place that is used for social and cultural activities.
Culture Centre:
An area devoted to arts and media; such as concert halls;

cinemas; theatres and community clubs etc.
Conditional Use:
A use which has certain characteristics which may be

detrimental to the neighbourhood, but which may be
permitted within a zone other than a permitted use, and
requires a conditional use permit and approval of the
Authorities.
Density:
The number of dwelling units per unit of land.

(a) Gross Density: The number of dwelling units per hectare of
land to be developed prior to dedication of public right-ofway;
(b) Net Density: The number of dwelling units per hectare of
land when the area involved includes only the land devoted for
residential use.
Design Panel:
A committee of expert professionals set up to critique and

make recommendations for approval / rejection of the
development scheme.
Development:
The construction, reconstruction, conversion, erection,

alteration, relocation or enlargement of any building or
structure; any mining, excavation or landfill; and any land
disturbance in preparation for any of the above.
Domestic sewage:
Foul sewage arising from residential occupancy (including

toilets, bathroom and washroom waste, kitchen sink waste, etc)
or from sources similar in nature and purpose in commercial
and industrial establishments (staff toilet facilities, for example).
Industrial wastewater is expressly excluded from this definition.
Dwelling:
A building used as a self-contained residence that must

include:
(a) A kitchen sink;
(b) Food preparation facilities;
(c) A bath or shower; and
(d) A closet pan and washbasin.
Dwelling unit:
One or more habitable rooms constituting a self-contained unit

with a separate entrance and used or intended to be used for
living and sleeping purposes.
Dwelling, multiple:
A building divided into two or more dwelling units, each of

which is occupied or intended for occupation as a permanent
home or residence.
Easement:
A strip of land acquired by reservation and intended to be

occupied by electric transmission lines, oil or gas pipeline, water
line, sanitary or storm sewer and other similar uses.
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Effluent:
A discharge of liquid waste with or without treatment into the

environment.
Egress:
An exit.
Floor Area Ratio

(FAR):
Floor area ratio of a plot is determined by dividing the Gross

Floor Area of the building or buildings situated within the plot
by the Total Plot Area.
floor area ratio (FAR) = Total gross floor area*/ Total plot area
*The following areas shall be included in the Gross Floor Area to
determine the Floor Area Ratio (FAR):
Attic spaces with a headroom of 2.15 metres
Interior balconies and mezzanine floors
Enclosed porches; floor area devoted to accessory uses
*The following areas can be excluded from the Gross Floor
Area to determine the Floor Area Ratio (FAR):
Basement areas used for parking or mechanical services
Elevator shafts
Mechanical ducts for utilities
Space for mechanical equipment within the building
Loading/ Unloading bays
*For exclusion, areas shall be measured from the inside of the
wall if adjacent area is included in the Gross Floor Area to
determine the Floor Area Ratio.
Gross floor area:
The sum of the gross floor areas of all the floors of a building
measured from the exterior faces of the building or the centre
line of the common walls between 2 buildings.
To determine Floor Area Ratio see Definition of Floor Area Ratio
for inclusions and allowable exclusions.
Guidelines:
Regulations within this guidebook to serve as reference

framework to guide end-users / developers in the use of the
land in, on and under Dubai Industrial City.
Hardscape:
The part of the ground consisting of structures, such as patios,

retaining walls, and walkways, made with any masonry or
woodwork such as stone walls, concrete, rocks, tiles and
wooden patios.
Maximum Height:
A horizontal plane above and parallel to the average finish

grade of the entire parcel at the height shown in the district
regulations.
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Hotel:
Hotels are developments used for accommodation purposes

on a commercial basis. The predominant use shall be hotel
rooms. Some form of commercial use such as shops,
restaurants, meeting rooms, and recreation facilities is allowed
within hotel developments.
Industrial Waste:
Any waste arising from commercial, industrial or trade activities

or from laboratories; or any waste containing substances or
materials which are potentially harmful to human beings,
equipment or environment.
Industry:
Land used for any of the following operations:

(a) Any process of manufacture;
(b) Dismantling or breaking up of any article;
(c) Treating waste materials;
(d) Winning clay, gravel, rock, sand, soil, stone, or other
materials (other than Mineral, stone, or soil ex-traction);
(e) Laundering, repairing, servicing or washing any article,
machinery, or vehicle, other than on-site work on a building,
works, or land; or
(f) Any process of testing or analysis.
If, on the same land as any of these operations, it also includes:
(a) Storing goods used in the operation or resulting from it;
(b) Providing amenities for people engaged in the operation;
(c) Selling by wholesale, goods resulting from the operation;
(d) Office uses which is in connection with the operation.
Ingress:
An entry.
Landscaping:
The greening of the lot with grass, shrubs and or trees.

Landscaping may include pedestrian walks, parking areas,
Flowerbeds; fountains and street furniture.
Labour
Accommodation:
Are purpose built premises used as lodging for workers. These

labour accommodations will need to conform to international
human habitat norms. There will be supporting social,
commercial, religious and community facilities to serve them.
Lot or plot:
A parcel or plot of land occupied by or to be occupied by one

principal building and its accessory buildings and including the
open spaces required in terms of the regulations.
Lot area:
The area of a horizontal plane bounded by the front, side and

rear lot lines. The total extent of surface, measured in a
horizontal plane, within the lot lines of a lot. Lot area shall
eventually have a survey area.
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Lot coverage:
That percentage of a lot which when viewed directly from

above would be covered by a structure/ building.
Light manufacturing: Uses conducted within an enclosed building that include

fabricating, assembling, testing, repairing, servicing or
processing products where the nature of the operation is not
obnoxious or offensive by reason of emission of odour, dust,
noxious gas, noise, vibration, glare, heat or other adverse
environmental impacts.
Loading Space:
Local
Activity Centres:
Space logically and conveniently located for bulk pickups and

deliveries, scaled to delivery vehicles/ containers expected to
be used, and accessible to such vehicles when required.
This is synonymous as neighbourhood centre where a range of
shops; restaurants; community uses like kindergartens; prayer
halls; banks; clinics and post boxes are located. Cinemas and
recreational facilities can also be housed in these centres.
Local activity centres are located in the mixed-use areas and in
the labour accommodation sites.
Mixed use:
A mix of permitted uses within the building comprising of

residential; retail and commercial.
NOC:
No Objection Certificate.
Office:
A building used for business purposes.
Permitted use:
A use by right which is specifically authorized in the

development regulations and zoning.
Regulations:
A set of rules that set the standards for development and

normally imposed by an Authority.
Restaurants:
Premises used for the sale and consumption of food and drink.
ROW:
Right of way or areas designated as public property for roads

and service corridors including the roadside landscaping strip.
Setback line:
The minimum horizontal distance between the property line of

the development lot and the walls or roof of a building or
structure.
Signage:
Any device used to identify, describe, sell or display by letter,

number or graphics.
Single-family
detached residence: A free standing house or villa.
Singlefamily
attached residence: A house or villa for one family which may share a property wall
with another one-family villa.
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Site plan:
Arrangement of the external physical environment in complete

detail, including structures, landscape, land contours, vehicular
and pedestrian circulation, drainage and the entire complex of
physical forms.
Softscape:
It generally refers to the horticultural elements of the landscape

design such as plants and trees.
Temporary use:
A use of land for temporary use of building not intended to be

of permanent nature.
Total Floor Area /

Total Covered Area: Total Floor Area is the total covered area in a building
measured from the external sides of the building inclusive of
balconies, loading bays and other projections.
This shall include car parking lots, basement, circulation
corridor, chutes, loading/ unloading bays, service floors,
swimming pools or any other structure on the plot.
Warehousing:
Any building or enclosed land, or part of a building or enclosed

land used for storage of goods and the carrying out of
commercial transactions involving the sale of such goods by
wholesale. Examples are general warehouses, some open
storage areas and central distribution centres.
Zone change:
The act of amending these Regulations by removing an area of

land from one Zone and designating it as within another Zone
on the official zoning map.
Zone:
An area of land shown on the official Zoning Map or described

herein within which uniform regulations for the use and
development of land as set forth in these Regulations shall
apply.
1.8
Construction health and safety

Each Developer shall procure that all designers and contractors engaged by
him to carry out design and/or construction work relating to the construction
or maintenance of the facilities on their plot, implement and comply with the
substantive requirements of the Construction (Design & Management)
Regulations, and of publications directly referenced therein.
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Chapter
2
2
Land use zones
2.1
Land use zones and map

The land use zones as depicted in the approved Master plan by the Dubai
Municipality. The following General Zoning Requirements are applicable to all
zones in the Industrial City.
The Industrial City is divided into zoning districts, the boundaries of which are
shown on the Zoning Map, and which are designated as follows:
Table 2-1: Zoning Districts

ZONE
CODE
RESIDENTIAL
R1
R2
R3
DESIGNATION
Residential medium density (70 220 pp/ha1)
Residential high density (>220pp/ha)
Residential - Worker Accommodation (single status)
COMMERCIAL
AC
Activity Centre - Local
MIXED-USE
MU1
MU2
BP
Mixed-use - Residential/commercial/office
Mixed-use - Academic and Research &
Development
Mixed-use - Business Park
INDUSTRIAL
IN1
IN2
IN3
IN4
IN5
IN6
IN7
IN8
Industrial - Food and Beverages

Industrial - Base Metals
Industrial - Logistics
Industrial - Transport Equipment
Industrial - Machinery and Equipment
Industrial - Minerals
Industrial - Chemicals
Industrial - Workshops/Showrooms
COMMUNITY
FACILITIES
CF1
Community Facilities - Education
Source: DM Standards
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ZONE
CODE
CF2
CF3
CF4
CF5
CF6
DESIGNATION
Community Facilities - Religious Facility
Community Facilities - Health Facility
Community Facilities - Police Station
Community Facilities - Civil Defence (fire station)
Community Facilities Library
OPEN SPACE AND

RECREATION
OS1
Open Space Neighbourhood Park
OS2
OS3
OS4
OS5
Open Space Community Park

Open Space District Park
Open Space Sport and Recreation
Open Space Conservation/recreation/buffer
UTILITIES
UT1
UT2
UT3
Utilities Water
Utilities - Electricity
Utilities Sewerage
TRANSPORTATION
TR1
Road Reserve
Source: DM Standards
Permitted Uses
Only those uses permitted in each Zone or permitted in the overall site as per
the approved Master Plan shall be allowed.
Subdivision/Amalgamation
Subject to the approval of DIC and the Authorities, land shall be subdivided or
amalgamated provided that the minimum lot area complies with the
minimum lot size standards and is capable of independent development.
Plot development guidelines
Within the Industrial City, plot development standards are established in terms
of plot sizes, FAR, permissible gross floor area, site coverage, setbacks, density
(where applicable) and number of floors. No structure or part thereof shall be
built, moved or remodelled, and no structures or land shall be used or
designed for use or occupancy unless in accordance with the plot
development guidelines.
Land utilisation
The land utilisation of individual plots shall be as per the contract between the
Developer and DIC. However, the total office area for industrial plots is not
permitted to exceed 10% of the projects total built up area as per Dubai
Municipality regulations.
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Table showing the Permitted and conditional uses

Code
Land Use zone Permitted uses
R
Residential
Dwelling uses :
a) Detached dwelling, cluster housing,
Single family residences, townhouses,
garden apartments and apartments,
villas
Conditional uses
Small retail, health clubs;
religious facilities; day
care centres and nursery,
outdoor recreation; small
office home office
(sohos); hotel
b) Worker dormitories
AC
Commercial
MU
Mixed use
MU2
Institutional
Permitted ancillary uses:

a) Cultural and recreational uses parks
and sports field
b) Nursery school
c) Parking area
d) Service uses like barber shop,
beauty saloon, clinic, Laundromat etc
e) Police or Fire Station, Post Office
f) Utility and communication uses
Conditional uses for

worker accommodationcafeteria; indoor and
outdoor sports facilities;
service facilities and food
outlets.
Office Use:
Bank, General Office
Retail Use:
Supermarket, Shops
Service Use:
Barber Shop, Coffee Shop, Fast Food
Outlet, Hair/Beauty Salon, Internet
Caf, Laundromat or Dry Cleaning
Establishment, Photofinishing or
Photography Studio, Repair Shop
Class B shop & Restaurant
Cultural & Recreational Use:
Fitness Centre, Local Park,
Neighbourhood Park
Institutional /Public Facilities Use:
Community Centre, Nursery School,
Post Office, Religious Facility
Manufacturing Use:
Bakery Products
Parking Use:
Parking Area
Professional offices, business offices,
health clubs, financial services,
residential apartments, restaurants,
indoor entertainment,
Residential apartments,
entertainment, club,
business hotel
Usage : Secondary and Tertiary

educational institutions; Health Clinic,
Medical Facility, Police or Fire Station,
Post Office, Religious Facility,
Museum/Archives, Secondary School,
Technical training institutes ,
international schools
Ancillary office and food

outlets and supporting
retail eg bookshop etc
Ancillary Service Use
Small retail, health clubs,

religious facilities, day
care or nursery centre,
outdoor recreation, hotel
Cultural and Recreational Use:

