Table of Contents

Civil Defense Requirements: ....................................................................................................... 2

Material (23) Buildings: .............................................................................................................. 4
Material (24) Structural Skelton Safety & Prevention of External Fire Spread.............................. 6
Material (25) Fire Compartmentation within Buildings ................................................................ 6
Material (26) Means of Escape from Fire..................................................................................... 7
Material (27): Escape Routes ....................................................................................................... 8
Thermal Requirements ................................................................................................................ 9
Potable Water Network Requirements ....................................................................................... 11
1.

Fire Fighting Network ................................................................................................... 12

2.

Potable Water Network .................................................................................................. 12

3.

Combined Potable Water and Fire Fighting Network ..................................................... 13

4.

Residential Building Requirements ................................................................................ 13

Civil Defense Requirements:

The following are some of the life and safety standards that are required by the Civil
Defense Directorate, and that must be implemented in Rawabi planned community:
*The General safety standards that should be followed in every High Rise Building
are the following:
High Rise Building: are the building having height greater or equals 16m above the
street, or if it contain more than 5 floors above the Upper Street level (Civil Defense,
P.14)
1. 3 inch Fire Hydrant must be installed outside each building. (Civil
Defense, P.2)
2. Water tanks with 15m3 storage water capacity & a pump must be provided
for each building; if fire fighting network does not exist. (Civil Defense,
P.2)
3. An emergency stairs from a non-flammable material is required/must be
done as a fire exit for each building (According to Environmental &
Industrial specification). (Civil Defense, P.2)
4. Installation of 2 inch fire hydrant at each stairs landing in a building,
attached to a 25m ( inch diameter) hose. (Civil Defense, P.2)
5. Manual fire fighters extinguisher composed from powder and Halon gas
must be provided at each stair landing; according to its total area. (Civil
Defense, P.2)
6. Automatic fire fighters extinguishers composed from Halon gas with 6Kg
capacity must be provided at each electrical & generator rooms. (Civil
Defense, P.2)
7. Fire alarm, with gas detectors must be provided at each stairs landing,
electrical, and generator rooms. (Civil Defense, P.2)
8. Building & constructing gas collectors tanks and solid waste dumping
cans outside each building. (Civil Defense, P.2)

9. Installation of visible phosphoric signs to point to the building entrances,

exits, and fire equipments (extinguishers). (Civil Defense, P.2)
10. Provide an electric generator in a well ventilated room. (Civil Defense, P.2)
11. Provide a special unit electricity unit, in a well ventilated room. (Civil
Defense, P.2)
12. Installation of a lightning rod; according to the specifications (. (Civil
Defense, P.2)
13. Installation of an elevator according to the specifications . (Civil Defense,
P.2)
14. 60% of the roof area must be provided as an empty available space for
public utilities. (Civil Defense, P.2)
15. Provide a signal light at every building roof. (Civil Defense, P.2)
16. Provide shelters for each building according to the specifications. (Civil
Defense, P.2)
17. Provide an easy accessed entrance for the handicapped. (Civil Defense,
P.2)
*Note: If any of the stated regulations are not followed, the constructor is breaking the
Civil Defense law. (Palestinian National Authority, Ministry of Interior, Civil Defense
Directorate, Dep. Safety & Protection, Civil Defense P.2) (Civil Defense, P.2)

Material (23) Buildings:

