High-rises: Mayor hints at reviewing capitals’ building codes

Administration officials voice scepticism over proposed changes to by-laws

ISLAMABAD: In a move that may eventually alter the skyline of the capital, the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz has said that the capital’s administration is mulling changes to building laws which would allow easier construction of high rises in the capital.

He said this while replying to a question after inaugurating a multi-purpose sports club in F-6 Markaz on Monday.



Interestingly, the mayor, who also holds the additional charge of Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman, let it be known that personally,  he was  in favour of revising the building codes so that skyscrapers can be built in the capital.



There is no uniformity in CDAs’ building by-laws, particularly for high rises. Builders and developers often cite several regulations which upset  their building plans.

The capital is not new to skyscrapers hosting the fourth and fifth highest buildings in the country, the 24-floor Telecom Tower (113 meters) and the 26-floor Centaurus Towers (110m).

The floor area ratio requirements particularly infuriate builders who desire exclusion of circulation area (stairs, galleries, bathrooms and corridors) from the total covered area of a building.

Sources in CDA,  say that builders were lobbying with the mayor and other elected members of Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) to change the codes to their liking.

In 2002, construction of high-rise buildings was allowed and housing societies such as the Multi-Professional Cooperative Housing Society (MPCHS), Pakistan Medical Co-operative Housing Society (PMCHS), Services Society, and National Police Foundation started converting their limited commercial areas into residential high rises and commercial towers.



“All the new buildings including residential, commercial, industrial and particularly high- rises should follow the specifications spelt out in building codes approved after the 2005 earthquake and implementation of building codes for the construction of future structures is imperative,” a NESPAK residential engineer told The Express Tribune on  condition of anonymity.

The codes were reviewed after a 10-storey block of Margalla Towers in F-10 collapsed during the 2005 earthquake killing as many as 78 residents and injuring 100 others.

“Geologically, Pakistan lies in the high seismic zone and Islamabad and Rawalpindi are on the border of the red-zone. After the 2005 earthquake new building codes were approved to ensure that future structures are seismic resistant,” the official added.

He said that unbridled permission for construction of high rise buildings in Islamabad would not only deface the federal capital but also put lives of residents in danger in the event a natural catastrophe like the 2005  earthquake repeats.

The new building codes, approved in 2009, ensure that all structures, including residential, commercial, industrial and particularly high rises, are seismic resistant.

Building sports facilities

Earlier, Mayor Aziz while inaugurating the Club House said that provision of quality recreational facilities in Islamabad was among their top priorities.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2016.