Arcade, theatre, cinemas, Artist Studio,
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Code
Land Use zone
Permitted uses
Conditional uses
Community Park, Conference Centre,

Community Centre, Fitness Centre,
Library, Local Park, Neighbourhood
park, Museum/Archives, Open Space,
Recreation and sports
IN
Industrial
(including
warehousing and
logistics)
Residential Use:
Multi-unit Dwelling student & Staff hostel.
Office Use:
General office
Parking Use:
Parking Area, Parking Garage
Manufacturing Use:
IN-1 Food and Beverages
IN-2 - Base Metals
IN-3 Logistics
IN-4 Transport Equipment
IN-5 Machinery and Equipment
IN-6 Minerals
IN-7 Chemicals
IN-8 - Workshops/Showrooms
Offices; showroom,
Retail, day care centre,
cafeteria, services units,
Container stacking yard,
open storage,
Manufacturing and storage uses:

To transform materials into a product.
Service Use :
Catering Establishment, Laboratory,
Fast Food Outlet, Motor Vehicle Repair
- Class A & B, Restaurant, Sign Painting
Shop
Transport & Storage Use:
Storage Warehouse, Storage Yard, Bus
Terminal, Truck Terminal or Courier
Depot, Weighing or Inspection Station,
Works Yard or Works Shop
Other supporting uses:
showrooms, ancillary office; cafeteria;
prayer room, meeting room, R & D etc
CF
Community uses
Institutional/Public Services Uses:

a) Kindergarten, Nursery, Library,
Primary School, Preparatory School,
Museum, Secondary School, Training
Centre
b) Religious Facility (includes Local
Mosques and Juma Mosques, Eid
Prayer Ground and Imams place of
residence).
c)Health Clinic, Medical Facility
d) Police and Civil defence and postal
service; TELECOM facilities
Residential uses
And retail uses.
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Code
Land Use zone
Permitted uses
Conditional uses
OS
Open space and

recreation
Community park; district park;

neighbourhood park, open space
Retail outlets;
Utilities
Sports and recreation ( indoor and

outdoor)
Cultural facilities
Ancillary use : small quantum of
service and retail outlets ; parking and
public facilities such as public
convenience, barbeque pits etc
UT
Utilities
Any building or structures to house the

following utilities such as substations;
pumping stations; water tanks;
overhead pylons; MDF room and
satellite dish; sewerage treatment plan;
power plant.
Not applicable.
Ancillary office and parking.

TU
Transportation
A road reserve or Right-of-Way

reserve is a corridor that incorporates a
road carriageway, footpath, utility
services and landscaping.
On street parking is not

permitted within the
Right-of-Way unless
allowed.
Bus stops; street signs and street

furniture shall be erected within the
Right-of-Way.
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Chapter
3
3
General Development Control guidelines
3.1
Use class - Predominant and ancillary use

The end users shall adhere to the zoning regulation and the permitted uses
within such zone. The purpose of this guideline is to ensure that the land is
utilized for its intended purpose. The approved usage shall be the
predominant use and more than 50% of the total gross floor area shall be for
such a use. Ancillary and accessory uses may be allowed but must be within
the prescribed allowable uses. Please see Chapter 2.
Exceptions may be allowed for certain special cases due to technology and
new business but this has to be sanctioned by the Authorities and DIC.
3.2
Building intensity floor area ratio, storey height

Floor area ratiofor each of the uses a specific floor area ratio stipulation is to
be imposed to ensure that the land is optimally utilized. For definition of Floor
area Ratio see Section 1.7.
Storey heightthe storey height as stipulated refers to the permissible
floor-to-floor height for that category of use.
Thus for a multi-storey industrial development the total height (from floor finish
to underside of the eves) will normally be allowed up to 7.9 m, but the
mezzanine should not exceed 3.00 m. For single storey detached factories,
this control can be relaxed to reflect the operational needs of the industry.
However, if the eves height exceeds 7.90 m a manufacturing request has to
be submitted. An extension to the maximum permitted height can only be
given if it is necessarily required for the manufacturing process.
The ground floor of industrial development can be raised by 1.2 m (maximum)
for loading and unloading purposes.
For warehouse buildings the clear internal height should be up to 7.90 m.
3.3
Requirements for Buffer / setback from roads
3.3.1
General
All developments are required to provide buffers between any road reserve
line and buildings or superstructures, unless there is special setback control
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within the street block. Buildings and superstructures shall adhere to the buffer
setbacks as specified below unless expressly stated otherwise elsewhere in
these Guidelines.
The minimum buffer width or setback of buildings and superstructures from a
road depends on the category of that road. Setbacks are not related to the
height of buildings and superstructures.
Buffer setbacks from the various road categories
Applicable for the industrial, warehousing, showroom and workshop areas.
Category of road
Arterial
(80 m< ROW)
Collector
(49 m <=ROW<= 80 m)
Local
(ROW< 49 m)
Minimum
buffer width
(m)
15
Specification of buffer (m)

Green
Physical
5
10
10
Drawing D0457-PL-003 illustrates the road network hierarchy with each of the
three broad categories from the above table keyed in a different colour.
The buffer requirements consist of a green buffer and a physical buffer; the
green buffer must be next to the plot boundary. The overall buffer width is the
sum of the physical and green buffer widths, and shall be measured from the
plot boundary.
The road chamfer should follow the buffer requirements of the road of greater
hierarchy.
Green buffer is a strip of land strictly reserved for tree planting, landscaping
and turfing, no other uses will be allowed except for ancillary structures as
permitted in the table below.
Physical buffer is a strip of land within which only car parks, driveways,
walkways and ancillary structures as permitted in the table below, are
allowed.
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Ancillary structures allowed within buffers
Buffer specification
Ancillary structures
Green buffer *
Guard house (<2.6 m clear height pitched roof, <2.6 m total

height - flat roof); not permitted in setback with neighbouring plot
Flag pole/lamp post; Sign posts/boards
Meter compartment(<1.8 m high)
Electricity authority 11 kV sub-station (please refer to additional
limitations in 0 below)
Bin point/centre
Gas pressure regulator kiosk
Gas governor house
Above-ground electricity box
Ring main compact units reinforced concrete structure/ fencedup area
Below-ground structure
Electricity authority 11 kV sub-station
Guard house (>2.6 m high); not permitted in setback area with
neighbouring plot
Car porch/shade canopy
Automated teller machines
Physical buffer
* Only Substation and boundary walls are permitted to be located directly on the plot
limit, other ancillary structures should be located away from the plot limits (1.0m
minimum) inside the plot.
3.3.2
Particular rules for electricity authority 11 kV substations
Generally, the electricity authority will demand unobstructed access to their

sub-station at all times. Frequently, the preferred arrangement is to locate the
sub-station immediately next to a plot boundary that faces a public road.
From an urban design perspective, this is not ideal. However, in view of the
importance of ready access by the Authority, it is permitted for such
sub-stations to be located within the Green buffer provided that
1 As a result, the Authority access to the sub-station is from the public
road; it is not permitted to make use of the green buffer if access to the
sub-station is only from within the plot;
2 If there remains a small setback (i.e. less than the width of the green
buffer) from the plot boundary then the boundary wall/fence shall
return at each end of the sub-station, leaving the whole of the
sub-station frontage unobstructed;
3
The sub-station architecture is such that:
The building is boldly expressed as an integral feature of the

architectural treatment of the development as a whole, or
The building is given a low-key treatment that does not draw

attention to itself but blends with the boundary wall/fence,
guard house, etc., and
A bland, plain, box treatment is avoided.
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4 The sub-station building comprises rooms and spaces and contains

plant and equipment solely for purposes directly related to the
sub-station primary function; secondary function accommodation such
as UPS, stand-by generation, etc, shall be housed elsewhere;
5 The sub-station overall dimensions do not significantly exceed those
specified or recommended by the Authority as being suitable for a
sub-station of capacity appropriate for the power requirements of the
development;
6 The sub-station is a detached structure, other than it being abutted
by the boundary wall/fence; the clear distance between the
sub-station and any neighbouring buildings shall be at least 5 metres;
7
The green buffer does not adjoin an Arterial road;
8 Where the plot is next to roads of more than one category, the
sub-station shall be located in the green buffer that adjoins the road of
lowest category (i.e. in the narrowest green buffer available); in almost
all cases this will be next to a local road.
9 A special exemption applies to LV rooms which can be attached to
the substation as long as they do not encroach on the setback. (see
below)
Permitted:
Not permitted:
Not Permitted:
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3.4
Building setback and coverage requirements

Building coverage control is to ensure that the built environment within the
industrial park is not compromised. In addition, the control is to ensure that no
buildings shall abut the perimeter of the leased land for fire safety, light and
ventilation purposes unless it is a semi-detached or terrace development
where they share a common party wall.
There are instances where the maximum building coverage is quite stringent
at 25% -30%. The aim is to allow for more greenery and open space within the
plot and to deliberately increase the height of the building for urban design
reasons.
Setback from boundaries adjoining road reservations are dealt with in 3.3; for
all other plot boundaries the Building setbacks from the side and rear
boundary is at least 5 m or of the building height should it exceed 20 meters.
This is to safeguard provision of adequate daylight and ventilation. However,
where there are hazardous substances being stored within the plot; a greater
setback may have to be provided in accordance with the Authority
requirements, the Environment Authority for example. DIC as landowner will
refer the errand users to the various Authorities for appropriate action.
3.5
Landscaping and green coverage
Introduction
As part of maintaining a good image, green corridors and buffers are
proposed to create a pleasant environment throughout the Industrial City.
Tree plantings and the retention of vegetation soften the harsh urban
landscape. Landscaping along the public roads; the community parks and
within the private green buffers are key to making the city attractive.
In order to create a cohesive development, the landscape must serve as a
unifying element on a number of levels and at a number of scales. On the
macro scale, the landscape connects the different zones to one another and
provides the transition areas between them. On the micro scale, the
landscape links the buildings to their surroundings and to each other. It
provides the common language of materials throughout the site. Landscaping
and wall fencing will provide a further unifying element and identity through
the use of the date palm as the feature or accent tree specimen throughout
the Industrial City, and the use of a standard design fence.
General Landscape Requirements

1 Landscaped areas shall be provided with a fixed and permanent
irrigation system for planted areas, protected by adequate back flow
prevention, designed and installed in accordance with the following
general provisions:
All spray or sprinkler irrigation shall be supplied with appropriate

water sources.
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Water conservation shall be accomplished in manually operated

(hose-bib) system by the installation of flow limiting devices.
Applicable codes shall be utilized for the design and installation

of automatic control systems.
2 In all Zones, required landscaped areas shall be permanently
irrigated and maintained including the proper pruning, weeding and
removal of litter, fertilizing and replacement of plants when necessary.
3 All landscaped areas shall be separated from driveways and
parking areas by a continuous curb at least 150 millimeters in height
from the adjacent pavement.
4 No landscaping shall be permitted which in any way endangers
health or public safety by creating a traffic or fire hazard, obstructing
vision, or which is detrimental to the use of surrounding property. E.g.
Petrochemicals and refineries.
5 A sufficient walk way shall be provided around the buildings
structures, to isolate the buildings from the driveways and landscape.
3.6
Ingress / egress points

