Doha: The Ministry of Municipality (MoM), represented by the Building Permit Complex Department, on Tuesday organized a workshop on updating requirements for planning and designing villas and mansions.
The move is part of the Ministry's efforts to strengthen engagement with its partners and awareness of planning and architectural developments, as well as unify measures when it comes to reviewing permit applications.
In his opening remarks before the workshop, Assistant Director of the Urban Planning Department at MoM, Juma Al Sabah, said the novel updates were laid out to meet the needs of Qatari families, based on technical studies and thoroughgoing reviews of previous practices and applications as well as the challenges noticed.
He noted that these updates also came based on comments and suggestions received from consulting offices and relevant entities.
The updates put out in Ministerial Decision No. (108) of 2026, amending certain provisions of Ministerial Decision No. (7) of 1989, concerning architectural conditions and technical specifications for buildings, are intended to keep up with evolving social and urban dynamics and to meet the aspirations of the Qatari family, as highlighted by Juma Al Sabah.
Juma Al Sabah shared that the evolving requirements intend to accomplish a set of substantial objectives, foremost of which is to strengthen flexibility in designing residences, optimize the use of residential spaces, as well as offer wider design options in sync with the current and future Qatari family, and simultaneously preserve privacy, Qatari urban environment quality, and architectural identity.
The workshop was intended to weigh in on the key approved updates and respond to inquiries and relevant comments, thereby helping to unify understanding and procedures among various municipalities and relevant entities, in addition to strengthening cooperation and coordination in the area of urban development, Al Sabah outlined.
Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Society of Engineers (QSE), Eng. Amna Mohammed Al Naama, said these updates are a significant step in the path toward advancing the urban and residential environment in the State of Qatar.
She pointed out that these urban requirements aren’t confined to technical and regulatory aspects but are squarely linked to the quality of life of families and the future of residential neighborhoods.
These updates should stem from the society's needs and aspirations, Eng. Al Naama underlined, noting that over the course of the past years the Qatari society has witnessed significant changes in lifestyles and family needs, prompting the requirement to keep abreast of urban legislation that is in sync with these changes.
The novel updates, she said, have offered greater flexibility in utilizing residential spaces through a range of design alternatives, in terms of designing mezzanines, upgrading or expanding accessory buildings and family Majlis spaces, and the possibility of creating a self-contained internal suite for a family member.
This is alongside the modifications related to building heights and setbacks, among others, thereby enabling citizens to make greater use of their land plots and residential properties while maintaining the quality of the urban environment and built environment standards, Eng. Al Naama explained.
Al Naama further clarified that these updates consider residences as an upgradable space adaptable to the needs of future families, an urban pathway pursued by numerous nations.
She added that this would be a greater opportunity for architectural engineers and consulting offices to innovate and lay out more efficient and enduring design solutions, thereby contributing positively to the quality of housing projects and delivering added value to citizens.
In addition, Eng. Al Naama emphasized that QSE considers these amendments as an opportunity to promote professional dialogue between regulatory entities, engineers, and consulting offices, culminating in best applied practices that achieve the aims of these updates and ensure their success on the ground.
