MEP design for building permits in Qatar: Kahramaa and Civil Defence requirements

MEP means mechanical, electrical and plumbing. It covers air conditioning, power, lighting, water supply, drainage and fire systems. In Qatar, no single office reviews all of these drawings.

Electrical and water designs go to Kahramaa. Fire fighting and fire alarm designs go to Qatar Civil Defence. Drainage connections involve Ashghal, and telecom provisions involve Ooredoo or Vodafone. Your engineering consultancy submits them through the Ministry of Municipality's building permit system, and every set must agree with the architectural drawings.

Which MEP drawings go to which authority

The building permit is issued by the Ministry of Municipality, which many people call Baladiya. Before the permit is issued, the service authorities review the parts of the design that affect their networks or their safety rules. Buildings with a central gas system, such as restaurants and some residential towers, need a separate gas approval. The usual split for the other services is below.

• Kahramaa (Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation): electrical load, single line diagram, substation and meter rooms, water supply and water storage
• Qatar Civil Defence (QCDD), part of the Ministry of Interior: fire fighting, fire alarm, emergency lighting, exit signs, smoke control and life safety plans
• Ashghal (Public Works Authority): connections to the public foul sewer and surface water networks, and road access
• Ooredoo or Vodafone: telecom room, entry ducts and risers for the telecom NOC, which means no objection certificate
• Ministry of Municipality: the complete file, including how MEP rooms, shafts and roof plant appear on the architectural drawings

Electrical design and Kahramaa

The electrical design starts with a load calculation. The engineer lists every load in the building, including air conditioning, lighting, sockets, lifts, pumps and kitchen equipment. This gives the total connected load. A diversity factor is then applied to find the maximum demand, which is the realistic peak the building will draw.

Kahramaa uses the maximum demand to decide how the building is supplied. A small building can often be fed from the existing network. A larger demand can require a substation room on the plot. That room normally needs a ground floor position, direct access from the road and no water or drainage pipes above it.

The submission also includes a single line diagram, distribution board schedules, cable sizes, earthing and the meter location. Cable sizes must allow for Qatar's high summer temperatures. Kahramaa publishes its own regulations for electricity and water installations, and the design must follow the current issue.

Water supply and drainage

Kahramaa also supplies water. The plumbing design shows the daily water demand, the size of the connection, the meter position, storage tanks and pumps. Tank capacity must agree on the plumbing, fire fighting and structural drawings, because a full tank is a heavy load.

Drainage inside the plot is designed by the MEP engineer. It includes soil and waste pipes, vents, manholes and, for commercial kitchens, grease interceptors. Where a public sewer exists, the connection is coordinated with Ashghal. Where there is no public sewer, the design normally includes a septic or holding tank on the plot.

HVAC and its link to the other drawings

HVAC means heating, ventilation and air conditioning. In Qatar the main task is cooling. The engineer calculates the cooling load from the building's size, glazing, insulation, occupancy and Qatar's summer design temperatures. The result fixes the equipment sizes.

HVAC affects almost every other drawing. Air conditioning is usually the largest electrical load, so equipment must be selected before the Kahramaa load is final. Outdoor units and chillers add weight to the roof. Ducts need ceiling space and openings through walls and slabs.

HVAC also connects to fire safety. Ducts that cross fire-rated walls need fire dampers. Kitchen extract, car park ventilation and staircase pressurisation are reviewed as part of the Civil Defence submission where they apply.

Fire fighting and fire alarm with Qatar Civil Defence

Qatar Civil Defence publishes a Civil Defence Technical Requirements Guide. It sets minimum fire and life safety requirements for different building uses and adopts NFPA codes as references. NFPA is the National Fire Protection Association, a United States standards body.

The systems you need depend on the building's use, height and area. They can include fire alarm and detection, sprinklers, hose reels, extinguishers, risers, fire pumps, a fire water tank, emergency lighting and exit signs. Larger or taller buildings can also need smoke control.

Civil Defence reviews these drawings together with the architectural life safety plan. Exits, travel distances, fire-rated walls and fire doors must match across both sets. Fire systems are normally installed by contractors approved by Civil Defence, and the building is inspected before completion.

Coordination clashes that cause rejection

A reviewer at one authority sees only one part of the design. Problems appear when the parts disagree. A comment from one authority also changes drawings that belong to another. If Kahramaa asks for a substation, the ground floor plan, the parking layout and the structural drawings all change.

One team should update every affected drawing before resubmission. The clashes below are common when separate teams prepare the drawings.

• The electrical load leaves out the final air conditioning equipment, fire pumps or lifts.
• The substation or meter room sits in different places on the architectural and electrical drawings.
• Fire-rated walls on the life safety plan have no fire dampers on the HVAC drawings.
• Sprinkler and fire alarm layouts follow an old ceiling or partition layout.
• Tank capacity differs between the plumbing, fire fighting and structural drawings.
• Shafts and risers are too small, or structural beams block the duct routes.
• Manholes and tanks clash with foundations, boundary walls or setbacks.

What to give your MEP engineer at the start

Good MEP design needs firm information early. Late changes to the layout or the building use mean new calculations and new submissions.

• Architectural plans that you have agreed, with the use of every room and floor
• Expected number of occupants, and any special uses such as kitchens, laundries, clinics or server rooms
• Equipment lists with electrical and water data, especially for restaurants and workshops
• For existing buildings, the current Kahramaa account details and any as-built drawings
• For fit-outs, the landlord's technical requirements and the base building MEP drawings

Common questions