Construction Regulations: Unified Building Law

Building Regulations Overview

• This outlines regulations for construction work detailed in Clause Three of the Unified Building Law No. 19 of 2008, and its executive regulations No. 144 of 2009.
• Regulations apply to all construction activities in local administration units, tourist and industrial zones, new urban communities, residential buildings, and complexes as specified by the competent minister.
• Authorities are responsible for enforcing this law, its executive regulations, and preparing/activating relevant forms, certificates, and records.
• A construction permit can only be issued if the proposed building complies with the planning and construction requirements for land use areas issued by the relevant authority

Interior Heights and Building Components

• The minimum net interior height for any story, measured from the final floor surface to the soffit of the ceiling, is 2.70 meters.
• A height can be reduced to 2.3 meters for entrances, internal corridors, bathrooms, washrooms, and guard rooms, and inclined sections of ceilings by no more than 25% of the room's area.
• Minimum interior dimensions apply, where no interior surface/dimension of any room or service area should be less than the following:
  • Residential rooms: 7.50 square meters, with a minimum dimension of 2.5 meters.
  • Bathrooms: 0.80 square meters, with a minimum dimension of 0.80 meters.
  • Kitchens: 3.00 square meters, with a minimum dimension of 1.5 meters.
  • Toilets: 1.50 square meters, with a minimum dimension of 1.20 meters.
• Buildings with more than six units must provide guard rooms with toilet including a washbasin and should be a minimum area is 6 square meters, with no dimension less than 2.25 meters.
• Centers or commercial markets inside buildings must provide and maintain toilet facilities for shop owners, staff and patrons.

Ventilation & Openings

• Each room or facility in residential units must have one or more ventilation and natural light openings facing a street or courtyard.
• The total opening area must be at least the following:
  • For residential rooms, 8% of the floor area.
  • For any building facility (bathroom, kitchen, toilet, stairwell, etc.), 10% of the floor area.
• Openings must amount to at least half a square meter for residential rooms, offices, and stairwells, and a quarter of a square meter for other building facilities.
• Ventilation openings can be installed in the ceiling at the mentioned ratios, provided they connect directly to outside air, and include opening/closing mechanisms.
• Offices and building facilities can use artificial lighting and ventilation, except for kitchens in residential units.
• Hotels, hospitals, public buildings, and administrative buildings without artificial ventilation can utilize a courtyard to ventilate and illuminate attached bathrooms and toilets, with a surface area of 1.50 square meters and no dimension less than 1 meter.
• Exempted from these surface area regulations are openings on administrative building facades.
• Kitchens in residential units can be part of the living room, but only if the part facing kitchen has ventilation that complies with these regulations from the area facing the kitchen and has adequate mechanical ventilation if required.
• Follow the following requirements for openings:
  • If a door opens directly onto a stairway, there must be a separation of at least 1 meter between them.
  • Window sills must be at least 0.90 meters, unless there are balconies or ledges outside/fall protection(railings) that are at least 0.90 meters high.
  • Openings must be fully connected with outside air.

Minimum Door Widths

• Living rooms and offices: 80 cm.
• Kitchens, bathrooms, and toilets: 70 cm.
• Commercial stores: 100 cm.
• Garages and warehouses: 280 cm.

Yards

• Buildings need appropriate yards with the necessary lighting and ventilation for rooms and facilities.
• Here are the requirements for structures and yards:
  • A building's yards must allow lighting and ventilation for rooms and facilities
  • For newly constructed, modified, or added structures appropriate courtyards are required

Yard Proportions

• The part of a building requiring lighting and ventilation impacts standards
  • Residential rooms and offices have criteria
  • Bathrooms, kitchens, toilets, and stairwells are different
• The type of yard, whether interior or exterior, affects the minimum dimensions
  • These dimensions are in square meters and depend on building use
  • The minimum yard area also depends on building height

Yard Regulations

• Lands with a permitted building area of no more than 100 square meters and a permitted height of 19 meters must have yards for lighting and ventilation.
• The height means the evaluation of the highest facade on the yard.

Stairwells: Regulations

• Regulations requirements that must exist in stairwells:
  • The minimum net height above any landing is 2.10 meters
  • Excepted rules are for minarets and houses of worship
  • Circular stairwells must meet the listed requirements while measuring the landing at 45 cm from the edge
• Specifics include:
  • Length of the landing, the cross-sectional area of the degree, consecutive number of grades, and minimum height

Stairwell Dimensions and Units

• If the number of units on the floor is less than four, the minimum length is 110cm
• If it exceeds that, for main stairwells and secondary ones the length must be more
• Sleeping width should not be lower than 27cm, and height not higher than 17cm
• 14 degrees after a platform with a width no less than four stairs are a necessity
• The lowest height for cornices is 90 cm

Balconies and Projections

• You can make a projection in the facade of the buildings along the street if the following occur:
  • Canals and window overlooking the street are allowed if they are built over 2.5 meters on flat pavement
  • The projection is 10 cm on streets that are between 8-10 meters, and 20 cm on streets that are wider
  • The space between the projection of the buildings and sideways pavements must measure no less than 4 meters
• The height of the railings must measure at least .9 meters for the first five stories, increasing by 5 cms every level or a max of 1.2 meters
  • Also, the railing can't allow objects wider than 10cms to fall through.
• Maximum external projections for opened balconies is 10%, and for towers, 5%
• Neither projection can exceed 1.25m.
• The building must have 1.5m without any projection should the angle between two buildings is less than 180 degrees

Service Facilities on the Surface

• You can measure the height of service facilities, like elevator rooms and water tanks, alongside the rest of the structure (unless it violates regulations)
  • The facilities should not be used for any other purpose

Egyptian Code: Fire Safety

• The Egyptian Code needs to be used when designing for fire protection.
• The below applies to residential buildings:
  • Highest floor should be 16m from street level
  • Any floor is 400 sq meters (including basement)
  • Basement floor not more than 3 meters below street if it exists.
• The below should apply to engineering and administrative buildings
  • Highest floor should be 4m from street level
  • Any floor is 200 sq meters (including basement)
  • Basement floor not more than 3 meters below street if it exists.
• Highlights fire protection requirements for garages.
  • This includes defining the number of parking sports, providing adequate space, and promoting smooth traffic flow.
  • It also emphasizes maintaining structural integrity, mitigating fire hazards, and ensuring safe evacuation.

Garage Code Scope

• This code specifies minimum technical requirements for garage design, execution, and maintenance to ensure safety.
• This code aims to limit the spread of cars, ensure safety, and enable people to make it to the site when problems occur.
• This is complementary to the codes of construction.
• This applies to garages if there are over 50 spaces, the floor is at least 1000 sq meters, or if there are multiple levels.

Open and Closed Garages

• Open garages have a total opening area in external facades above 0.5 sq meters every meter.
• No point can be over 10% of the length of the structure
• Inner walls must have openings measuring 20% with cross ventilation
• Buildings under certain levels can be classified as low-risk.

Parking Terminology

• Vertical shaft, well installation, dry standpipe, and more define areas and requirements
• They refer to areas that must comply with safety regulations
• There are guidelines for garages.

General Definitions

• There is a definition for places with fire hazards, a definition for high intensity areas, definitions for structures in fire and more

Parking Definitions

• They also describe vertical shafts, service fire extinguishers and more.