Buildings: Any structure built up from stone, reinforced concrete, steel, wood or any
other similar building materials which comprise from footings, walls, roofs, partitions, or
any special structures having wastewater drainage, wells, roads, or any internal entrances
within the structural building.
According to Material (23) Buildings:
1. All buildings should satisfy the Palestinian codes and the municipalitys
requirements; and must be constructed from a non-flammable material. (Civil
Defense, P.19)
2. All buildings must submit/have technical detailed drawings & specifications from
certified engineering office which comply with safety measures as required by
Civil Defense Directorate. (Civil Defense, P.19)
3. All detailed drawings submitted must include exact & accurate determination of
building construction materials type and the degree of resistance to fire (degree
of flammability) taking into consideration the following issues (Civil Defense,
P.20):
- Structural Skeleton must be designed to bare heavy loads, and resist fire for at
least four hours. (Civil Defense, P.20)
- Walls, roofs, and floors must be designed to bare heavy loads, and resist fire for
two hours. (Civil Defense, P.20)
- Fire proof walls must be designed to resist & prevent fire transmission for at
least two hours. (Civil Defense, P.20)
- Doors & windows facing fire proof walls must resist fire for half an hour. (Civil
Defense, P.20)
4. The availability of access roads & emergency entrances to all buildings; which
must be designed to allow fire trucks to pass through and reach the buildings,
emergency exits & stairs, and fire fighting hydrants. If either the building length
or width exceeds 50 m; then there must be two emergency entrances/two entrance
through access roads (Civil Defense, P.20)
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5. For mixed use building (i.e residential & commercial), then fire fighting safety
measures for commercial building must be applied for. Commercial centers &
stores must be either located at the ground or first floor. (Civil Defense, P.20)
6. It is recommended not to use underground floors for living. (Civil Defense, P.20)
7. If the residential building is connected with conference room or wedding hall;
then fire fighting safety rules for this type of building must be applied for. (Civil
Defense, P.20)
8. The parking (if there is any) must be at the ground and under ground floor only in
a building complying all fire fighting safety rules & measures for parking; and it
is prohibited to have multi floor parking as part of a building. (Civil Defense, P.20)
9. All buildings must have an easy accessed entrance for the handicapped. (Civil
Defense, P.20)
10. The Civil Defense Directorate must check the buildings to make sure it complies
with fire fighting safety rules and regulations before operating & using the
building. (Civil Defense, P.20)

Material (24) Structural Skelton Safety & Prevention of External Fire Spread
1. The designed structural Skelton & external walls must be fire resistance (nonflammable material) according to engineering specifications. (Civil Defense, P.21)
2. Careful attention must be paid to construction walls, floors and roofs and lining
materials used such that fire resistance is maintained. (Civil Defense, P.21)

Material (25) Fire Compartmentation within Buildings

1. It is necessary to divide building into separate fire-resisting compartments in
order to prevent the rapid spread of fire through out the building, to allow people
to escape, to make it safe for firefighters to enter the building to rescue victims
and tackle the fire, and also to protect nearby people and adjacent buildings from
collapse. (Civil Defense, P.21)
2. Compartmentation within Building is necessary and must be implanted according
to Palestine specifications & codes taking into consideration the following issues:
-

Floors in multistory buildings form a compartment division as do walls that

divide different part of the building. Regulations stipulate maximum sizes of
compartment equal to 400 m2; if the compartment area exceeds 400 m2 then it
is to be divided into 400 m2 compartment. (Civil Defense, P.21)

Emergency exit, fire proof corridors & stairs must be considered as separate
fire compartment within building. (Civil Defense, P.21)

Mechanical, Electrical, and generator room must be considered as separate

fire compartment within building. (Civil Defense, P.21)

Due to modern construction methods; there can be many hidden voids &
cavities within the walls, floors and roofs. These can provide route along
which fire can spread rapidly thats why all these hidden voids and cavities
must be completely fixed. (Civil Defense, P.21)

3. Fire proofing door must be installed with the fire compartment wall so as to
prevent fire spread. Fire protection closure are units comprising: (Civil Defense,
P.21)
-

Doors with associated frames and fixing for the frames.

