Thanks Mssy a good reminder and useful to help explain to people.

Mssy - very Interesting for us not in UAE - it would be great if anyone could briefly explain their planning approval process..??

I am afraid I have no experience working in the UAE, but have taken an interest in this and similar high rise fires in that part of the world as I deal with fire safety in a range of buildings across the UK, and several continents. The UAE Fire Code of Practice is an unreadable 700+ pages long and appears to be a mixture of the best bits of UK, European and US guides (British standards/EN/NFPA respectively). The section on fire rating of external walls & permissible openings starts on page 50 (link below) They appear to be comprehensive and at least as strict as UK standards - albeit, something badly went wrong on 31st December! Lets not forget that Dubai's huge growth didn't start until the 1970s, but only really took off in the mid 1980s. There are reports that fire safety 'gaps' are simply a case of an area of the world expanding and developing so rapidly, that although standards and legislation are 'modern', the culture and attitude is often struggling to change as fast. The result is that compliance is not always interpreted or policed as strictly as it is elsewhere in the developed world http://www.dcd.gov.a...firecodeeng.pdf

Has anyone got detail about what we can learn from the actual evacuation of people at the Address Hotel fire? Reports indicate that occupants got out of the building ok but the stairs was packed. Would hugely appreciate info with any safety websites or safety groups in Dubai that might have any information on this? Kindest Regards