Page 19 - Dubai Universal Design Code

3.1. Scoping requirements

All areas of newly designed and newly constructed buildings and facilities and altered
portions of existing buildings and facilities shall comply with these requirements.

Where a site, building, facility, room, or space contains more than one use, each portion
shall comply with the applicable requirements for that use.

Temporary buildings and facilities provided for public use should also comply with this
Code.

Where public access is permitted during construction or maintenance of a facility, the
requirements of this Code shall be respected to provide safe and equitable use for
everyone.

3.2. Existing buildings and facilities

The accessibility conditions of the buildings shall be assessed and the owner shall
present to the authorities a proposal for adapting the building to the requirements for
existing buildings contained in the Dubai Universal Design Code within three years after
its publication.

Additions and alterations to existing buildings or facilities shall comply with this Code.
Each addition to an existing building or facility shall comply with the requirements for
new construction. Where existing elements or spaces are altered, each altered element
or space shall comply with the applicable requirements of this Code.

An alteration that decreases or has the effect of decreasing the accessibility of a
building or facility below the requirements for new construction at the time of the
alteration is prohibited.

Maintenance of all facilities, including public and private buildings, as well as
transportation facilities, shall guarantee accessibility continuity.

Buildings listed for their cultural interest or catalogued for their particular historical and
artistic value remain exempt from applying the accessibility requirements when they
contradict the preservation regulations of Dubai. However, they still need to incorporate
as many elements as possible to maximize accessibility conditions.

When a building is built in a flood zone the entrances of the building can have a change
in level from the exterior ground level.

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