Dubai, Sharjah will not review building specs

Dubai and Sharjah municipalities follow strict international architectural specifications and see no reason to alter designs in the wake of increased deaths from high-rise falls.

According to municipality officials the recent balcony and window falls in the two emirates were because of human error or negligience and not due to faulty buildings.

The municipalities follow global standards of a minimum 120cm (4feet) height for windows, according to a senior official.

Sultan Abdullah Al Mualla, Director-General of Sharjah Municipality said changing such specifications would account to deviation from international standards.

Marwan Abdullah, Head of Engineering Supervision, Dubai Municipality, said the fatal falls from high-rises individual cases and residents must be held accountable for their misconduct. It is unreasonable to alter specifications because of a few individual cases, he added.

Driving the point home, Abdullah said misuse of gas cylinders can also prove deadly, but that does not mean we prevent use of cylinders. Similarly traffic-related deaths does not call for ban of vehicles on roads. So calling for architectural changes because of high-rise falls is not warrantied.

Sultan Abdullah Al Mualla, Director-General, Sharjah Municipality, also agreed with Abdullah and said the emirate will not consider altering building specifications for balconies and windows. The safety of kids is the responsibility of parents, he added.

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