Plot ingress/ egress points must not be directly from arterial roads (roads with
ROW of 80 m and above) or major highways like Emirates Road and the future
Outer by-pass. This is to prevent disruption to the smooth flow of traffic along
these busy highways. Ingress/ egress points may be taken from collector and
local roads. Direct access from arterial roads will only be allowed if there is a
service road that runs parallel to the highway. Grant of Ingress/ egress points
from such service road is allowed provided it is not near by 100m to the slip
road leading from the highway into the service road. Direct access to and
from the major arterial roads within the development are normally not allowed
except as emergency exits only.
The minimum distance to any road junction shall be 80 to 100 m taken from
the chamfered corner of the plot (depending on whether it is a signalised
junction or a roundabout and also on the category of the road that it fronts).
If that is not possible due to constraints of the site, the ingress/egress point shall
be located as far as possible from the road junction.
Ingress/egress points shall avoid utility entries to the plot. Also a clear distance
of 10m has to be kept between an ingress/egress point and a street lighting
pole (see below):
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Where possible, ingress/egress points for adjoining plots shall be paired,

arranged close on each side of the common boundary.
Plot size
Number of points
Up to 10,000 sq m plots
Beyond 10,001 sq m plots
2 or 3
For the warehousing areas / logistics park; the same guidelines will apply
except for the fenced up gated warehouse complexes where controlled
entry points will need to be imposed.
Construction of any Ingress or Egress point will be by the Master Developer.
The developer should liase with the MDPM to coordinate the timing of these
works and agree any particular requirements. The developer will be charged
for this service at standard rates.
3.7
Parking & loading regulations

Adequate circulation within the plots and parking spaces for cars / Lorries /
buses and container trucks shall be provided. Within the development, trailers
are not allowed to be parked on the roadside especially along the Main
arterial roads so as to affect the smooth flow of traffic. Adequate trailer parks
shall be provided within the logistics hubs boundary and within individual
factory plots. All respective Authorities guidelines regarding access and
parking should be respected as well.
Within the labour accommodation areas; bus stops and bus parks will need to
be provided. The recommended minimum parking standards for Dubai
Industrial City are shown below:
Dubai Municipality Parking By-Law Rates vs. Parking Rate Guidelines *
Land Use Group

Description
Dubai
Municipality
Land Use Class
No.
COMMERCIAL
100
Regional Shopping Centre
101
Other Shopping Centre
102
Parking Rate
Guidelines1
3.16/100 m GLA
3.09/100 m GLA
By-Law Parking
Rate
Requirements
Additional Land Uses in

By-Law Requirements
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
"Wholesale & Stores" Special space for

loading/off-loading, plus 1
space for every 500 sq. ft. of
any office space.
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Land Use Group

Description
Dubai
Municipality
Land Use Class
No.
Parking Rate
Guidelines1
By-Law Parking
Rate
Requirements
1.43/100 m GFA
(1/750 sq. ft. GFA)
General retail
103
2.15/100 m GFA
Supermarkets
104
2.22/100 m GFA
1.43/100 m GFA
(1/750 sq. ft. GFA)
104
1.03/Employee
N/A
Gas Station with

Amenities
105
1.27/Fuelling
Station
2/Fueling Station, plus

2.15/100 m GFA of
Building (1/500 sq. ft.
GFA of Building)
Department Store
106
1.75/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
106
0.94/Employee
N/A
107
2.26/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
107
1.85/Employee
N/A
108
10.29/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA), or
1/5 seats - whichever
is more.
108
2.21/Employee
N/A
108
0.46/Seat
1/5 Seats (0.2/Seat)
109
7.08/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA), or
1/5 seats - whichever
is more.
109
0.22/Seat
0.20/Seat
110
1.13/Employee
N/A
110
0.58/100 m GFA
1.43/100 m GFA
(1/750 sq. ft. GFA)
111
1.73/100 m GFA
1.43/100 m GFA
(1/750 sq. ft. GFA)
111
0.7/Employee
N/A
201
2.43/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
201
0.6/Employee
N/A
New Car Dealership
Restaurant
Fast Food Restaurant
Furniture Store
Electronic Store
OFFICE
Office Building (innerCBD)

By-Law Requirements
"Rent-a-car Shops" - 1
space for every registered
car.
200
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Land Use Group

Description
Office Building (outerCBD)
Office Building (non-CBD)
Bank Branch Office (outer

& non-CBD)
Dubai
Municipality
Land Use Class
No.
Parking Rate
Guidelines1
202
1.88/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
202
0.34/Employee
N/A
203
2.23/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
203
0.53/Employee
N/A
204
4.12/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
204
1.52/Employee
N/A
INSTITUTIONAL
300
Government Kindergarten
301
0.06/Student
(1.5/Classroom)*
Government Primary &

Intermediate School for
Males
302
0.07/Student
(1.5/Classroom)*
Government Primary &

Intermediate School for
Females
303
0.06/Student
(1.5/Classroom)*
Government Secondary
School for Males
304
0.13/Student
(3.25/Classroom)*
Government Secondary
School for Females
305
0.12/Student
(3.0/Classroom)*
Private School-All Levels
306
0.12/Student
(3.0/Classroom)*
Private Kindergarten &

Primary School
307
0.10/Student
(2.5/Classroom)*
Institute of Higher
Education
By-Law Parking
Rate
Requirements
308

By-Law Requirements
1/Classroom; 1/500
sq. ft. administrative
space; 1 Bus/3
classrooms.
0.22/Student
(5.5/Classroom)*
N/A
1.55/Employee
N/A
"Schools and Educational

Buildings" - 1 space for
every classroom; 1 space
for every 500 sq. ft. of
administrative space; 1
space for a school bus for
every 3 classrooms. *OR*
"College" - 1 space for
every 500 sq. ft. of the total
floor area for all the
buildings except the sports
activities halls.
308
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Land Use Group

Description
Dubai
Municipality
Land Use Class
No.
Parking Rate
Guidelines1
By-Law Parking
Rate
Requirements
309
1.49/Bed
1/Bed, plus Medical

Clinic bylaws, if clinic
is attached.
309
0.42/Employee
N/A
310
3.18/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
310
0.64/Employee
N/A
311
3.0/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
311
0.64/Employee
N/A
312
N/A
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
312
0.7/Employee
N/A
313
N/A
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
313
2.12/Employee
N/A
Federal Government
Administration Building
(non-CBD)
314
1.05/Employee
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
Semi-Government
315
1.97/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
Semi-Government
315
0.82/Employee
N/A
Etisalat Branch Office
316
11.64/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
316
2.0/Employee
N/A
Hospital
Government Medical
Clinic
Private Medical Clinic
Local Government
(outer-CBD)
Local Government
(non-CBD)
Jumma Mosque
317
6.26/100 m GFA
1/5 persons
worshipping
Post Office Branch
318
6.18/100 m GFA
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)

By-Law Requirements
"Mosques" - 1 space for

every 15 prayers (for
community mosques) as per
the maximum capacity & 1
space for every 5 prayers
(for Friday / Jumma
mosques).
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Land Use Group

Description
Dubai
Municipality
Land Use Class
No.
LODGING
Luxury Hotel (total-CBD)
Luxury Hotel (non-CBD)
Resort Hotel
Other Hotel
RECREATIONAL
By-Law Parking
Rate
Requirements
0.75/100 PO
Boxes
N/A
319
2.10/100 m GFA
5.38/100 m GFA
(1/200 sq. ft. GFA), or
1/4 seats, whichever is
more.
319
2.26/Employee
N/A
318
Library
Parking Rate
Guidelines1
400
401
1.06/Room
401
1.43/Occupied
Room
402
0.63/Room
402
1.33/Occupied
Room
403
0.80/Room
403
1.03/Occupied
Room
404
0.32/Room
404
0.46/Occupied
Room
1/5 rooms; 1/retail

store; 1/500 sq. ft. of
restaurant; 1/200 sq.
ft. of meeting halls;
1/500 sq. ft. of offices;
and at least 1 space
for the disabled or
equal to 1/75 of total #
spaces.
500
Movie Theatre
501
0.16/Seat
Sports & Recreation Club
502
0.10/1000 m GTA
502
2.18/100 m GFA
502
0.81/Employee
0.33/Seat (1/3 Seats)

or 2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
"Parks and Gardens" - 1

space for every 1,000 sq. ft.
of the total area.
N/A
INDUSTRIAL
Light Industry

By-Law Requirements
"Billiard, Arcade,
Entertainment Places" - 1
total space.
600
601
0.14/100 m Total
Area
2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA) of
Office Bldg + Loading
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Land Use Group

Description
Dubai
Municipality
Land Use Class
No.
Parking Rate
Guidelines1
By-Law Parking
Rate
Requirements

By-Law Requirements
Berths
601
Medium Industry
Heavy Industry
0.13/Employee
N/A
602
0.09/m Total Area
2.15/100 m GFA
Office Bldg + Loading
Berths
602
0.15/Employee
N/A
603
N/A
2.15/100 m GFA
Total Area
RESIDENTIAL
700
Apartment Building
( 1 or 2 levels), inner CBD
701
0.58/Apartment **
Apartment Building
( 1 or 2 levels), outer CBD
702
0.93/Apartment **
Apartment Building
( 1 or 2 levels), non CBD
703
1.09/Apartment **
Apartment Building
( 3 or more levels), inner
CBD
704
0.69/Apartment **
Apartment Building
( 3 or more levels), outer
CBD
705
1.10/Apartment **
Apartment Building
( 3 or more levels), non
CBD
706
1.13/Apartment
Residential Rooms, inner

CBD
707
0.53/Dwelling Unit
**
"Car Repair Shop" - 1

the total ground area for the
main building, or 6 spaces,
whichever is more. These
spaces not to be considered
of the damaged car bays.
"Factories" - 1 space for

area.
"Special Town Planning

System" - 1.2 spaces for
each flat in these areas.
1/Studio, 1/Apartment
<1,600 sq. ft. GFA,
2/Apartment >1,600
sq. ft. GFA
1/5 Residential Unit or

2.15/100 m GFA
(1/500 sq. ft. GFA)
"Shared Apartment" - 1
space for every 5 units or
floor area, whichever is
more, except labour camps.
One bus should be available
for every 50 labourers.
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Land Use Group

Description
Dubai
Municipality
Land Use Class
No.
Parking Rate
Guidelines1
By-Law Parking
Rate
Requirements
Residential Rooms, outer

CBD
708
0.54/Dwelling Unit
**
Residential Rooms, non

CBD
709
0.89/Dwelling Unit
**
Villa, inner CBD
710
0.20/Villa **
Villa, outer CBD
711
2.17/Villa **
Villa, non CBD
712
2.18/Villa **
Arabic House, inner CBD
713
0.63/Dwelling Unit
**
Arabic House, outer CBD
714
1.39/Dwelling Unit
**
Arabic House, non CBD
715
1.64/Dwelling Unit
**
Labour Accommodation
716
0.25/100 m Total
Area
N/A
716
0.03/Labourer
1 Bus Parking/50
Labourers
717
0.27/Apartment
1/Studio, 1/Apartment
<1,600 sq. ft. GFA,
2/Apartment >1,600
sq. ft. GFA
717
0.48/Occupied
Apartment
N/A
Furnished Apartment

By-Law Requirements
1/Residential Unit
Dubai Municipality, Trip Generation and Parking Rates Manual,

Cansult-Delcan, 1999
2
Additional land uses which do not directly correspond with the existing DM classification system.
Revised by Craig Walker, July 5, 2005.
* Calculated based on an average classroom size of 25 students
** Based on household survey conducted in R700 study
* Note: Information as obtained from Dubai Municipality is accurate, current and complete
at the time of data collection only i.e. July 2005.
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3.8
Boundary walls and Fences & signage
Boundary walls and fences

