ICC Global Award: His Excellency Dr. Saad bin Othman Alkasabi

Each year, the International Code Council recognizes peers and colleagues who are a reflection of what the association stands for: dedication to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. The International Code Council and its Membership Councils honored several outstanding individuals and organizations for their accomplishments and contributions to building safety and resiliency in their communities during the 2022 Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

The ICC Global Award recognizes individuals or organizations with outstanding performance in promoting building safety in the world and supporting the International Code Council to carry out its global mission. This year’s recipient of the 2022 Global Membership Award is His Excellency Dr. Saad bin Othman Alkasabi, Governor of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Alkasabi is recognized for his long commitment to building codes. He was instrumental in collaborating with the Code Council to create the 2018 Saudi Building Code, which is based on the 2015 International Codes. He has also been a supporter of the effort led by the Gulf Standardization Organization to develop a suite of building codes to be used throughout the region.

A focus on standards

Prior to his appointment as Governor of SASO, Dr. Alkasabi served in various positions in the public and private sectors and academia. He was a board member of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation and general manager of Adaptive TechSoft. He was head of the Computer and Information Sciences Department at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz College and a faculty member at King Saud University.

Dr. Alkasabi’s passion for building codes is directly related to the organization he currently leads. SASO establishes and approves the country’s standard specifications and has played a major role in the adoption of international standards over the years. The foundation for the Saudi Building Code development, specifically, began in 2001 when the Saudi Council of Ministers established the Saudi Building Code National Committee (SBCNC) committee.

The committee’s mission was to develop a unified building code for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At the time, SBCNC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Code Council that would facilitate shared building safety knowledge and technical expertise with Saudi Arabia. The 2003 and 2006 International Codes (I-Codes) became the basis for a new Saudi Building Code. The first version was published in 2007, largely focused on commercial construction.

Dr. Alkasabi was elected chairman of the SBCNC in 2014, and subsequently helped facilitate the second version of the Saudi Building Code, which was released in 2018 based on the 2015 I-Codes. This version expanded the application of the code to more commercial properties and housing. Dr. Alkasabi’s support of the I-Codes as the basis for the Saudi Building Code has elevated the importance of the I-Codes and the International Code Council throughout the region, which has led to further opportunities to provide training and use of other International Code Council solutions.

“Through the process, we’ve learned a lot from ICC about how to develop, maintain and administrate codes,” Dr. Alkasabi said. “They are a very important partner, not only in area of code and content, but also training, knowledge transfer and how we control.”

Following its five-year update cycle, the SBCNC is planning to publish the third version by 2024.

Dr. Alkasabi’s continued work with SBCNC and support of the International Codes over the years is also the foundation for the expansion of the codes in the Gulf region.

Regional implementation

Dr. Alkasabi and SASO played an important role in the effort to develop the Gulf Building Codes (GBC) through the Gulf Cooperation Council Standardization Organization (GSO). The GSO was established in 1982 as an alliance of six Middle Eastern countries — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.

In December 2016, the International Code Council signed a historic agreement supporting GSO efforts to develop a unified GBC. This code is largely based on the Saudi Building Code and incorporates the latest provisions from the I-Codes.

Dr. Alkasabi said, “We believe that we have a responsibility to lead the region in the adoption of international standards and to improve the quality of products and services in this region.”

Acceptance of these solutions in Saudi Arabia and other markets throughout the region leads to a safer built environment. Dr. Alkasabi’s work behind all of this supports and strengthens the Code Council’s global building safety mission and vision.

A source of best practices

The relationship between the International Code Council and SASO has continued to deepen over the years to the benefit of both. Along with Dr. Alkasabi’s work with SASO, he is on the board of directors for the International Standardization Organization, the Standards and Metrology Institute of Islamic Countries, the Saudi Accreditation Center, and the Education & Training Evaluation Commission, to name a few.

When asked about the ICC Global Award honors, Dr. Alkasabi said, “This was a great surprise to me. I believe that this recognition by ICC will help other countries emphasize the importance of building codes development. It also reflects the level of cooperation between ICC and SASO.”

The International Code Council congratulates His Excellency Dr. Saad bin Othman Alkasabi as the recipient of its 2022 ICC Global Award.

View past recipients of the ICC Global Award.

Membership Councils make a difference

The Membership Councils of the International Code Council offer members a place to come together and be a more powerful force shaping your association, your industry, your career and your future. The Code Council Board of Directors offers six discipline-specific Membership Councils — the Building Membership Council, Fire Service Membership Council, PMG Membership Council, Sustainability Membership Council, ICC Global Membership Council, and Emerging Leaders Membership Council — that each serve to take your membership and profession to the next level. Share your expertise, voice and vision with your peers.

Learn more about International Code Council Membership Councils.