6

Self closing doors

4. In public buildings such as hotels; all rooms must be separated from other areas
such as restaurants, kitchens, and other utilities area. (Civil Defense, P.21)

Material (26) Means of Escape from Fire

Means of Escape from Fire: is that it should be possible for building occupants to escape
away from fire to a place of safety; which includes emergency exit, water proofing stairs
and corridors. The escape route must allow people reach protected areas safe.
The emergency exit width must not be less than 1 m, and escape route width must not be
less than 1.30 m (Civil Defense, P.22)
Emergency exit: is the exit used only at emergency cases to allow occupants to turn
from fire and reach a place of safety. (Civil Defense, P.22)
Emergency stair: is the stairs used only at emergency cases to allow occupants to turn
from fire and reach a place of safety. (Civil Defense, P.22)
In addition to main stairs in building, emergency stairs must exist for emergency
purposes and must comply with the Palestinian specifications & safety rules as follows:
-

Stair construction materials and handrails should be fire resistance

All doors and openings must be fire proofing and fire resistance to prevent fire
spread.

Emergency stairs must be located at suitable locations within a building

Emergency stairs must allow all people reach protected area safe. (Civil
Defense, P.22)

The step width must not be less than 1 m and the rise not greater than 20 cm
and the step length not less than 130 cm and the number of steps less than 15
one. Each landing must have at least three steps. (Civil Defense, P.22)

Fire Proof Area: An assigned space/area inside or outside the building that the residence
will go to for protection and safety in case of a fire. (Civil Defense, P.23)

Material (27): Escape Routes

1. Escape routes must be located within the building to allow people escape safely
within 3 minutes(Civil Defense, P.23)
2. All emergency exits and escape routes must be located apart as much as possible;
and each floor must have at least 2 exits. It should be taken into account that all
the exits for all the floors (except ground floors) should lead to a protected
external stairs. (Civil Defense, P.23)
3. Escape routes should lead all people to Fire Proof Area. (Civil Defense, P.23)
4. Emergency exit and stairs must only be used for evacuation process(Civil Defense,
P.24)
5. The emergency route distance to the emergency exit must be less than 30 m.
(Civil Defense, P.24)
6. Emergency window exit must be easily accessible by fire fighters, and it should
not have window steel cage. (Civil Defense, P.24)

Thermal Requirements
R value is a measure of thermal resistance used in the building and construction industry.
The bigger the number, the better the building insulations effectiveness. R value is the
reciprocal of U- Value. (m2.K/W)

Where
W: Watt
M: Meter
K: Kelvin
U value
The U value is the overall heat transfer coefficient, describes how well a building element
conducts heat. It measures the rate of heat transfer through a building element over a
given area, under standardized conditions. (W/m2.K)

Where

W: Watt
M: Meter
K: Kelvin
Type I:
All buildings and living units; with different areas, provided with Central Heating System
and air conditioning, or all buildings that have an area that exceeds 120 m2 that are found
at Energy Efficient Building Codes Manual, Material (4/2), page 32; which includes
Residential Buildings, Schools and Universities, Hospital and Clinics, Hotels and
Restaurants, Public and Commercial buildings, Offices, and Theaters.
Type II:
All buildings and living units; that have areas not exceeding 120 m2, not equated with
Central Heating System and air conditioning, that are found at Palestinian Energy
Efficient Building Codes Manual, Material (4/2), page 32; which includes Residential
Buildings, Schools and Universities, Hospital and Clinics, Hotels and Restaurants, Public
9

and Commercial buildings, Offices, and Theaters. Furthermore, it includes the other
buildings of Material (4/2) which includes Temples, Factories, and Commercial Center
that do not include Central Heating System and air conditioning disregarding the area.
1. Thermal Transfer (U value) requirements for roofs & open floors are as follows:
(Palestinian Energy Efficient Building Codes Manual, Material (2/4), page
91,2004)
-

The total U Value of external roof should not exceed 1.1 W/m2.K for type I
and 1.8 W/m2.K for type II for the upward transfer.

The total U Value of external roof should not exceed 1.2 W/m2.K for type I
and 2.2 W/m2.K for type II for the downward transfer.

The total U value of all type I buildings regarding roofs and floors separating
two levels; which have different source of energy should not exceed 1.2
W/m2.K.

