Building compliance with confidence: AESG breaks down Saudi code changes designers must track
Iain Hoey
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Abdullah Faza, Director of Fire & Life Safety at AESG, outlines updated Saudi code implications, guiding design teams through compliance requirements and authority processes.
On 30 June 2025, the Saudi Building Code (SBC 2024) came into effect, setting new requirements for projects central to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 programme.
For schemes already underway, the transition carries the risk of duplicated work, redesign and delays if compliance is not managed carefully.
At the same time, the updated code offers practical improvements, such as flexibility on aerial fire truck access and closer alignment with national standards, giving project teams more workable routes to approval.
AESG has responded by expanding its Fire & Life Safety team and securing certification from Saudi Civil Defence as one of only two international consultancies authorised to act as an AHJ reviewer.
Leading this work is Abdullah Faza, Director of Fire & Life Safety at AESG Middle East, whose team safeguarded around SAR 30 billion in assets in 2024.
IFSJ Editor Iain Hoey sat down with Abdullah to discuss how AESG is supporting this new regulatory era.
How is SBC 2024 influencing AESG’s work since its official start date on 30 June 2025?
Since 30 June 2025, the way projects move through compliance has changed in practical ways.
For designs submitted under the previous edition but awaiting AHJ approval, the transition carries obvious risks.
Duplicated work. Redesign. Delay.
We step in early, map the delta to SBC 2024 and keep progress intact while meeting the new requirements.
It is about being fair and balanced with what is already designed, then adjusting where it matters.
SBC 2024 also fixes pain points.
Flexibility on aerial fire truck access resolves a requirement that had been excessive in many Saudi contexts.
Referencing SASO is another important step.
It starts the path to a localised testing and listing framework that fits the Kingdom’s needs.
Over time, that will reduce reliance on international listings that do not always align with regional realities.
Compliance becomes clearer, more achievable, better aligned with project goals.
What does Saudi Civil Defence AHJ reviewer certification involve, and how does it help clients?
Certification requires evidence. A strong record of complex reviews. Detailed knowledge of SBC 2024.
The ability to work directly with authorities so compliance is achieved consistently and fairly.
AESG is one of only two international consultancies certified by Saudi Civil Defence to act as an AHJ reviewer.
That status is backed by senior expertise, including James Quiter, our Executive FLS Consultant and Chair of the NFPA Building Code Committee, and Steve Apter, former Deputy Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade.
They add depth, and they mentor our leaders.
For clients, the benefit is felt early. We identify risks before they harden into redesign.
We shape proportionate strategies that meet intent and preserve delivery.
Certification gives us structured engagement with Civil Defence, insight into how giga projects operate and the levers that matter on schedule, governance and approvals.
It goes beyond design services.
It puts us alongside client goals and the national programme, and that creates better outcomes.
How did AESG safeguard about SAR 30 billion in assets across Saudi projects last year?
By being present through the full compliance chain. Civil Defence consultant reviews and approvals.
Design and supervision. Inspections and assessments of existing buildings.
Private fire code development where clients needed tailored guidance.
That breadth means we can carry a project from early concept to operation without losing the thread of intent.
The portfolio was wide. Airports, ports and tunnels. Masterplans. Hospitality, healthcare and residential. Schools, museums and offices. Retail and shopping malls.
Each asset class brings different hazards and constraints, yet the principle stays constant.
Start with code compliance as the foundation.
Then meet the intent using equivalencies and performance-based solutions where prescriptive routes do not fit.
Bring international best practice together with local knowledge and AHJ expectations.
That is how we protected around SAR 30 billion in assets.
Practical strategies. Evidence where needed. Decisions that keep people safe and keep projects moving.
What challenges arise when planning Fire & Life Safety for Saudi giga and mega projects?
Scale changes the conversation. Remote sites can make full firefighting water supply and networks a time and cost challenge.
Six metre access roads in isolated areas can be difficult to justify.
Iconic architecture often needs equivalencies to satisfy the code’s intent.
Early clarity is essential.
We see frequent confusion between smoke control and smoke ventilation in car parks and large enclosures, and that can trigger redesign if left late.
There is also the operational gap. Design strategies reach approval, then operations create their own approach and the thread is lost.
We are advocating for operational mandates, permits and approvals that carry design intent into use.
Our method is proactive and integrated. Embed FLS specialists from day one.
Use modelling, evacuation analysis and fire dynamics to build evidence.
Use our certified reviewer role to streamline authority engagement.
Engineering should add value to client goals and to Vision 2030.
Otherwise it is engineering for its own sake.
How do reduced prescriptions in SBC 2024 support performance-based design and modelling tools today?
Performance-based design was available in SBC 2018. SBC 2024 does not invent it.
What it does is reinforce when and how to use it.
The six years between editions gave the industry a proving ground.
Difficult approvals, technical debates, workshops with authorities.
That experience matured judgement on when prescriptive compliance is necessary and when alternatives achieve the same life safety intent.
Today there is clearer confidence in tools.
Smoke modelling that reflects geometry and heat release scenarios.
Evacuation analysis that tests flow, queuing and management strategies.
Fire dynamics studies for complex risks.
Used well, these approaches deliver safer, more workable solutions on projects where rigid prescriptions do not fit.
Saudi Arabia’s compliance culture is stronger for it.
You see better conversations with AHJs, clearer documentation of intent and a tighter loop between design, evidence and approval.
What new capabilities accompany AESG’s plan to expand the FLS team by over 25 percent?
Growth is about capability, not headcount alone.
We have added leadership on the ground with Associate Consultant Amer Almerabi in KSA.
We have brought in operational depth with Steve Apter as FLS Operations Advisor and Mentor.
His experience in incident command and emergency management helps bridge the gap between paper strategies and what happens on site.
With this expansion we are formalising operational advisory scopes: Policy and governance development, emergency response planning, city wide response strategies and private fire codes and guides tailored to client portfolios.
How is AESG supporting clients with submissions predating SBC 2024 – is grandfathering available?
Saudi Civil Defence has taken a pragmatic route for advanced designs.
Projects that reached key AHJ or CDC milestones under SBC 2018 before the transition can continue under that edition.
Detailed designs fully approved before the cut off stay on 2018.
Schematic designs that addressed major comments can proceed, provided teams move quickly to detailed design and secure approvals within a defined window.
Projects that did not reach these milestones adopt SBC 2024 in full.
We guide clients through those conditions. Identify which rule applies.
Close out outstanding comments.
Coordinate directly with Civil Defence to secure the right approvals.
The aim is to protect design effort and avoid years of rework while implementing the new code where it is due. It is structured. It is fair.
It keeps giga projects moving while raising the baseline of compliance across the programme.
How will your practice adapt to future code changes and emerging project types in the region?
Codes will continue to evolve. Our job is to clarify what changed, show how to apply it and, where needed, develop equivalencies that meet the life safety intent.
We will keep contributing to how rules are implemented in practice so compliance is clear and workable.
The focus is steady outcomes that match project goals and national priorities under Vision 2030.