Walls will serve a major function in the industrial landscape and can be used
to screen automobiles, loading and storage areas, and utility structures as well
as a basic security function. However, if not required for a specific screening
or security purpose they shall not be utilized and alternative electronic
surveillance systems be installed. The intent is to keep the walls as low as
possible acting more as a deterrent measures and not full security walls. Those
premises requiring top or specialized security will have to install their own
security systems.
Fence design shall be kept simple and free of unnecessary embellishments.
Grillwork, when used shall have interesting meshing or simple linear elements
finish in matte blocks. Use of barbwire fence is disallowed.
Fencing within the estate shall meet the following requirements:
1 For the front part, facing the roads, green areas and sikkas, high
solid-wall fencing is discouraged. The fence shall be made of half solid
wall segments and metal grills at a uniform height of 1.80m (follow
drawing on the next page).
2 For the side and rear fencing between end-user / developers
property, it shall be a uniform height of 2.5 m for uniformity purposes.
3
Outer fence foundation limit shall remain inside the plot line limit.
4 Where walls are used at property frontages, or screenwalls are used

to conceal storage and equipment areas, they shall be designed to
blend with the sites architecture. Both sides of all perimeter walls shall
be architecturally treated. Landscaping shall be used in combination
with such walls whenever possible.
5 When security fencing is required, it shall be a combination of solid
pillars or short solid wall segments and wrought iron grill work.
6 Long expanses of fence or wall surfaces shall be offset and
architecturally designed to prevent monotony.
7
No corrugated metal sheet fencing is allowed
8 The colour scheme of the fencing shall be uniform for the whole DIC
site and the fencing colour has to be agreed by DIC prior to
commencement on site.
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Half solid wall
Signage
The following guidelines shall apply:
1 It is important to set a theme for the Industrial City so that all design
elements relating to landscape and signage are coordinated to
reinforce a sense of harmony for the park, as well as the image of the
development. The level of finish and overall quality of materials used
shall convey a high-tech image and be able to identify and
communicate information, as well as control vehicular traffic.
2 There shall be adequate street signage to address the specific
community; the key buildings; the amenity centres and institutional
buildings as well as the various industrial clusters. All end-users and
developers within the Industrial City shall respect the theme of the
signage being imposed by the principal developer.
3 Within the industrial and warehousing area, the company name
and logo shall be placed at the main entrance in accordance with DIC
standard. Huge billboards for advertising shall be discouraged.
Reasonable dimensions for logo and or company name signs range
from 3.0m to a maximum of 6.0m in length.
4 DIC will establish a set of street name signboards and signage within
the Industrial City that will set the pace for the Industrial City.
5 Building number plates (house no) must be erected near the main
entrances to each of the factory buildings.
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3.9
Infrastructure / utilities controls.
Authorities Requirement:
Dubai Municipality, DEWA, Gas Supplier, TECOM, Dusup, Civil Defence design
standards and building regulations shall apply to the building design. The endusers / developers shall obtain all necessary NOCs, permits and approvals as
per their requirement.
Storm water drainage

Contaminated rainwater from industrial process areas shall be collected
and treated to suit the permissible standards (Dubai Municipality
Environmental Standards and Allowable Limits of Pollutants on Land, Water,
and Air Environment May 2003). Provision of oil interceptors and keeping the
contaminated area sealed and fenced off and to a minimum are some of the
options available to the end user. No direct connection to the storm water
drainage network is allowed. Dubai Municipality design standards and
regulations shall apply. The end-users / developers shall obtain all necessary
NOCs, permits and approvals as per their requirement.
Water
Each end-user shall provide a storage tank to cater for one day demand at
their premises. Once completed, the water main network will deliver water to
individual plots at 1.5 bar for filling the storage water tank. Any developer who
requires a higher pressure should install an appropriate booster pumping
system.
The end-users/developers shall obtain the necessary NOCs, permits and
approvals as per their requirement.
If a significant volume of the potable water delivered to a plot is transported
or disposed of off-site (e.g. in the form of canned beverages) it may be in the
interests of the developer to provide at his own cost a meter that will measure
this volume. He may then apply to DIC for abatement of sewerage charges
levied by DIC.
Gas
Dusups design standards and regulations shall apply. The end-users /
developers shall obtain all necessary NOCs, permits and approvals as per their
requirement.
Sewerage
Being an Industrial City two types of sewerage are generated namely
domestic & industrial. The industrial wastewater has to be treated
independently by each end user by their own industrial treatment plant unit
within their plot. Any waste or treated water that cannot be recycled (e.g.
large volumes of clear water or sludge etc.) is to be removed from the plot by
tanker truck to licensed waste disposal facility outside the Dubai Industrial City
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site. No connection will be permitted between the tenants industrial waste

water system and the domestic foul sewage system. The Authority must be
allowed full access to inspect all foul water discharge systems at any time
during construction or operation. For the domestic part, the sewage is to be
discharged through the sewer networks to the proposed in- house STP.
End users are to ensure that all domestic sewage entering the foul water
network must never exceed the limits for waste water into a sewage system as
determined by the Dubai Municipality or those detailed below, whichever is
the more stringent (limits are maxima unless shown otherwise):
Discharge limits to the Industrial City foul sewerage network
Unit
To Foul Sewerage
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
mg/l
1000
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
mg/l
3000
Total Dissolved Solids
mg/l
3000
Total Suspended Solids
mg/l
500
MPN/100 ml
500
mg/l
150
Faecal Coliforms
Oils & Greases
pH
6 ph 10
Temperature
45
Arsenic (As)
mg/l
0.5
Boron (B)
mg/l
Cadmium (Cd)
mg/l
0.3
Chlorine Residual (Total)
mg/l
10
Chromium (Cr)
mg/l
Cyanide
mg/l
Iron (Fe)
mg/l
Lead (Pb)
mg/l
Manganese (Mn)
mg/l
Mercury (Hg)
mg/l
0.01
Ammoniacal Nitrogen
mg/l
40
Nickel (Ni)
mg/l
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Unit
To Foul Sewerage
Phenols
mg/l
50
Phosphorous (as total P)
mg/l
30
Sulphate (SO4)
mg/l
500
Sulphide (as S)
mg/l
10
Zinc (Zn)
mg/l
Solid waste
All industries coming into the Industrial City are required to incorporate waste
minimization, reuse and recycling into their processes and to consider disposal
to DMs hazardous waste facility as the last option. Waste disposal must be
addressed by each industry when undertaking the required EIA study. A waste
skip area surrounded by washable walls should be provided for each project.
Fire fighting
Since there will not be an operational STP or irrigation network by the time that
the early developments are ready, there may not be an operational hydrant
system available from the Master Developer. Civil defence have indicated
that developers will have to ensure that their internal fire fighting system
(sprinklers, hose reels, etc) storage tanks are kept full at all times until the
external hydrant system is commissioned.
Utility connection requirements

Each plot has predetermined connection points assigned for each utility
service. These locations have been chosen to be consistent with the design of
the master network for the entire Industrial City and the individual
developments will be required to terminate their connections at these
locations on the plot boundary. When master-planning their facilities,
developers should avoid conflicts between the plot ingress/egress points, the
substation location and these utility entry points (please refer to drawing on
the next page).
The basic strategy is that the gravity foul water system dictates the location of
entry into a plot. Each service is then offset a distance to the right hand side of
this service, as detailed below.
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Chapter
4
4
Specific Urban design guidelines
4.1
Introduction
Specific Urban Design Guidelines for each of the major land uses within the
Industrial City are elaborated below and are for the following uses:
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
Industrial use design guidelines

Labour accommodation) design guidelines
Showroom, workshop guidelines.
Logistics
4.2
Industrial Use - Urban Design Guidelines
4.2.1
Purpose
The industrial Urban Design Guidelines and controls prepared for Industrial City
are meant to guide development so that it can be developed in an orderly
manner. It will facilitate the industries to design and implement their own
development within each land parcel allocated to comply with the planning
guidelines. Relevant legislative and regulatory guidelines, as set out by the
Dubai Municipality are duly incorporated. Overseas norms and best practices
are also incorporated. The Urban Design Guidelines are specific but shall be
interpreted with some flexibility in their application to specific projects. The
Urban Design Guidelines will be utilized during the DICs design review process
to encourage the highest level of design quality while at the same time
providing the flexibility necessary to encourage creativity on the part of
project designers.
The planning guidelines, as stated in this chapter, include some additional
planning guidelines that could be considered and it is recommended that it be
incorporated in the sales agreement to new industrialists as deeds of restrictions.
Exceptions to Urban Design Guidelines can be granted under special
circumstances. These shall be expressively stated in the related document or
the end-users / developers can apply to DIC for a waiver with valid reasons. This
planning guidelines section provided will cover only the industrial land uses.
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4.2.2
Applicability
The provisions of this section shall apply to all industrial development within the
City, unless otherwise specified herein.
4.2.3
Site Planning Principles
Conforming to the clustering concept

The industrial area is planned based on the concept of clustering allied
industries with similar requirements within one defined area to allow the
sharing of common facilities and to provide opportunities to create linkages in
production. A total of six industrial clusters will be accommodated within the
industrial area of DIC and they are: food & beverage, transport equipment &
parts, base metals, machinery & equipment, minerals and chemicals. It is the
intention to locate only the same type of industries within the same clusters as
the juxtaposition of the various industrial clusters have been carefully studied
based on environmental considerations, infrastructure and utilities provisions.
Examples of some of the projects / industries to be located within each of the
6 clusters identified for the Industrial City are shown below:
Land Use
Sub-sectors
Type of projects
Food &
Long life packaged food;
Mfg & packaging of noodles; cereals;
Beverage
beverages
confectioneries, canned food; dried

foodstuff; blending of flavours and
fragrances
Transportation
Automotive OEMs; truck
Auto component manufacturers;
Equipment &
assembly; recreational vehicles
assembly plants; machine shop; paint
Parts
Base Metals
shop
Downstream steel; downstream
Downstream aluminium windows and
aluminium
frames; EAF steel
Machinery &
Elevators; air conditioning
Machinery spare plants; condensers;
Equipment
systems; security systems
filters; valves; sensor production etc
Mineral
Cement; glass; ceramics
Downstream glass products;
Products
Ceramic titles; accessories etc
Downstream
Plastics & rubber; paints
Flux and solder paste; electronic chemicals;
Chemicals
and coatings;
pigments; specialty chemicals; tablets;
pharmaceuticals
additives
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Classification of industries
(1)
General
To guide land use planning and help industrialists select suitable industrial
premises, industries are classified under, 4 categories namely clean, light,
general and special industries based on the impact of residual emissions of
fumes, dust and noise on surrounding land uses. Business Parks is a new and
separate category.
Depending on their scale of operations, food industries are also classified into
light, general or special category. However, in order to prevent crosscontamination due to residual emissions from neighbouring premises, food
industries shall be sited in industrial premises in areas designated as food zones
or in areas with compatible industrial uses.
Industries are not homogeneous and are traditionally classified on the basis of
their potential for pollution i.e. residual emissions of fumes, dust, and noise on
surrounding land use. Industrial developments can be classified as follows:
(2)
Clean Industry
These are typically characterised by:
1 No buffer is required.
2 Factory shall not generate air and water pollution as well as noise
and smell nuisance that can affect neighbouring premises.
3 Factory shall not use large quantities of hazardous substances such
as Solvents, acids and other chemicals.
(3)
Light Industry
Industrial developments within this zoning generally create minimal air, water
and noise pollution and do not generate large quantities of solid waste. This
includes the food industrial cluster. In order to prevent cross-contamination
due to residual emissions from neighbouring premises, food industries shall be
sited and confined within a cluster or in areas with compatible industrial uses.
1 There shall be a buffer distance of at least 50m between a light
industrial building and the nearest residential building.
2 Factory shall not use equipment burning solid or fuel oil. Boilers using
diesel (0.05%S) and heating equipment such as furnaces, ovens and
autoclaves using gaseous fuel or electricity may be allowed pending
approval of DIC.
3 Factory shall not generate large quantities of trade effluent or solid
waste.
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(4)
General Industry
Developments within this zoning generally produce some odour, fumes, noise
and may generate considerable quantities of solid wastes. They will also
require treatment plants for liquid wastes. These industries are usually located
further away from the residential, commercial areas as well as factories within
the food cluster.
1 There shall be a buffer distance of at least 100m between a general
industrial building and the nearest residential building.
2 Factory shall install, operate and maintain pollution control
equipment to minimise air, water and noise pollution arising from its
operations as specified by the Environmental Protection & Safety
Section (EPSS) of Dubai Municipality.
3 Sufficient space shall be set aside for the installation of treatment
facilities
4
Toxic and dangerous materials must not be produced
5 These industries may produce some odour, fumes and noise and may
generate considerable quantities of solid and liquid wastes. They must be
generally sited in designated industrial estates or zones within the industrial
park.
(5)
Special Industry
The following shall apply:
1 There shall be a buffer distance of at least 500m between the
boundaries of a factory and the nearest residential building (within the
mixed-used area)
2 Special industries, which can potentially cause serious pollution such
as oil refineries, petrochemical and chemical plants, toxic industrial
wastes treatment facilities, etc, shall be sited at least 1 km from the
nearest residential building.
3 Factory shall install, operate and maintain pollution control
equipment to minimize air, water and noise pollution arising from its
operations as specified by the environmental authorities.
4 Special industries using or storing large quantities of hazardous
chemicals shall be required to conduct the following:
Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) Study
Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Study
(6)
Business Parks
Developments within the business parks are generally non-pollutive. The land
safeguarded within the Industrial City for business parks are all within the
safeguarded Arabian Canal `frozen zone. Business Park is defined as an area
where high technology, high value-added, knowledge -intensive modern
businesses are located within a quality environment. Business Parks represent a
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new concept in land use, for activities in the areas of R & D, product design,
software engineering, high-tech and light manufacturing and warehousing etc.
Current industrial premises were found unable to cater to the needs of the new
generation of information based industries The description of a business parks is
as follows:
1
No buffer is required.
2 Activities shall not generate air and water pollution as well as noise
and smell nuisance that can affect neighbouring premises.
3 Activities can include high technology manufacturing, research and
development, product design and development, data processing,
software development and industrial training that do not require the
use or storage of significant quantities of hazardous substances and
solvents.
(7)
Industrial Usage - Predominant and Ancillary use

