Modular and off-site construction are gaining ground across the Gulf, and the International Code Council (ICC) says the key regulatory issue is not whether building codes are technically “ready”, but whether approval processes can track a project as construction work increasingly occurs across multiple locations.
In a published opinion article by Mr. Mohamed Amer, Managing Director for MENA at ICC, he argues that traditional building workflows typically centralise design, fabrication, inspections and assembly at a single site. Off-site delivery, by contrast, can move portions of that chain into controlled factory environments and then assemble the finished components elsewhere, creating new questions about how compliance is verified end-to-end.
From site-by-site approval to a compliance “journey”
Amer describes off-site construction as a distributed process in which a component may be designed in one place, manufactured in a facility, transported over long distances, and finally assembled and completed on another project site.
That model raises concerns spanning structural integrity, fire performance, quality control, and the practical realities of transportation and lifting and installation. He also highlights regulatory and accountability questions, including how responsibility for compliance is handled at the manufacturing stage, what documentation needs to accompany components to the construction site, and how changes made during fabrication are communicated to the authority with jurisdiction.
The article further argues that factory inspections and site inspections must be coordinated in a way that avoids unnecessary duplication while still ensuring oversight where it is needed most.
Standards evolving with off-site delivery
Amer says the factory is becoming part of the broader compliance landscape. In that context, he points to the ICC/MBI 1200 series, developed by the International Code Council and the Modular Building Institute, which is described as addressing the process from planning and design through fabrication, transportation, assembly and inspection.
He adds that ICC’s MENA operations work within regional frameworks that include the Saudi Building Code, Abu Dhabi International Building Code (IBC), and the GSO Gulf Building Code, while also supporting evaluation and inspection of off-site and prefabricated systems.
As an example of regulators engaging with modular systems, the article states that Dubai Municipality approved the DuBox Modular Construction System in June 2026 after reviewing its manufacturing process in a controlled factory environment.
Looking ahead: proposed updates and regional alignment
According to the opinion piece, greater use of off-site construction will require assurance to extend across the construction chain, from approved designs and controlled fabrication through inspection, transportation, assembly and final verification. Amer maintains that this should not mean reducing oversight, but rather adjusting when and where checks occur, including earlier oversight in manufacturing conditions that can be documented.
Internationally, Amer says the ICC’s 2027 International Codes (I-Codes) incorporate provisions from the ICC/MBI 1200 series intended to streamline approval of off-site construction. He also notes that an ICC consensus committee is working on second editions of Standards 1200, 1205 and 1210.
Making modular delivery part of the safety framework
Amer concludes that for the GCC, the challenge is to ensure regulatory pathways remain coherent as construction delivery models diversify. He argues that if the region can maintain a clear line of sight from design and manufacturing through installation and final approval, modular construction can develop not as an exception to building safety frameworks, but as another method of delivering buildings within them.