The total U value of all type I buildings that includes ground floor on top of
basement not equated with central Heating or air conditions should not exceed
1.2 W/m2.K

2. Walls (Palestinian Energy Efficient Building Codes Manual, Material (2/4), page
92, 2004)
-

The total U value for all external walls including windows, doors, and any
other openings should not exceed 1.8 W/m2.K for type I and 2.5 W/m2.K for
type II.

The total U value of all type I buildings regarding walls separating two levels;
which have different source of energy should not exceed 2.2 W/m2.K.

The total U value of all type I buildings that includes separating walls between
two parts of a building; one part is equated with central Heating or air
conditions while the other is not, should not exceed 2.2 W/m2.K

10

Potable Water Network Requirements

11

1. Fire Fighting Network

-

Bulk Storage: Minimum (4-8) hours dedicated storage is required for fire
fighting and the central storage system. (PWA: Design Guidelines for the
Construction of Water Tanks, 2003- Section 1.3) and (Egyptian Code).

Ring Main: (PWA: Planning and designing guidelines, dimensioning of water

supply, sewer, and storm runoff pipes, 2000- Section 2.0) and (Egyptian
Code).

Fire hydrants: Part of the Firefighting network, and required at each 100 m.
(Palestinian Civil Defense Requirements for Buildings) and (Egyptian Code).

House Connection: House Connection for each building to serve sprinklers at

the parking and hydrants at the parking and hydrants at the landing.
(Palestinian Civil Defense Requirements for Buildings) and (Egyptian Code)

Ring main minimum diameter: Water pipes connected to fire hydrants should
be at least 150mm in diameter; while short branch pipes leading to fire
tanks/hydrants may be 100 mm diameter.

2. Potable Water Network

-

Storage Reservoir: Determines the capacity and components of the water

tanks, storage tanks, and balancing tanks. Its size should comply with (2-3)
day storage for portable water consumption and (4-8) hour storage for
firefighting requirements.
Balancing tank size is to comply with (6-8) hour storage for potable water
consumption and dedicated (4-8) hour storage for firefighting. (PWA: Design
Guidelines for the Construction of Water Tanks, 2003- Section 1.3)

Ring Main: (PWA: Planning and designing guidelines, dimensioning of Water

Supply, sewer, and storm runoff pipes, 2000- Section 2.0) and (Egyptian
Code).

House Connections: House connections shall extend inside properties.

Water meter should be installed near the street and building entry.

Ring main minimum diameter: Water pipes diameter varies between (100250) mm for main distribution. (PWA: Planning and designing guidelines,
12

dimensioning of Water Supply, sewer, and storm runoff pipes, 2000- Section
2.0)
3. Combined Potable Water and Fire Fighting Network
-

Storage Reservoir: Determines the capacity and components of the water

tanks, storage tanks, and balancing tanks. Its size should comply with (2-3)
day storage for portable water consumption and (4-8) hour storage for
firefighting requirements.
Balancing tank size is to comply with (6-8) hour storage for potable water
consumption and dedicated (4-8) hour storage for firefighting. (PWA: Design
Guidelines for the Construction of Water Tanks, 2003- Section 1.3)

Ring Main: One ring main for potable water and fire fighting Networks.
(PWA: Planning and designing guidelines, dimensioning of Water Supply,
sewer, and storm runoff pipes, 2000- Section 2.0) and (Egyptian Code).

House Connections: Separate house connection for potable water and

firefighting house connection is required.
House connections shall extend inside properties.
Water meter should be installed near the street and building entry.
For parking sprinklers and hydrants at the landings. (PWA: General Technical
Specifications section for Water Supply Network, 1998- Section 4.17),
(Palestinian Civil defense Requirement for buildings), and (Egyptian Code).

Ring main minimum diameter: Water pipes should be at least 150 mm

diameter. (PWA: Planning and Designing guidelines; dimensioning of water
supply, sewer, and storm water runoff pipes- September 2000, section 2).

