Engineering Encyclopedia

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

Overview of the
Saudi Aramco Building Code

Note: The source of the technical material in this volume is the Professional
Engineering Development Program (PEDP) of Engineering Services.
Warning: The material contained in this document was developed for Saudi
Aramco and is intended for the exclusive use of Saudi Aramco’s
employees. Any material contained in this document which is not already
in the public domain may not be copied, reproduced, sold, given, or
disclosed to third parties, or otherwise used in whole, or in part, without
the written permission of the Vice President, Engineering Services, Saudi
Aramco.

Chapter : Onshore Structural For additional information on this subject, contact

File Reference: CSE10701 C.C. Baldwin on 873-2654
Engineering Encyclopedia Onshore Structural
Overview of the Saudi Aramco Building Code

CONTENTS PAGE

PURPOSE OF THE SAUDI ARAMCO BUILDING CODE (SABC) 1

ENGINEERING WAIVER REQUEST 2

DOCUMENT OVERVIEW 3

Saudi Aramco Building Code (SABC) 3

COMPOSITION OF THE SAUDI ARAMCO BUILDING CODE 3

Saudi Aramco Standards 5

Saudi Arabian Standards 5

Industry Standards 5

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals 6

BASE DOCUMENT 10

ORGANIZATION OF THE CODE 11

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Engineering Encyclopedia Onshore Structural
Overview of the Saudi Aramco Building Code

PURPOSE OF THE SAUDI ARAMCO BUILDING CODE (SABC)

Saudi Aramco developed a set of Engineering Standards to help assure the quality, safety and
uniformity of all company projects. The facilities required to support Saudi Aramco
operations are among the largest and most complex in the world. Consequently these
Engineering Standards are extensive and detailed. THE LATEST AVAILABLE ISSUE OF
THE UNIFORM BUILDING CODE WHEN USED JOINTLY WITH SAUDI ARAMCO
ENGINEERING STANDARD SAES-M-100 BECOMES THE SAUDI ARAMCO
BUILDING CODE.

The Saudi Aramco Building Code is based on existing national, international and industry
standards with modifications to reflect engineering applications in Saudi Arabia. Where no
applicable standards exist, or modification of existing standards is not feasible, Saudi Aramco
creates entirely new standards as necessary.

Engineering for Saudi Aramco is influenced by the nature of the support requirement and
other physical and environmental factors such as blowing dust, chloride and sulfate
contaminated sand and water, humid air, large temperature variations, and high ultraviolet
radiation levels. These factors or a combination of these factors, produce effects on
equipment and material which are unique to Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Aramco Building Code is intended to reflect proper design practices and
procedures for designing and constructing facilities that work in Saudi Arabia. The
company's experience and knowledge of operating in Saudi Arabia are reflected in the
standards.

The authority of the Saudi Aramco Building Code is defined in Saudi Aramco Engineering
Standard SAES-M-100. The Chief Engineer, acting with the consent of the board of
engineers, controls the Saudi Aramco Building Code.

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ENGINEERING WAIVER REQUEST

In some cases an engineering standard is not appropriate for a particular situation. There may
be a conflict between Saudi Aramco Engineering Standard-M-100 and other Saudi Aramco
Engineering Standards (SAES's); or, there may be conflicts between related Saudi Aramco
Materials System Specifications (SAMSS's), codes, forms, and Saudi Aramco Mandatory
Drawings (SAMD's). In such cases, a standard may be waived by the Saudi Aramco Chief
Engineer. This process is defined in Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure SAEP-302,
Instructions for Obtaining a Waiver of a Saudi Aramco Engineering Standard, which includes
the following steps:

• Complete a standard waiver request.

• The request is reviewed by Consulting Services Department engineers, including

Inspection, and the operating organization affected. If the waiver request involves
safety matters or any of the Loss Prevention standards (SAES-B series), the review
will include the Chief Fire Prevention Engineer. If these reviews support the waiver
request, it is sent to the Chief Engineer for approval.

• After review and approval by the Chief Engineer, the waiver is returned to the Saudi
Aramco project management team (SAPMT) for implementation.

• The Chief Engineer is the only approval authority for a waiver.

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Overview of the Saudi Aramco Building Code

DOCUMENT OVERVIEW

Saudi Aramco Building Code (SABC)

Saudi Aramco Building Code provides minimum mandatory requirements for the design,
construction, maintenance, alteration, moving, demolition, repair and use of Saudi Aramco
buildings. It takes precedence over all other standards and specifications. A formal waiver
approved by the Saudi Aramco Chief Engineer is required to deviate from any code
requirement. The Saudi Aramco Building Code is based on the Uniform Building Code
(UBC), U.S. national and industry standards and codes, and the company's experience in the
design, construction and operation of facilities in Saudi Arabia. When appropriate,
requirements from the following government agencies are included in the Saudi Aramco
Building Code:

• SASO - Saudi Arabian Standards Organization

• MEP - Meteorological and Environmental Protection Administration

Saudi Aramco Engineering Standard SAES-M-100 is located in the commercial and technical
computer center mainframe computer. It may be accessed in the standards-on-line system
under SPFE.16. Standards can also be accessed and printed using Standards on Computer
(SOC). at the Technical Information Center (TIC), or wherever the service is subscribed.

COMPOSITION OF THE SAUDI ARAMCO BUILDING CODE

The Uniform Building Code (UBC, International Conference of Building Officials, 1988
edition; see Figure 1) in its entirety, with all amendments and supplemented thereto, shall
constitute the Saudi Aramco Building Code (SABC) except as modified by Saudi Aramco
Engineering Standard SAES-M-100. (Refer to SAES-M-100, p. 5, para. A.1.) See Figure 2.