(i) General
The purpose of this guideline is to ensure that the land is utilized for its intended
purpose and that factories are predominantly used for industrial and
manufacturing purposes. Exceptions may be allowed for certain types of
manufacturing plants in which their operational requirements necessitate
large storage spaces for raw materials or finished products, such as paint or
chemical factories.
(ii) Predominant & Ancillary Uses
The predominant use within a factory shall occupy at least 50% of the
factorys total gross floor area for production purposes. The remaining areas
can be allowed for ancillary uses but it shall be strictly supplementary to the
manufacturing process. It must occupy less than 50% of the total gross floor
area. The table below shows an example of the controls of the Gross Floor
Area use within a typical factory.
Predominant & Ancillary Uses
Diagram: Predominant & Ancillary Uses
Predominant Use
Ancillary Use
50%
50%
Manufacturing
Ancillary Office
R&D
Showroom
Meeting rooms
Leisure / toilets
Staff canteen
Storage room / prayer room
Clinic / sick bay
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(iii) Exclusionary Uses

Independent offices, showrooms, residential facilities and retail outlets not
associated with the manufacturing process will not be allowed within industrial
plots.
(iv) Building Intensity - (Floor area ratio)
For each of the industrial clusters a specific floor area ratio is stipulated to
ensure that the land is optimally utilized.
Floor area ratio is defined as the ratio between the total gross floor area of the
building or buildings over the site area, This factor is used to determine the
total quantity of built environment that is permitted on that site.
Floor area ratio (FAR) = Total gross floor area/ Total site area
The Floor area ratio for industries within the Industrial City ranged from 0.5 to
0.8. Thus if an end-user / developer is allocated a site of 10,000 sq m and the
prescribed FAR is 0.5; the total floor area that is allowed within the plot is 5000
sq meters.
The calculation of floor area ratio can exclude the land set aside for future
extension but ultimately when the development is completed, the entire site
shall be considered. Land for future extension shall be kept at a minimum and
must be renewed on a yearly basis with justification. Tenants shall comply with
the floor area controls and complete their development within a specific period
as imposed by DIC.
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(v) Setback from the public roads (buffer requirements)

Buffers are building setback requirements from the public road, which
normally include a tree planting strip. The rationale for the imposition of
buffers within the individual industrial plots fronting the road is:
1 Provides a uniform building setback from roads to create neat rows
of buildings and critical vistas.
2 The width of the buffer varies with the hierarchy of the roads (width
of the road) that the land plot abuts. For industrial and warehouse use,
the height of the development is not material as the buildings are
normally low-rise.
3 No buildings or developments are allowed to encroach into the
buffer zone. However, certain types of light ancillary structures, such as
a bin centre, guard house, small ring main substations, sign board, lamp
posts, letter box, etc. are allowed to be placed in the buffer zone.
4 There shall be a stipulation that planting within the plots is required
making it mandatory for the investors to plant trees and scrubs within
their plot with the intention to soften the environment within the
Industrial City. Exemption is permitted for certain combustible industries
if it poses a fire hazard and a Civil defence requirement.
5 Within the buffer zone ; there are two types of buffer namely the
green buffer and the physical buffer zone.
Category of Roads
Arterial road
( above 80.6m wide ROW)
Major collector road Between
49m to 80m wide ROW)
Secondary road ; primary
access and local roads
(Below 49.0 m ROW)
Physical buffer:
Green buffer :
Minimum Width of Buffer (m)
Specification of Buffer (m)

Green
Physical
15
10
10
is a strip of land within which car park, driveways,

walkways and light ancillary structures such as rubbish bin
centres, guard houses, ring main substation, car porch
and canopies can be allowed.
Is a strip of land strictly reserved for tree planting,
landscaping and turfing; no other uses will be allowed
except for sign posts, lamp posts, small guard houses and
bin points.
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(vi) Building Setback

All setbacks shall be taken from the property line to the building line of any
structure. The building setbacks for the industrial plots shall consist of 2 types.
Front setbacks for buildings fronting road is dependent upon the category of
road that it fronts and can vary from 15 m (if the front boundary abuts the
major arterial road to 10m and 5 metres respectively for major road and
secondary roads. (Please see buffer setback from road requirements).
Side and rear boundaries - a minimum 5 m setback requirement for factory
buildings to provide for natural light and ventilation considerations is also
proposed.
Based on the planning norm, the requisite setback of 5 m (side & rear) is
sufficient for any fire-fighting vehicle to access the factory site. However, there
is a need to seek Dubai Municipalitys approval as and when the actual
architectural layout details of the individual buildings are finalized.
The front setback is important as it will help to ensure a regular building
frontage for the entire street block. If there is no control, the front faade of
the industrial buildings along the road system will be irregular and aesthetically
unpleasant to the eye.
The minimum setbacks stated hereafter are DIC guidelines and there is a need
to check this against the Civil Defence Authoritys requirements if the industrial
process deals with combustible or hazardous substances.
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Sketch showing the buffer and setback requirements for a typical detached factory within the
Industrial City.
(vii) Building coverage, storey height; Floor to floor height and height control.
Building coverage control is to ensure that the built environment within the
industrial park is not compromised. In addition, the control is to ensure that no
buildings shall abut the perimeter of the leased land for fire safety, light and
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ventilation purposes, unless it is a semi-detached or terrace factory

development.
Site coverage for building structures in the Industrial City shall be controlled,
and is expressed as a percentage of the site area. It dictates that this area of
the site is covered by permanent building structures. However, it excludes any
permitted temporary structures, shade coverings over parking spaces, roof
overhangs and projecting balconies.
To realize the vision of DIC to be a premier Industrial City, site coverage of 50%
is recommended to allow for better circulation for loading/unloading of
materials/ finished products and the anticipated high car-ownership of the
office workers that will require car parking lots within these factories. At this site
coverage, it can enjoy more flexibility in the built form with more landscaping,
if needed.
Controls within the Industrial City :
1. Building coverage within an industrial plot is not to exceed 50% of the site area. This
is to reduce on-street parking of trucks and containers that may impede the smooth
traffic flow on the road. Exemptions or slight deviations will only be allowed on a
case to case basis depending on specific operational requirements.
2.
Storey height The maximum number of floors within the industrial zone is G +
mezzanine. Thus for a factory building; it will mean that the factory height is
allowed up to a maximum of G +M (3.00m) = 7.90m clear height (see sketch below)
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3)
Floor to floor height. Generally, the floor-to-floor height for industrial buildings is
6.0 m. For single storey detached factory, this control can be relaxed to reflect
the operational needs of the industry.
Flexibility is given to the end-users/developers on a case to case basis when
their technical requirements require an increase in height. The floor to floor
height for the office component shall be between 2.75m to 4.8 m (including
structure). However the maximum clear height for the mezzanine floor with office
use is 3m.
4)
Height control Where there is a need for a tall structure like chimneys etc; this has
to be cleared with the airport authorities as site is adjacent to the Airport city.
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(viii) Environmental buffers and setbacks from neighbours.

Buffer zones will be provided between the industrial areas and the mixed use
areas and between incompatible uses.
Buffer zones do not necessarily need to be green (vegetation) zones, the main
purpose is to introduce distance between sensitive receptors and possible
sources of pollution. In terms of hierarchy of sensitive receptors, residential
areas will be considered the most sensitive and shall have as large a buffer
zone as practicable. As far as the industrial zones are concerned, Food &
Beverages is the most sensitive and food products need to be protected in
particular from tainting effects of organic pollutants and particulates.
There are no set widths for buffer zones as this depends a great deal on the
type of industry, its processes, the quantity and type of chemicals used and
the type of control systems in place. Specific requirements for buffer zone
widths for individual industries must be assessed/identified during the EIA
process for implementation as relevant.
With regard to the specific areas where the adjacent neighbours may impact
its operations; the following safeguards shall be adopted:
1 Buffer zone between F & B Zone and neighbouring industries.
Neighbours within a 400-500 m distance from the food factory shall be
clean and light industries. Warehouses and offices are recommended
to be sited within this buffer zone as they are for storage use only with
limited pollutive emissions. For the row of Transport and equipment
clusters nearest south of the F & B zone only 'clean' industries within the
auto component sector shall be located here and industries sited
within this area must submit EIA report for review and approval prior to
obtaining a construction permit.
2 Buffer Zone between industrial zones and the mixed-use (frozen)
area of 500m has been safeguarded on the plan with the first 200 m
from the industrial plot boundary being considered as a `physical
buffer in terms of usage.
3 Buffer zones between industrial zones. There is no specific
requirement for a buffer zone between the Chemical Zone and other
industrial zones but requirements for individual industries will be
evaluated based on the type of industry, existing or planned
neighbours and the results of EIA study. There shall be a 500 metres
buffer zone between the boundary of the chemical zone and any
residential areas. Thus, a 500m buffer zone will be maintained between
the Chemical zone and the proposed mixed use zone within the
Arabian canal area. Logistics companies, workshops and light industries
are allowed within this 500m buffer zone. This is a Dubai Municipalitys
requirement.
4 Buffer between the Chemical Zone and the Mineral zone. The
purpose of the Buffer Zone to the west of the Chemical Zone within the
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Mineral Zone is to reduce the possibility of air pollution affecting

production activities in the Chemical Zone. For example, if there are
cement factories in the Mineral area, dust from these facilities may
impact production of plastics in the Chemical Zone. However, it does
not mean that no activities are allowed within this zone. The activities
allowed within the buffer zone can include non-polluting activities such
as warehouses, offices, car parks, landscaping etc.
(ix) Parking and Circulation
Adequate circulation within the plots and parking spaces for cars/lorries and
container trucks shall be provided within the factory plots. Trailers are not
allowed to be parked on the roadside especially along the main arterial
roads. The recommended minimum parking standards for Dubai Industrial City
are shown below:
Recommended Parking Standards for Car and Lorry parks within DIC
Proposed Usage
Car Parking Standards
Recommended Lorry Parking
(Floor area)
Standards/ Loading
Multi-storey
2.15/100 sq m GFA
1 lot per 5,000 m2 *
factories
(1/500 sf GFA) of Office Bldg +
Adequate loading bays to
Loading Berths
be provided
Terrace and
2.15/100 sq m GFA
As above. Min of 1 lorry
semi-detached
parking lot per factory
factories
Loading Berths
Detached
2.15/100 sq m GFA
factories
As above.
Loading Berths
* Proposed car and lorry parking guidelines for the Industrial City is intended to limit on street
parking of heavy vehicles.
**
***
= Dimensions of motorcar lots (2.5 m x 5.5 m) minimum