4. Residential Building Requirements

-

Roof Tanks: There is no code regarding roof tanks. Engineering practice

prefer not to add roof tanks to the water system if a reliable water source is
feeding the network; as roof tanks will disturb the network mechanism, create
inequity in the water distribution and reduce the pressure supplied to
consumer.

13

Sprinklers: Sprinklers shall be connected to a continuous water source defined

as firefighting house connection that shall feed the sprinklers, hydrants and
hose.
Sprinkles are required for car parking area, and for all other building uses
(commercial, retail, public facilities, health and education buildings).
(Palestinian Civil Defense Requirements for Buildings)

Hydrants and Hoses: Required outside each building and stair landing to be
connected to the potable water network.

Solar Systems (1m3 cold water tank, 200l hot water tank, solar panels,
reversible pump): The specifications are given according to the manufacturer;
it is required for each apartment, components of the system are: (cold water
storage, solar panels, hot water collection tank, and reversible pump inside the
building.

Cold water system inside building (pipes, fittings): Are set according to the
manufacturer.

Building for Disabled People (People with Special Needs)

14

Houses and Residential Building

An environment for disabled people needs to be designed to accommodate wheelchairs
and allow sufficient space for moving around in safety. All switches, handles, window
fittings, telephone points, paper roll or towel holders, lift controls, etc. must be within
reach of an outstretched arm. The layout of the WC, in particular, requires careful
planning: assess how many doors, light switches etc. are needed.
Access paths to the building should be 1.20-1.5 m wide and be as short as
possible.
Ramps should ideally be straight, with a maximum incline of (5-8) %, and should
be no longer than (9-15) m. The ramp width between the handrails should be (0.91.5) m.
Turning Spaces should be greater than 140X170 cm for wheel chair turning 180.

Corridors should be greater than 0.8 m wide, 1.80 m wide for double door 2 way
opening and 1.5 m for 2 doors opening at the same corridor;
Clear opening of doors, greater than 0.80 m for Residential Buildings and 0.90 m
for Public building;

Height of light switches and electrical sockets, 1.00 m (use switches and control
devices which have large buttons or surfaces).

The movement area dimensions should be within (0.40 1.30) cm as minimum

and maximum height, different heights to be designed should be as follows:

The height of clear vision level equal 1.10 m

The height of lowest window dimension should equal 0.8 m; and the window
fittings should be at (0.9 1.2) m from floor.

15

The Walk Way width for one wheel chair should be greater than 0.90 m, and 1.80
m for two wheel chairs.
During urban planning, consideration should also be given to providing wheelchair users
with easy access to general amenities such as supermarkets, restaurants, post offices,
pharmacies, doctors' surgeries, car parks, public transport etc.

Accessibility:
In the residential houses, access via corridors is the most common layout; which will
eliminate large numbers of angles and corners; a straight main corridor is preferable.
The entrance area should be of an appropriate size; the distance from the parking
to the house entrance should be short with a (5 8) % slope.
The minimum area of entrance halls is 1.50 x 1.50 m. No steps at the entrance and
no difference in level between the individual rooms and the garden; rooms can be
connected without doors and custom designed to best suit the residents No steps is
preferred at the entrance and if exists the step height should be less than 2.5 cm.
Light switches, and door fitting must be within reach of an outstretched arm
For blind residents it is important to have an intercom system at the apartment
door and the building's main entrance.

Corridors
Corridors should be greater than 0.8 m wide, 1.80 m wide for double door 2 way
opening and 1.5 m for 2 doors opening at the same corridor;
Corridors should be 2.2 m wide, for wheel chair turning 90.
Doors opening at the corridor is preferred to face each others, if not doors should
open at different sides.

Living area:
Living rooms should allow adequate free movement for wheelchair users and have
sufficient space for two or three more visitors' wheelchairs. For blind people, additional
space should be provided for their literature and tape equipment: Braille books and
16

newspapers are roughly three times bulkier than their printed equivalents. In apartments,
recommended minimum areas for living rooms should be 140X140 cm which is adequate
for wheel chair turning.

