Al Sa'fat 2.0 Dubai 2026: The Complete Green Building Compliance Guide

Al Sa'fat is Dubai Municipality's green building rating system, launched in 2014 to reduce energy and water consumption across Dubai's built environment. Version 2.0 was introduced in 2024 with stricter requirements, and from 2026, Silver rating compliance is the mandatory baseline for all new DM building permits.

Four rating levels: Silver (mandatory baseline) → Gold → Platinum → Emerald

For standard residential and commercial projects: Silver is the minimum required

What changed from Al Sa'fat 1.0 to 2.0:

• Energy reduction target: increased from 15% to 20% above ASHRAE 90.1 baseline
• Sustainable Materials Passport: introduced as a new mandatory requirement
• U-value calculations: stricter limits for glazing and external walls
• Water efficiency: updated to align with UAE Water Law standards
• Low-VOC materials: extended to all interior finishes (previously only adhesives)
• BPS AI scanner integration: now automatically verifies Al Sa'fat data completeness before human review begins

Energy Efficiency (quantified — verified by energy model):

Minimum 20% energy reduction compared to the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline reference building. Verified through an energy model prepared by your engineering consultant. Applies to all new buildings, major extensions (affecting 50%+ of existing BUA), and residential buildings over G+1.

Thermal Insulation U-Values (checked automatically by BPS AI scanner):

• External walls: maximum U-value of 0.57 W/m²K
• Roof/ceiling: maximum U-value of 0.30 W/m²K
• Glazing: maximum U-value of 2.0 W/m²K; Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) maximum 0.25
• Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR): maximum 40% for most building types

Water Efficiency (fixture schedule required):

• Bathroom taps: maximum 6 litres per minute
• Kitchen taps: maximum 8 litres per minute
• Showers: maximum 7.5 litres per minute
• Toilets: maximum 4.5 litre dual-flush only

All fixtures must be specified with product data sheets in the Sustainability Statement.

Materials and Indoor Air Quality:

• All paints: maximum VOC content per SCAQMD Rule 1113
• All adhesives and sealants: maximum VOC per SCAQMD Rule 1168
• All flooring: low-VOC specification required for carpet and composite products
• Specifications with actual VOC content data must be in the Sustainability Statement

Site Sustainability:

• Construction waste management plan required for all new builds
• Designated recycling area shown on ground floor plan
• Bicycle parking for residential buildings over G+4

The Sustainability Statement is the formal document proving Al Sa'fat 2.0 Silver compliance. It must be submitted as a separate PDF alongside your architectural drawings in BPS.

File requirements:

• Format: PDF only (not embedded in drawing set)
• File naming: [ProjectName]_AlSafat_Rev0.pdf
• Maximum size: 10MB
• Must include ASHRAE 90.1 energy model output as an appendix

Mandatory content sections:

1. Project details and Al Sa'fat version reference

2. Energy model summary with ASHRAE 90.1 baseline comparison — 20% reduction must be demonstrated quantitatively

3. U-value calculation sheets for each external element (walls, roof, glazing)

4. SHGC calculation and WWR compliance table

5. Water efficiency fixture schedule with manufacturer data sheets

6. Low-VOC materials schedule with product certifications

7. Construction waste management plan

8. Sustainable Materials Passport summary (structural materials log)

9. Site sustainability checklist (bicycle parking, recycling area, shading)

10. Certifying engineer's stamp and signature

What the BPS AI scanner checks (and rejects if missing):

• Document present and attached as a separate file
• U-values within specified maximums for all elements
• Energy model references ASHRAE 90.1 correctly
• Water fixture schedule complete with all fixture types specified
• Low-VOC materials section present

Incomplete data in any of these fields triggers automatic rejection.

Major fit-outs (structural changes or affecting 50%+ of BUA):

Full Al Sa'fat 2.0 Silver compliance required. Complete Sustainability Statement must be submitted with BPS application.

Standard commercial fit-outs (non-structural, under 50% BUA):

Simplified Al Sa'fat Sustainability Checklist required — not the full energy model. Checklist covers:

• Low-VOC materials confirmation
• LED lighting specification (minimum 80 LPW)
• Water-efficient fixture confirmation (if wet areas modified)

Minor fit-outs (cosmetic only, no MEP changes):

Al Sa'fat requirements are minimal — a signed self-declaration in the permit application only.

In practice for restaurants and clinics:

Most commercial fit-outs that modify MEP systems require at minimum the simplified checklist. Any fit-out with new wet areas requires water fixture compliance documentation. Your consultant determines the exact level of compliance required for your specific scope — always confirm this before finalizing material specifications, since substituting non-compliant materials after drawing approval causes rejection at inspection.

The Sustainable Materials Passport is a new mandatory requirement enforced from Q1 2026 for all new builds and major extensions.

What it logs:

• All structural materials (concrete, steel, brick, blockwork) with quantities
• Material suppliers and product certifications
• Embodied carbon data (kg CO₂e per unit) for each material
• EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) references where available

Why it was introduced:

Dubai's Urban Master Plan 2040 includes net-zero carbon targets for new construction. The Materials Passport is the data collection infrastructure for tracking embodied carbon across Dubai's construction sector.

Practical impact on your project:

For standard villa and commercial projects, the Materials Passport is prepared using standard data for common UAE materials. It does not require unusual or more expensive materials — it is a documentation requirement. Your engineering consultant prepares it during the design phase.

BCC dependency:

The Building Completion Certificate (BCC) will not be issued without confirmation that the Sustainable Materials Passport has been submitted to DM's digital registry. This makes it a final-stage compliance item as well as a submission-stage requirement.