= Dimensions of lorry parking lots (3 m x 9 m) minimum
Notes:
1 The parking lot and cars parks must have some landscaping
element and trees shall be planted to provide shade.
2 Site access and internal circulation shall be designed in a
straightforward manner which emphasizes safety and efficiency. The
circulation system shall be designed to reduce conflicts between
vehicular and pedestrian traffic, combine circulation and access areas
where possible, provide adequate manoeuvring for containers and for
emergency vehicle access.
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3 The minimum gate dimensions for two way passenger vehicle

ingress/egress points shall be 6m and the minimum gate dimension for
two way heavy vehicles ingress/egress points shall be 8m.
4 Entrances and exits to and from parking and loading facilities shall
be clearly marked with appropriate directional signage.
5 Vehicles shall not be required to enter the street in order to move
from one area to another on the same site.
6 Parking lots adjacent to and visible from public streets must be
adequately screened from view through the use of earth berms, low
screen walls, landscaping or combinations thereof whenever possible.
7 The industrial site shall be a self-contained development capable of
accommodating its own parking needs. The use of the public street for
parking and staging of trucks is not allowed.
(x) Loading Facilities
To alleviate the unsightly appearance of loading facilities for industrial uses,
these areas shall not be located at the front of buildings where it is difficult to
adequately screen them from view. Such facilities are more appropriate at
the rear of the site.
When it is not possible to locate loading facilities at the rear of the building,
loading docks and doors shall not dominate the frontage and must be
screened from the street.
Backing from the public street onto the site for loading into front end docks
causes unsafe truck manoeuvring and not encouraged except at the ends of
industrial cul-de-sacs where each circumstance will be studied individually at
the time of design review.
(xi) Open space and landscaping
As part of maintaining a good image, green strips and buffers are proposed to
create a pleasant environment in which to work. Tree planting and the
retention of vegetation soften the harsh industrial landscape. Landscaping
along the public roads and within the private green buffers is key to making
the City attractive. The following should be noted:
1 For industrial uses landscaping shall be used to define areas by
helping to focus on the front of the factories; at the entrances, parking
lots, loading areas, defining the edges of various land uses, providing
transition between neighbouring properties (buffering), and providing
screening for outdoor storage, loading, and equipment areas.
2 Front yard planting within the factory lot is mandatory, and shall be
judiciously landscaped with a massing of trees and planting to provide
shade. Hardy, seasonal-tolerant plant materials adapted to the region
shall be used for landscaping. All lot owners shall ensure the proper
maintenance and upkeep of their surroundings, landscape, horticulture
and other facilities. There is no mandatory requirement to insist that a
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certain percentage of the plot has to be vegetated provided that the

Green Buffer requirements (clause 3.3) have been met.
3 Prominent plots that front onto the major Arterial roads will need to
include a landscaping plan to explain their landscaping intentions for
the plot.
4 Landscaping shall be in scale with adjacent buildings and be of
appropriate size at maturity to accomplish its intended goals.
5 Trees shall be located throughout the parking lot and not simply at
the ends of parking aisles. In order to be considered within the parking
lots.
Planting within
car parks
(xii) Pedestrian right-of way (Sikkas)

In the planning of the Industrial City, pedestrian movements within the park
have been considered and land is reserved for pedestrian walkways. These
pedestrian walkways link the industrial areas to the major roads and bus stops.
Owners of adjacent plots that abut these sikkas shall respect these areas as
sikkas and no encroachments are allowed.
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(xiii) Service Easements

Some service reserves and easements are created for the laying of services.
Service reserves are safeguarded service corridors that are owned and
managed by the developer or utility companies. Sometimes service
easements shall be necessary to be constructed within the front of the
industrial plots within the 2-3m green buffer. As such, service easements are to
be created and indicated to the prospective tenants of the encumbrances.
Such service/utility easements will be indicated in the purchase agreement
plans and incorporated in the sales agreement.
4.2.4
Site Design within the industrial districts.
There are 6 industrial zones within the Industrial City and the Design guidelines
are as follows:
1
IN1 Food and Beverage.
IN2 Base Metals
IN4- Transport Equipment
4
5
IN5 Machinery and equipment

IN6 Minerals
IN7 Chemicals
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Food and Beverages (IN-1) Zone

LAND-USE
ZONE
DESCRIPTION
PURPOSE AND
OBJECTIVES
DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
Food and
Beverages
(IN-1)
The purpose of the

Industrial Zone is to
provide adequate space
for food manufacturing
uses, such as food and
beverages. The food
industries are located in
a defined zone as they
are very sensitive to
contamination from
adjacent neighbours .
Food industries also have
very high intake of
power; gas and water
supply and they also
require special sewerage
treatment of its by
products. This zone will
require plot allocations
with good accessibility to
the strategic road
network as some of the
products are perishable.
To
provide
for
adequate
serviced
plots for this type of
industry
Min Lot Size:

8,000m2
Max. Lot Size:
70,000m2
Site Coverage:
50%
Floor-Area Ratio (FAR)
0.7
Street Setback:
5m to 15 m
Adjacent plots Setback:
5m
Parking Spaces:
2.15/100 sq m GFA (1/500 sf GFA) of
Office Bldg + Loading Berths
Max No. of Floors:
G+ mezzanine
Minimum landscaped setback to
public street:
2m 5m
For more information on the setback
requirements (green & physical buffer)
please refer to Clause no. 3.3.
For more information on the plot
coverage and FAR please refer to the
plots Affection plan.
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Base Metals (IN-2) Zone

LANDUSE
ZONE
Base
Metals
(IN-2)
DESCRIPTION
PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES
This Zone is designated for

the establishment of light
manufacturing uses
including fabricating,
assembling, testing,
repairing, servicing or
processing products where
the nature of the operation
is not obnoxious or offensive
by reason of emission of
odor, dust, noxious gas,
noise, vibration, glare, heat
or other adverse
environmental impacts. It will
provide an opportunity for
the utilization of the byproducts generated in the
adjacent Industrial Area.
To create investment
opportunities in DIC.
To promote industrial
diversification
Min. Lot Size:

5,000m2
Max. Lot Size:
140,000m2
Site Coverage:
50%
0.50
Street Setback:
5m to 15 m
5m
Parking Spaces:
2.15/100 sq m GFA (1/500 sf
GFA) of Office Bldg + Loading
Berths
Max No. of Floors:
G+ mezzanine
Minimum landscaped setback
to public street:
2m 5m
For more information on the
setback requirements (green &
physical buffer) please refer to
Clause no. 3.3.
plot coverage and FAR please
refer to the plots Affection
plan.
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Warehousing and Storage (IN-3) Zone

LAND-USE
ZONE
DESCRIPTION
Logistics
(IN-3)
This zone is designated for

warehousing and storage
purposes that are generally
incompatible with
residential and commercial
uses, but which serve a
useful or necessary
function.
These areas are intended

to be logistics hubs, serving
the needs of DIC.
To make provision for

warehousing and
storage facilities required
by associated
operations and
processes occurring
within the Industrial Area.
To provide and expand
economic and
employment
opportunities.
To attract investment
into DIC.
Min Lot Size:
15,000m2
Max. Lot Size:
105,000 sq m ( logistics
complex)
Plot Coverage:
Up to 50%
Street Setback:
5m to 15 m
5m
Parking Spaces:
2.15/100 sq m GFA (1/500 sf
GFA) of Office Bldg +
Loading Berths
Max No. of Floors:
G+M
setback requirements (green
& physical buffer) please
refer to Clause no. 3.3.
plot coverage and FAR
please refer to the plots
Affection plan.
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Transport and Equipment (IN-4)Zone

LAND-USE
ZONE
DESCRIPTION
Transport
and
Equipment
(IN-4)

manufacturing uses
including transportation
and equipment related
uses.
diversification
Min. Lot Size:
11,000m2
Max. Lot Size:
280,000m2
Site Coverage:
50%
0.5
Street Setback:
5m to 15 m
5m
Parking Spaces:
2.15/100 sq m GFA (1/500 sf
Berths
Max No. of Floors:
G+M
to public street:
2m 5m
Clause no. 3.3.
plan.
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Machinery and Equipment (IN-5) Zone

LAND-USE
ZONE
DESCRIPTION
Machinery
and
Equipment
(IN-5)

manufacturing uses
including machinery and
equipment related uses.
diversification
Min. Lot Size:
2,000m2
Max. Lot Size:
118,000m2
Site Coverage:
50%
0.6 0.72
Street Setback:
5m to 15 m
5m
Parking Spaces:
2.15/100 sq m GFA (1/500 sf
Berths
Max No. of Floors:
G+M
to public street:
2m 5m
Clause no. 3.3.
plan.
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Minerals (IN-6) Zone

LANDUSE
ZONE
Minerals
(IN-6)
DESCRIPTION

and general manufacturing
uses for mineral related
uses.
diversification
Min. Lot Size:

2,000m2
Max. Lot Size:
280,000 sq m
Site Coverage:
50%
0.5
Street Setback:
5m to 15 m
5m
Parking Spaces:
2.15/100 sq m GFA (1/500 sf
Berths
Max No. of Floors:
G+M
to public street:
2m 5m
Clause no. 3.3.
For more information on the plot
coverage and FAR please refer
to the plots Affection plan.
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Chemicals (IN-7) Zone

LAND-USE
ZONE
Chemicals
(IN-7)
DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this zone

is to provide adequate
space for the
manufacturing of
chemical products and
plastics. This intent of this
zone is to site those types
of industries and
warehouses which if not
appropriately designed
and located may cause
offence or
unacceptable risk to the
overall development.
diversification
Min. Lot Size:
3,500m2
Max. Lot Size:
105,000 sq m
Site Coverage:
50%
0.5
Street Setback:
5m to 15 m
5m
Parking Spaces:
2.15/100 sq m GFA (1/500 sf
Berths
Max No. of Floors:
G
Minimum landscaped
setback to public street:
2m 5m
& physical buffer) please refer
to Clause no. 3.3.
Affection plan.
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4.2.5
Architectural Design controls.
(1)
Building faade controls.

Controls on building facade and height are mainly targeted at factory
buildings which front the major arterial road and at the entrance of the
Industrial City. Landmark and quality industrial buildings shall be placed at key
nodes along the main arterial roads, i.e. at the entrances to the Industrial City.
High, solid-wall fencing is discouraged, especially for lots which front the major
arterial roads, as they disrupt the continuity of the vistas and good quality
factory buildings will not be visible from the road. Unsightly open storage shall
be delegated to the rear, such that they are hidden from sight.
(2)
Facade control is required for factory buildings particularly if the

building fronts the major arterial road or is located at the entrance of
the industrial park. The buildings within the industrial park shall be
designed and built to comply with minimum aesthetic and quality
standards and controls to maintain a certain level of uniformity.
For factories fronting the major arterial roads (above 80.6m ROW), the
factory building design will be reviewed by a Design Panel within DIC to
ensure that the factory building erected will be of good quality .
A colour scheme for factory buildings will be controlled; loud, primary
colours for the factory buildings are discouraged and pastel colours are
encouraged.
Building Orientation and Massing

The orientation and massing of buildings shall be designed in accordance with
the direction of the sun. The generally practice in the UAE is to orient buildings
to face north/ south in a north-south axis and not to face the direct east west
sun. However, a sometimes variation in orientation is desired to lend interest to
the building layout.
For UAEs hot climate, architectural design details shall take into consideration
the wind direction and air and sand movement through the site.
(3)
Security
Each individual factory is situated within its own walled compound and
guarded by its own security guards. There will be police stations and
adequate police posts throughout the Industrial City and at the Local activity
centre of the Labour accommodation area to provide the necessary security
for the tenants within the Industrial City.
(4)
Building design controls

Industrial buildings within the Industrial City shall be differentiated by having
better quality finishes and more attractive and interesting facades. A variety
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of design techniques can be utilized to help improve the built environment

within the Industrial City.
All factory buildings shall be designed by qualified professionals; namely an

architect; professional engineers etc.
Using a variety in structural forms, to create visual character and interest is
encouraged.
Avoid long, "unarticulated" facades. Facades with varied front wall
setbacks are strongly encouraged. Wall planes shall not run in one
continuous direction for more than 50 feet without an offset.
Avoid blank front and side wall elevations on street frontages.
Entries to industrial structures shall portray a quality office appearance
while being architecturally tied into the overall mass and building
composition.
All elevations shall be architecturally treated.
Windows and doors are key elements of any building form, and
shall
relate to the scale of the elevation of the building.
Windows and doors can establish character by their rhythm and variety.
Sensitive alteration of colours and materials can produce diversity and
enhance architectural forms.
Lighting shall be used to provide illumination for the security and safety of
on-site areas such as parking, loading, shipping and receiving, pathways,
and working areas.
As a security device, lighting shall be adequate but not overly bright. All
building entrances shall be well lit.
Design elements which are undesirable and shall not be allowed include:
1.
Highly reflective surfaces at the ground story
2.
Large blank, unarticulated wall surfaces
3.
Exposed, untreated solid block walls
4.
Chain link fence with barbed wire
5.
"Stuck on" mansard roofs on small portion of the roofline
6.
Unarticulated building facades
7.
Materials with high maintenance such as stained wood, shingles or
metal siding.
8.
Corrugated roof.
4.3
Labour Accommodation Guidelines
Housing for workers has to meet the regulatory requirements set by the various
government agencies. It will have to be erected in compliance with the various
statutory requirements such as Dubai Municipality and by the Manpower Agency.
4.3.1
Purpose
The Urban Design Guidelines for labour accommodation serve as a guide for
the developer and his architect to understand the overall planning concept.
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It is also essential for the developer and his architect to note that relevant
legislative and regulatory guidelines as set out by the Dubai Municipality have
to be complied with where applicable. The developer and the architect shall
use this framework as a guide and to maximize his creativity to develop a
unique and high quality institutional environment.
4.3.2
Applicability
The labour accommodation comprises of blocks 17, 25, 36, 37, 41 and 43.
4.3.3
Layout and Design
Off-site housing quarters must be constructed with permanent materials to the

