Under Al Sa'fat, new air-conditioned buildings in Dubai must hold the roof to 0.3 W/m²K or lower↗, and flat or low-sloped roofs must use surfaces rated SRI 78 or higher↗ over at least 75% of the roof area↗. That reflectance rule is tied to the Dubai Building Code E.5.7 and K.7.2.7↗. Every new building has to meet the mandatory requirements, which means Silver Sa'fa at minimum↗. The system replaced the older Dubai Green Building Regulations on 19 October 2020↗.
What Al Sa'fat is
Al Sa'fat is Dubai Municipality's green building system, structured in sections covering ecology and planning, building vitality, energy efficiency and resources. Ratings run Silver, Golden and Platinum. The current version is the 2nd edition, January 2023↗. It applies across building typologies, and villas are explicitly in scope: private villas, investment villas and Arabic houses are grouped together as villas in section 201.01↗.
None of it is a waterproofing code. There is no clause telling you which membrane to use. What it does control is the thermal layer above your membrane, the reflectance of the surface on top, and the chemistry of the coatings and sealants that go on, all of which change how the waterproofing lives.
Where the Dubai Building Code comes in
Al Sa'fat does not stand alone. Its reflectance clause states the SRI values "according to" the Dubai Building Code, and names the heat island clauses: Dubai Building Code E.5.7 and K.7.2.7↗. Part E covers buildings in general and Part K covers villas, so a villa owner's consultant will be working from Part K. Many other Al Sa'fat clauses point to the code in the same way, which is why a designer will often quote a Dubai Building Code section number rather than an Al Sa'fat one.
The reflectance requirement
Solar Reflectance Index measures how well a surface bounces sunlight and releases the heat it does absorb. A dark surface with a low SRI gets far hotter than a white one. Al Sa'fat sets a minimum by roof slope, applied to at least 75% of the roof area↗, and a separate minimum for walls: SRI 29 on all external walls↗.
Al Sa'fat Table 304.01 (1) requires a Solar Reflectance Index of at least 78 for flat and low-sloped roofs with a slope of 1 in 6 or flatter and at least 29 for steep-sloped roofs, over at least 75% of the roof area, and at least 29 on all external walls.
Source: Dubai Municipality, Al Sa'fat – Dubai Green Building System, 2nd edition (January 2023), section 304.01 and Table 304.01 (1). Official.
Show the data as a table
| Surface | Minimum SRI |
|---|---|
| Flat and low-sloped roofs (1:6 or flatter) | SRI 78 or higher |
| Steep-sloped roofs (steeper than 1:6) | SRI 29 or higher |
| External walls | SRI 29 on all external walls |
The gap between the roof figures is the interesting part. A flat roof takes the sun full on for most of the day, so the bar is far higher. In practice that points to a light, reflective finish on flat roofs rather than dark tiles.
The insulation requirement
Separately, the regulation caps how much heat may pass through the roof build-up. For new air-conditioned buildings the roof limit is 0.3 W/m²K or lower↗, at Silver as well as Golden and Platinum level: unusually, the roof figure does not get stricter as the rating goes up. Villas also have an envelope-wide average of 0.40 W/m²K↗ in the thermal-bridging clause.
Al Sa'fat Table 501.01 (1) caps the average roof U-value of new air-conditioned buildings at 0.3 watts per square metre kelvin. Section 501.02 caps the average building envelope U-value for villas at 0.40.
Source: Dubai Municipality, Al Sa'fat 2nd edition (January 2023), Table 501.01 (1) and section 501.02. Official. Lower is better.
Show the data as a table
| Element | Maximum U-value (W/m²K) |
|---|---|
| Roof, new air-conditioned buildings | 0.3 W/m²K or lower |
| Villa building envelope, average | 0.40 W/m²K maximum |
Dubai Municipality also publishes the working drawings: villa insulation sections, Types 1–6↗, alongside a U-value calculation spreadsheet. If your contractor cannot say which insulation thickness gets your build-up under the limit, those documents are where the answer comes from.
Re-roofing an existing building
The reflectance and insulation clauses above are written for new buildings, and the regulation does not say that re-waterproofing an existing roof triggers them. One part of Al Sa'fat clearly does reach renovation work, though. Its limits on volatile organic compounds in paints, coatings, adhesives, sealants and primers apply to all buildings, including new applications in existing buildings↗, and the products must be certified by Dubai Central Laboratory or a laboratory the Municipality approves.
For a re-roof, that makes two practical questions for the contractor. Are the primer, coating and sealants on the quote certified to Dubai Municipality's VOC limits? And if the insulation or finish is being replaced as well, will the new build-up still meet the roof U-value and SRI the building was approved with? Whether anything more applies to your job is a question for a consultant or Dubai Municipality.
What this means for waterproofing work
- On a new build, the membrane is part of a stack that has to perform thermally. Insulation thickness is not a detail to leave off a quote, and re-laying a roof without it can undo what the building was approved with.
- A reflective finish keeps the membrane cooler. Reflectance rules exist for energy reasons, but a surface that runs cooler puts less daily thermal movement through the waterproofing under it.
- Coatings and sealants have their own rule. The VOC limits apply to existing buildings too, so ask for the certification rather than assuming a product is compliant.
Reading the regulation yourself
Every figure above is cited to the table or clause it comes from in the Al Sa'fat PDF, which Dubai Municipality publishes openly. If a contractor tells you the rules say something different, ask which clause, and read that clause. It takes ten minutes.
For the parts of the job that are actually about keeping water out, start with the membrane comparison and what the work costs in Dubai.