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APPLICABLE CODES AND STANDARDS

Reference sources noted below are part of the Saudi Aramco Building Code. When used they
must be of the latest edition as of the design date of the structure being considered. Any
particular edition of a standard may be used if it is specified. The Saudi Aramco standards
and specifications shall take precedence if in conflict with the UBC. Questions of
clarification or interpretation shall be referred to the Consulting Services Department. Design
approval for fire and life safety provisions, except structural, rests with the Chief Fire
Prevention Engineer.

Standards and specifications applicable to the Saudi Aramco Building Code:

Saudi Aramco Standards

• Saudi Aramco Engineering Standards (SAES)

• Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedures (SAEP)

• Saudi Aramco Materials System Specifications (SAMSS)

• Saudi Aramco Sanitary Code

Saudi Arabian Standards

• Saudi Arabian Standards Organization See Figure 4

(SASO) (SSA) (See Note b and c)

Industry Standards

• American Concrete Institute (ACI) See Figure 5

• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

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Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals

• Accreditation Manual for Hospitals

Note:

a. All above references are available in hard copy, microfiche or microfilm in the
Technical Information Center (Dhahran) except "Accreditation Manual for
Hospitals" which is maintained presently by the medical organization.

b. Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) publishes a Standards Index titled,

"Technical Indexes Saudi Arabian Standards." The prefix to the index item
numbers are the letters SSA, not SASO. You will notice this when looking at pages
6 and 7, SAES-M-100.

c. Although TIC staff maintains current one set of SASO standards, it is quicker to use
microfiche and they are always up to date.

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FIGURE 4

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FIGURE 5

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Engineering Encyclopedia Onshore Structural
Overview of the Saudi Aramco Building Code

BASE DOCUMENT

Since the Saudi Aramco Building Code is based on the Uniform Building Code (UBC) we
refer to the UBC as the base document. Although many different codes and standards are
referenced in a structural design or a design review, the first step when using the Saudi
Aramco Building Code is to consult the base document (UBC). See Figure 6.

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ORGANIZATION OF THE CODE

The Uniform Building Code is divided into eleven parts labeled in Roman numerals I through
XI. Each part deals with a specific category of design activity. Each part is then divided into
numbered chapters and sections which deal with specific subjects.

The basic organization of the code falls into three major categories of use within Consulting
Services Department.

A. Life Safety is the first major category in the code. Buildings are classified by use or
occupancy for the purpose of defining safety features and occupancy rules. This part
of the code is for protection of the lives of building occupants. (See Figure 7.) This is
the first step in classifying the building.

B. Type of Construction is the second major category in the code. Attention to the code
requirements in this category will ensure adequate fire and weather protection of
structures to the minimum standards imposed by the code. (See Figure 8.)

C. Quality and Design of Construction Materials is the third category which specifies
minimum quality standards. This is to ensure that materials in construction design are
quality rated, designed and installed in structures so as to provide the necessary
resistance to stresses and forces imposed upon structures by manmade or natural
causes. (See Figure 9.)

NOTE:

• When reviewing an overall building design for compliance with the Saudi
Aramco Building Code, the engineer will find it helpful to refer first to the
Uniform Building Code, page xxi, UBC, titled Effective Use of the Uniform
Building Code. This is a checklist of steps to follow which, when used
together with SAES-M-100, will ensure that all code requirements have been
addressed. (See Figure 10.)

• The basic organization of the UBC shown in A-B-C above is carried out in
exactly the same order in SAES-M-100, Pages 13-23, Part III, IV, V.

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EFFECTIVE USE OF THE UNIFORM BUILDING CODE

The following procedure may be helpful in using the Uniform Building Code:

1. Classify the building:

A. Occupancy Classification: Compute the floor area and occupant load of the
building or portion thereof. See Sections 407, 3302 and Table No. 33-A.
Determine the occupancy group which the use of the building or portion
thereof most nearly resembles. See the '01 sections of Chapters 5 through 12.
See Section 503 for buildings with mixed occupancies.

B. Type of Construction: Determine the type of construction of

the building by the building materials used and the fire resistance
of the parts of the building. See Chapters 17 through 22.

C. Location on Property: Determine the location of the building

on the site and clearances to property lines and other buildings
from the plot plan. See Table No. 5-A and '03 sections of
Chapters 18 through 22 for fire resistance of exterior walls and
wall opening requirements based on proximity to property lines.
See Section 504.

D. Allowable Floor Area: Determine the allowable floor area of

the building. See Table No.5-C for basic allowable floor area
based on occupancy group and type of construction. See Section
506 for allowable increases based on location on property and
installation of an approved automatic fire-sprinkler system. See
Section 505 (b) for allowable floor area of multistory buildings.

E. Height and Number of Stories: Compute the height of the

building, Section 409 and determine the number of stories,
Section 420. See Table No. 5-D for the maximum height and
number of stories permitted based on occupancy group and type
of construction. See Section 507 for allowable story increase
based on the installation of an approved automatic fire-sprinkler
system.

2. Review the building for conformity with the occupancy requirements in

Chapters 6 through 12.

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3. Review the building for conformity with the type of construction

requirements in Chapters 17 through 22.

4. Review the building for conformity with the exiting requirements in

Chapter 33.

5. Review the building for other detailed code regulations in Chapters 29

through 54, Chapter 56, and the Appendix.

6. Review the building for conformity with engineering regulations and

requirements for materials of construction. See Chapters 23 through 28.

xxi

Figure 10

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