DICs standard which include appropriate insulations. Residential blocks shall
be designed in a courtyard concept with minimum overlooking onto
neighbours. There shall be security access points to ensure that the workers
feel safe during their stay. The blocks shall be differentiated by occupants
gender and separately fenced up. A cafeteria block shall be provided to
cater to the eating requirements of the workers and if necessary segregated
for different sexes. Indoor and outdoor recreational facilities shall be provided
for the community.
Proposed Storey height = G + 3 storeys
4.3.4
Typical Facilities and Amenities Required
Each labour accommodation must be supported by amenities. Some of the

basic amenities to be provided for a cluster of 10,000 residents shall include
the following:
1 Outdoor recreational facilities such as cricket pitch; multi-purpose
courts etc. Indoor recreational facilities like snooker; games room, TV
room; multi-purpose room.
2
3
Religious building Juma mosque; prayer rooms etc.

Food and beverage outlets.
Retail shops; grocery shops; laundry
5 Health care such as private clinics (serve 5,000 7,000 worker

population); poly clinic (serve 7,000 10,000 worker population).
6 Civil defence.
7
Police post.
Maintenance office;
Post office (branch) or post shelters; post boxes etc.
Living Space
a)
b)
3 sq m per person (min) if the labour accommodation is provided with a

separate space for cupboard/locker room.
4 sq per person (min) if the labour accommodation does not provide
separate space for cupboard/locker room.
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c)
For DIC, an 8-9 sq m per person shall be the norm to be adopted and this is
inclusive of space for cupboard; toilet and shower and a study table.
(Maximum of 2 person per room or 4 persons for 2 combined rooms).
Toilet Facilities
The following sanitary facilities shall be provided for every 10 workers or less:
1 water closet
1 urinal
1 wash-hand basin
1 shower
Refuse Storage and Collection System

a)
Refuse output is to be calculated at 10 litres/day per 100 sq m gross floor area

of the living quarters.
A bin centre shall be provided when the amount of refuse output exceeds
1,000 litres/day.
Sufficient refuse bins with covers shall be provided for living quarters and
cleared regularly.
b)
c)
Cooking Area
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
Provide a proper designated cooking area that is compartmentalized

from any accommodation spaces by walls, floor and ceiling of noncombustible construction having a minimum of 1 hour fire resistance
rating, if the cooking area is located within the same building housing
accommodation space.
A cooking area shall be provided for each floor (if no canteen is
provided).
One cooking area need to be provided for each residential block (if a
canteen is provided and food is being catered for by an operator).
Provide piped water and a sink discharge connected to the sewer.
Provide proper wash area and adequate number of refuse bins with tightfitting covers.
Within the designated cooking area to provide proper rodent-proof
storage facilities for cooked and raw food.
Measures shall be taken to ensure that no smell and other public
nuisances arise from the cooking at the housing quarters. Proper
equipment shall be provided to abate such nuisances.
Housekeeping
(i)
No Smoking / No Littering /No Cooking signboards shall be

displayed at conspicuous locations and in languages understood by the
workers.
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(ii)
(iii)
Instructions that can be understood by the workers to maintain their own

living premises in a clean and sanitary condition through proper
housekeeping shall be provided.
The housing quarters shall be maintained in good condition and not be
allowed to deteriorate into a slum-like condition through unauthorised
extensions, overcrowding littered grounds and graffiti on walls. Refrain
from the storage of unwanted articles in and around the housing quarters.
Guidelines on Civil Defence Force Requirements
Fire Safety Provisions

The labour accommodation facilities shall comply with the fire regulation of either
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) or British standard (BS). There shall
be no commencement of works, including change of use, unless building plan
approval is obtained and fire safety is assured.
Technical Requirements - Site Planning
Provide fire engine access way or access road around the external of labour
complex. Clear width of access way and access road shall not be less than 6m
and 4m respectively.
Access opening in external wall shall be provided for fireman access at periodic
stretches.
Sufficient number of internal hydrants shall be provided.
Building shall have sufficient distance away from its plot boundary.
Means of Exit
At least two escape staircases shall be provided.
The main door of each room shall be a fire rating door to BS or NFPA standard.
Density of worker to labour accommodation rooms shall adhere to international
standard as a minimum (BS or NFPA).
Running distance to the escape staircases shall comply with international norms.
Code to be followed for means of escape shall be based on BS or NFPA standard.
Exit signs shall be provided to exit staircases.
Emergency lighting shall be provided along common corridors and within escape
staircases.
Material of Construction
All building elements shall be constructed of non-combustible materials, i.e. bricks,
gypsum board, etc in accordance to British Standard or NFPA standard.
Building key elements, i.e. columns, beams, protected structures for staircases/lifts;
etc shall be constructed to have requisite fire resistance ratings.
Rooms involving hazardous activity/use, i.e. kitchen, store, electrical plant room,
etc shall be compartmentalised.
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Fire Fighting Systems

Fire extinguishers shall be adequately provided.
Hose reel shall be adequately provided.
Fire alarm system shall be provided as follows:
o Manual break glass and automatic detection system is required to be
installed.
o Sprinkler system is required for building exceeding 24m habitable
height.
o Lifts shall be provided if building exceeds 4 storeys.
Other Provisions
Internal corridor shall be naturally ventilated.
Staircases shall be naturally or mechanically ventilated.
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A Typical Layout of DIC Worker Accommodation for Block 25.

(This can be modified for plots 17, 25, 34, 36, 41, and 43. The labour
accommodation for Plot 22 is slightly different.)
Typical Labour Accommodation Layout

Storey height
Site area
Target residential population
= G+3.
= 17.6 ha to 19.5 ha.
= 10,000 to 10,750.
Parking - as per DM standard (0.25/100 sq m of total area plus bus

stops and bus bays (1/ 500 population).
Uses within the Local activity centre are computed separately.
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4.4
Showroom And Workshop Development Urban Design Guidelines
4.4.1
Purpose

to assist the end-users / developers and their architects in understanding the
goals and objectives of the showroom and workshop development. Urban
Design Guidelines complement the mandatory site development regulations.
Relevant legislative and regulatory guidelines as set out by the Dubai
Municipality are duly incorporated. The Urban Design Guidelines are general
and shall be interpreted with some flexibility in their application.
For the showroom and workshop development, it is deliberate that only critical
controls are stated. It is intended to encourage each end-user/developer and
their architects to exercise highest level of design quality without unnecessary
constraints. Exceptions to Urban Design Guidelines can be granted under
special circumstances. These shall be expressed in the related document that
the end users/developers can apply to DIC for a waiver with valid reason.
4.4.2
Applicability
The provision of this section shall apply to all the showroom and workshop
development within the Dubai Industrial City.
4.4.3
The showroom area is to be located alongside the southern main arterial road
to maximize exposure to the passing traffic and to present a high quality visual
frontage to attract businesses into the area. The workshops, acting as
supportive services to the showroom, are to be located within close proximity
to the showrooms. They are internalised and inward-facing, so that the outlook
of the zone from the external is better preserved.
4.4.4
Development Intent
The main purpose of this development is to promote industrial diversification. It

is aimed to provide investment opportunities in DIC and to facilitate
employment through labour intensive activity.
4.4.5
Overall Design Considerations
The main elements of sound design for the showroom and workshop plots are:
a) controlled site access
b) service areas are to be located at the rear of the buildings
c) an aesthetically and architecturally pleasing frontage along the southern
main arterial to showcase the products of the individual business
d) Inward-facing, L-shaped Interlocking building form for the workshops to create
a centralized open space
e) easy accessibility of vehicles
f) convenient and sufficient car parking for visitors to the showrooms
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g) screening of unsightly services and structures

h) landscaped open space encouraged
i) well-ventilated and generous internal space
4.4.6
Usage
This zone is designated for the establishment of medium to large sized

showrooms with workshops devoted to related support services such as
repairing, maintaining or custom-making of household goods, light machinery
and equipment as well as motor vehicles.
Some of the recommended businesses for showroom include automobile,
furniture, home and garden, electronics and those with minimal impacts on
the environment in terms of noxious emissions or noise.
Motor repair workshops to be zoned separately from the rest of the workshops
as they are generally unsightly.
4.4.7
Building Intensity (Floor Area Ratio)
The floor area ratio for showroom and workshop is 0.6. The intent of these
zones is to have a character of high density and therefore developers will be
encouraged to develop projects in a single phase.
4.4.8
Building Coverage and Height Control
The recommended building coverage of showrooms and workshops is 50%.

The Gross Floor Area (GFA) of showrooms ranges from 10,800 sqm to 14,500
sqm while the GFA of workshops ranges from 13,000sqm to 15,800sqm. Both
showrooms and workshops have a building height of 1.2 storeys. They are
single-storey buildings with mezzanine levels for offices, storage or workers
resting areas. The recommended floor to ceiling height for showrooms and
workshops is 7.2 meters (G 4.2m+M3.0m).
4.4.9
Access and Parking
Site access and internal circulation shall be designed in a straightforward

manner that emphasizes safety and efficiency. The circulation system shall be
designed to reduce conflicts between vehicular and pedestrian traffic. All
respective Authorities guidelines regarding access and parking should be
respected as well.
All vehicles into the showroom and workshop areas shall access from the
frontage of the building. Loading and unloading is only allowed at the rear of
each individual building.
Entrances and exits to and from parking and loading facilities shall be clearly
marked with appropriate directional signage where multiple access points are
provided.
The parking lot and cars shall not be the dominant visual elements of the
development. Ample open car parking to be provided at the showroom
areas. Parking standard strictly follows the Dubai Municipality guidelines,
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2.15/100sqm for general retail; 2.26/100sqm for car dealership; 1.50/100sqm for
furniture showroom; 2.15/100sqm for electronic showroom. For workshop, 1 bus
parking to be provided for every 50 workers and car parking is based on 0.25
lots per gross floor area of 100sqm.
4.4.10 Loading Facilities
To alleviate the unsightly appearance of loading facilities, these areas shall

not be located at the front of buildings where it is difficult to adequately
screen them from view. It is mandatory that such facilities to be located at
the rear of the site.
When it is not possible to locate loading facilities at the rear of the building,
loading docks and doors shall not dominate the frontage and must be
screened from the street. Loading facilities shall be offset from driveway
openings.
OUTER RING ROAD

INTERNAL ROAD
Buffers and Building Setbacks

For the front setback facing the major highways and arterial roads; the buffer
setback requirements of 5m, 10m and 15m will prevail.
Additionally, a separation buffer is recommended at the interface area
between the workshops and community facilities. The adjacent workshops
next to the community facilities shall be for the cleaner and non-pollutive
service trades. Carrepair workshops (with spray painting) shall not be sited
next to these community facilities. The buffer can be a vegetated strip or solid
boundary wall as the concern is on incompatible uses and possible noise
pollution.
The minimum setback of the front, rear and sides of the building from the plot
boundary is 5 metes. Exceptions are applied to plot 59a 001, 59b 001, 59b 013
where the rear setback is minimum 15 meters.
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Open Space and Landscaping

