Design Guide for Dubai: Electrical (2020) (pdf)

This document aims at establishing the minimum design standards for the design of electrical systems for buildings in Dubai. It covers the following topics:

• Design codes, standards and guidance
• Incoming services
• Electrical loads and diversity
• Main distribution
  • General
  • Equipment specifications
  • Power factor correction
  • Surge protection
  • Harmonic suppression and filtration
  • Metering
  • Motor starters
• Standby generation and distribution
• Uninterruptible power supplies
• Cabling
  • Cable containment and cabling installation
• Small power and power supplies 
• Lighting
  • Lighting Control
  • Emergency lighting
    • Design criteria
    • Emergency luminaire types
    • Types of system
• Aviation obstruction lighting
• Fire detection and alarms
  • System types
  • General system requirements
  • Fire alarm initiation devices
  • Fire alarm notification devices
  • Plant, system and tenant interfacing
  • Fire telephone and disabled refuge systems
• Lightning protection
  • General
• Earthing and bonding

This publication does not relieve the designer of responsibility for accurately determining design arrangements and/or complying with the local authority requirements and/or relevant international codes or regulatory requirements. It should be used for initial design guidance, and provides minimum design requirements for specific design issues.

This guide has been produced in good faith by the CIBSE UAE Technical Committee to promote best engineering practices in Dubai, without legal or financial liability of CIBSE UAE or the authors, in order to assist engineers coming from elsewhere in the world to work in Dubai, UAE. It should be read alongside existing CIBSE guidance relevant to the region, including Buildings for Extreme Environments: Arid.

Authored by the CIBSE United Arab Emirates Technical Committee:

Isaac Coker (Chairperson) (WSP); Reid Donovan (AECOM); Hassan Younes (Griffin Consultants); Keith Perry (Polypipe); Farah Naz (Buro Happold); Conor Moore (AECOM); Azmi Abou Hoda (EMergy); Jim Sebastian (Ecoval).