Dining Room:
Dining room may be separated or connected to the living room or the kitchen.
Dining table must be accessible to wheelchair users; the table must have 1.05 m
minimum width.

Bed Room:
Good planning is of great importance in the bed room to allow disabled people to
move freely within the room. The arrangement of the bed, closets, and furniture
should be convenient to allow free comfortable movement for the disabled people.
Furniture arrangement should be in a way that allows disabled people to reach bed
in parallel. Minimum distance of 1.4 m should be left between the bed and the
side door or wall.

Kitchen:

Ergonomic planning is of great importance in the kitchen to allow disabled people

to utilize their capabilities to the full.
The arrangement of the storage, preparation, cooking and washing areas should be
convenient and streamlined.
The cooker, main work surface and taps should be placed as close together as
possible. Storage spaces must be accessible to wheelchair users (i.e. no high
cupboards).
Minimum corridor width should be 1.2m. The optimal working height must be
adapted to suit each disabled person, 65 cm minimum.

Washing
17

Sanitary Plumping fixtures should be implemented horizontally (using elbow)

and not vertically to make it accessible to wheelchair users.

It is forbidden to use circular water tap handles

Oven
-

It is preferred to have oven separated from cooker fixed within kitchen

cupboards

*Providing a suitable environment for people with disabilities:

18

A suitable environment should be provided for the disabled people to help them carry on
day to day tasks independently.

PART 1: Walk Ways

The length of any walkway should not be less than:
120 cm to pass one wheelchair
150 cm to pass a wheelchair and a baby stroller at the same time
180 cm to pass two wheelchairs at the same time
The slope of the walkway and parks should be preferably around (1: 40) (1:50)
The walkways surface should be made from a non-slippery, hard, and rigid material.
Furthermore, the surface should be flat, with pours no greater than 5 mm.

PART 2: Ramps
*Ramp: A connector between grade-separated roads in a traffic interchange.
*Wheelchair Ramp: An inclined plane installed in addition to or instead of stairs. It
permits wheelchair users, people pushing strollers, charts, or other wheeled objects to
more easily access a building.
The slope of the ramp should be approximately (1:20), and should not exceed (1:12)
The width of the ramp should be 150cm in public areas, 90cm in residential areas, and its
total area should not be less than (140 X 140)m2 .
The height of the slope should be preferably 60cm, and should not exceed 75cm.
Every slope should have a railway; with a total height between 75 95 cm.

PART 3: Curbs
*Curb: The edge where a raised sidewalk/pavement/footpath meets an unraised street or
roadway.
The height of the curb should not exceed 20mm.
A railway or plants should be found on every curb to prevent movement from that side.

PART 4: Outdoor Stairs

19

The staircase ramps height should not exceed 180cm from the staircases base.
The staircase width should be at least 120cm.
The maximum staircase height for each staircase lane should not exceed 220cm.
Provide a railway with an increasing height, starting at a height of minimum of 70cm
and ending at 90cm, and with a width of at least 30cm.
If the stairs width is greater than 180cm, an extra railway should be constructed in the
middle.

PART 5: Sideways & paths

The street lighting, and plants should be build/planted on the edge of the sideway; to
provide enough space for the disabled people to move freely in.
The sidewalks length should be from 150 180 cm.
All crossing should be parallel to the sideways; and lighting and hearing signals should
be found next to each crossing, to help the deaf and blind people. Furthermore the length
of the white lines of the crossing should be at least 180cm, to make easier for the disabled;
especially if using a wheelchair to cross. Finally, for a two way street a 150cm median
should be provided with a crossing on each side.

PART 6: Transportation
A mobile ramp should be present in every community center, school, or similar places to
help the disabled move in and out of any vehicle transporting them. Furthermore
umbrellas with a length of 62cm should be provided for all the transportation stops in
those centers. Finally, if needed a ramp can be provided next to the bus stops.

20