Within each plot there shall be hardscape and landscape that will harmonize
with the natural landscape. Landscaping shall be used to define areas by
providing transition between neighbouring properties and acting as buffer
between different land uses.
Landscaping shall be in scale with adjacent buildings and be of appropriate
size at maturity to accomplish its intended goals.
Trees shall be planted to provide shades to the parking lots and not only at the
ends of parking aisles.
Architectural Design Control
The design of each individual showroom should be unique to the end-users/
developers. Unattractive and monotonous faades should be avoided.
Employ variety in building forms to create visual aesthetics and character.
Faades should be architecturally treated and glass panels could be used to
allow products to be showcased. Building style should be sleek, bold, and
modern and clean, those with subtle local flavour are also encouraged.
As for workshop, L-shaped buildings that form an interlocking cluster are
recommended. An enclosed yet open centralized space is created with the
cluster arrangement, generating a semi-private interaction space for the
workers.
For both showroom and workshop, windows and doors shall relate to the scale
of the elevation on which they appear. Appropriate choice of colours and
materials will further enhance the expression of the architectural form.
Energy conservation features are highly recommended. In this respect, sun
shading devices, external motif skins, etc shall be introduced where necessary.
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Design elements which are undesirable and shall be avoided include:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Highly reflective surfaces at the ground level

Exposed, untreated block walls
Chain link fence, barbed wire
Materials that are of high maintenance such as stained wood, shingles or
metal siding
Roofscape
Since these are all low-rise buildings, roofscape shall be properly designed
especially when they can be viewed from adjacent buildings.
All roof top equipment and services must be screened from view. Mechanical
equipment shall be located below the highest vertical element of the
building.
The roof design shall be considered as a component of the overall
architectural design theme.
The following roof materials shall not be used:
1. Corrugated metal (standing rib metal roofs are permitted)
2. Highly reflective surfaces
3. Illuminated roofing
Signage
It is important that the signages reinforce the image of the development and
blend well into the overall scheme of the Dubai Industrial City. The level of
finish and quality of selected materials used shall convey a high-tech image,
be able to identify and communicate information, as well as control vehicular
traffic.
Company signages could be allowed on the building for publicity. Billboards
for advertising could be allowed so long as they do not obstruct the views of
the other buildings, entrances and junctions.
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LAND-USE
ZONE
Workshops
and
Showrooms
(IN-8)
DESCRIPTION
This Zone is designated
for the establishment
and use of small and
medium-sized service
enterprises such as
workshops and related
support services
pertaining to the
maintenance and
repair of household
goods, light machinery
and equipment, as well
as motor vehicles.
The nature of service
industry is such that
there are minimal
negative impacts on
the environment in
terms of noxious
emissions or noise.
Showrooms for cars,
furniture and the like
are to be located
alongside the main
arterial road to
maximise exposure to
passing traffic and
present a high quality
frontage.
PURPOSE AND
OBJECTIVES
To promote
industrial
diversification.
To provide
investment
opportunities in
DIC
To facilitate
employment
through labour
intensive activity
To present an
attractive
frontage
alongside the
southern main
arterial
Min. Lot Size:
10,000m2
Max. Lot Size:
30,000m2
Site Coverage:
50%
0.60
Street Setback:
5m to 15 m
5m
Parking Spaces:
General Retail:
2.15/100sqm
Car Dealership:
2.26/100sqm
Furniture Showroom:
1.5/100sqm
Electronic Showroom:
2.15/100sqm
Max No. of Floors:
1.2 (One storey with
mezzanine)
& physical buffer) please refer
to Clause no. 3.3.
Affection plan.
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4.5
Logistics Development Urban Design Guidelines

to assist the developers / end-users and his architect in understanding the
goals and objectives of the logistics development within DIC. This guideline
complements the mandatory plot development guidelines and the DMs
regulations. Relevant legislative and regulatory guidelines as set out by the
Dubai Municipality are duly incorporated. The Urban Design Guidelines are
general and shall be interpreted with some flexibility in their application.
For the logistics development, it is deliberate that only critical controls are
stated. It is intended to encourage each developer / end-user and his
architect to exercise highest level of design quality without unnecessary
constraints. Exceptions to Urban Design Guidelines can be granted under
special circumstances. These shall be expressively stated in the related
document or the lessees can apply to DIC for waiver with valid reason.
4.5.2
Applicability
The provision of this section shall apply to logistics development in Block 38

and 49 within the Dubai Industrial City.
4.5.3
As logistics activities generate a lot of traffic, it is better from planning point of

view to strategically decentralize them to serve the various needs of the
industrialists. The proposed concept will be developed as an entire entity with
a similar theme.
4.5.4
Development Intent
Logistics are important to industrial tenants as they determine the timely

receipt and delivery of raw materials and goods. It is intended that the
logistics within the Dubai Industrial City be developed into a world-class facility
for fast turnover storage and distribution which could serve as a business hub
for freight forwarding, warehousing and distribution purposes and just-in-time
delivery.
4.5.5
Overall Design Considerations
The main elements of sound design for the logistics plots are:
a) efficient movement of goods and traffic flow, especially truck and light
vehicles
b) ample storage space in a clean environment
c) fire-protected, secured and access-controlled logistics storage space
d) security checkpoint to be strategically place to ensure safety within the zone
e) efficient module sizes
f) sufficient amenities and office space
g) landscaped open space encouraged
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h) well-ventilated and generous internal space

4.5.6
Usage
The main usage for this zone is a warehouse space for both fast turnover
storage and distribution as well as for bulk and long term storage centre. There
is also a business centre located at the main entrance to each of the logistics
block serving as a business hub with offices and adequate amenities catering
to the logistics industry.
4.5.7
Building Intensity (Floor Area Ratio)
The floor area ratio for the logistics zone is 0.6. Exemption is given to the
business hub in which it is up to the appointed architect to design based on
the given gross floor area. The calculation of minimum floor area ratio shall
exclude the land set aside for future extension.
4.5.8
Building Coverage and Height Control
The building coverage for the logistics use shall not exceed 50%. The Gross
Floor Area (GFA) of showroom ranges from 167,000 sq m to 662,470 sq m. Both
showroom and workshops have a building height of Ground + Mezzanine.
They are single-storey buildings with mezzanine level for office, storage or
workers resting areas where necessary. The recommended floor to ceiling
height for logistical is 7.2 meters (G 4.2m+M3.0m).
4.5.9
Access and Parking
As this is a high-security zone, site access shall be controlled and monitored.

Internal circulation shall be designed in a straight forward manner which
emphasizes safety and efficiency. The circulation system shall be designed to
reduce conflicts between vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
The business centre shall be conveniently accessible from the main entrance
to the development. Large and heavy vehicles are prohibited within this area
to maintain the business park quality of environment.
Accesses for heavy vehicles are provided at both sides of the main entrance.
These are 4 lanes 2-way access ways to prevent any congestion. The road
system is planned in a regular grid pattern to achieve maximum efficiency.
This also allows for optimum subdivision of plots.
The parking lot and cars shall not be the dominant visual elements of the
development. Sufficient open car parks are to be provided at the business
centre. Parking standard is to strictly follow the Dubai Municipality guidelines,
in which 2.15 lots are to be provided for every gross floor area of 100 sq m at
the business centre and 0.15 lots to be provided per employee at the logistics
area.
Entrances and exits to and from parking and loading facilities shall be clearly
marked with appropriate directional signage where multiple access points are
provided.
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4.5.10 Loading Facilities
Loading facilities for the `terrace form of warehouses could be located at

either the front or rear of the building but not the sides to avoid traffic
congestion between buildings. Individual warehouses on plots which are
customized to suit will have the loading facilities at the side and rear. Special
screening is required for unsightly loading facilities. Loading facilities shall be
offset from driveway openings.
4.5.11 Buffers and Building Setbacks
Buffer separation is recommended to separate the business centre and the

pure logistics areas. The buffer separation does not necessarily have to be
green (vegetation, landscaping), the main purpose is to segregate the high
human traffic business centre with the logistics areas which will likely generate
noise and dust pollution.
The minimum setback from the plot boundary of the front, rear and sides of
the buildings in this zone is 5 metes.
4.5.12 Open Space and Landscaping
For the logistics zone, landscaping need not be luxurious but within each plot
there shall be a mandatory minimal green landscape at the front of the plot
fronting the road. Landscaping shall be used to define areas by providing
transition between neighbouring properties.
Landscaping shall be in scale with adjacent buildings and be of appropriate
size at maturity to accomplish its intended goals.
Trees shall be planted to provide shades to the parking lots and not only at the
ends of parking aisles.
4.5.13 Architectural Design Control
While it is highly recommended that the design of the business centre be bold,
modern, sleek and visually appealing, it is only appropriate if the logistics
buildings have a clean and functional approach. Unattractive and
monotonous faade should be avoided. Employ variety in building forms to
create visual aesthetics and character; those with subtle local flavour are also
encouraged.
The design of the logistics buildings should take into consideration the internal
space. The goal is to achieve the maximum space possible with the most
functional layout. Curve buildings should be avoided where it is intended for
storage space.
For both business centre and logistics, windows and doors should relate to the
scale of the elevation on which they appear. Appropriate choice of pastel
colors and materials will further enhance the expression of the architectural
form. Loud colours are not allowed except for a small area to accentuate an
architecture feature.
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Energy conservation features are highly recommended. In this respect, sun

shading devices, external motif skins, etc should be introduced where
necessary.
Design elements which are undesirable and should be avoided include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Highly reflective surfaces at the ground level

Exposed, untreated block walls
Chain link fence, barbed wire
Materials that are of high maintenance such as stained wood, shingles or
metal siding
Roofscape
Since these are all low-rise buildings, roofscape should be properly designed
especially when they can be viewed from adjacent buildings.
All roof top equipment and services must be screened from view. Mechanical
equipment should be located below the highest vertical element of the
building.
The roof design should be considered as a component of the overall
architectural design theme.
The following roof materials should not be used:
1 Corrugated metal (standing rib metal roofs are permitted)
2 Highly reflective surfaces
3 Illuminated roofing
Signages
It is important that the signages reinforce the image of the development and
blend well into the overall scheme of the Dubai Industrial City. The level of
finish and quality of selected materials used shall convey a high-tech image,
be able to identify and communicate information, as well as control vehicular
traffic.
Version 6.0
2 76

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DUBAI INDUSTRIAL CITY

URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES

Copyright 2006 by Dubai International Properties

Note to Developers and End users

Need for temporary power and for developers to

Formatting, some headings added for clarity. No

Notes to Developers: need for temporary sewage

Explanatory notes regarding revisions added.

3.6 Ingress/Egress points constructed by Master

3.9 B deleted: superfluous text;

3.9 C clarified: description of water utility; added:

3.9 E added: discharge limits for foul sewerage;

3.9 G added: requirements for developers internal fire

3.9 H added: utility connection requirements.

4 renumbered: entire section.

List of superseded pages from version 4.0:

1.6 Heading amended.

1.6 various amendments and additions highlighting

1.7 pagination changed, definition of domestic

1.8 added: new section requiring compliance with

3.2 Reference error corrected in first paragraph.

3.3 New heading 3.3.1 added for previous content;

of sub-station allowed in physical buffer clarified.

3.3.2 new section with additional rules if sub-stations

3.4 minor clarifications.

3.6 minor clarifications; added: need to avoid utility

Pagination changed due to above revisions.

3.9 Added: need to avoid utility entries when master

Title page Version nr and date revised; Record of

Footer logos amended:

Note that since ALL pages are affected, this

Footer logos amended:

1.7 Boundary fence definition changed

3.2 story height revised

3.3.1road chamfer requirements added

3.3.2 clause 9 added (incl. drawing)

3.4 text revised

3.6 text revised, drawing added

3.8(A) Point 1 revised, drawing added

3.8(B) Point 4 revised

3.9 (F) text revised

4.2.3 B (iv) recommended list of industries removed

(vii) 2 & 3 wording revised, drawing updated,

4.2.4 setback requirements for Zones 1-7 revised

4.4.7 wording revised

4.4.8 wording revised

4.4.9 wording revised

4.4.10 setback requirements updated

4.5.8 wording revised

GENERAL PROVISIONS ................................................................................................................ 1

LAND USE ZONES ....................................................................................................................... 10

Land use zones and map ........................................................................................ 10

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT CONTROL GUIDELINES..................................................................... 15

Purpose of the Urban Design Guidelines ................................................................ 1

Use class - Predominant and ancillary use ........................................................... 15

SPECIFIC URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES...................................................................................... 36

Purpose of the Urban Design Guidelines

To achieve mutual compatibility between different land uses.