Sri Lanka to formulate its first National Building Code By Arundathie Abeysinghe
Sri Lanka has embarked on a landmark initiative to establish its first-ever National Building Code of Sri Lanka (NBCSL), an initiative set to transform building safety, quality, sustainability and disaster resilience. The initiative was discussed at a meeting at the Defence Ministry with senior officials of the National Building Research Institute (NBRI), National Planning Department (NPD), Urban Development Authority (UDA) and Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA). The project will be jointly managed by the NBRI, CIDA and UDA in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
The project which was proposed by the NBRI to NPD has been approved for implementation during 2026-2028, while Cabinet approval was granted on October 21, 2025.
Civil Engineers are of the view that “currently, Sri Lanka does not have a single legally established national building code, instead, building design and construction practices are based on a combination of international standards, including the International Building Code, Eurocodes, British Standards, Indian Standards, as well as local regulations and sector-specific requirements. As the use of different standards could result in inconsistencies in building design verification, approvals and enforcement, it is necessary to have a country specific model to address these issues. Thus, the proposed National Building Code is expected to provide a unified framework based on internationally recognised standards, while taking into account, the country’s climatic, geological and environmental conditions. It will cover 10 major technical areas such as structural and fire safety, sustainability and universal accessibility, while also setting out procedures for building permits, inspections, compliance and enforcement.”
“The initiative will focus on clarifying the responsibilities of government institutions and establish uniform approval, inspection and enforcement procedures. Capacity-building programmes for regulators and construction industry professionals will also be a key part of the project. The formulation process will involve government institutions, professional bodies, academia, the construction industry and the public.”
According to senior officials of NBRI “a consultancy firm will be selected through competitive procurement in accordance with National Procurement Agency guidelines and the project will be funded through the Consolidated Fund. The assignment is expected to take 24 months and culminate in the preparation and gazetting of the National Building Code. A national building code is long overdue, and its development marks a significant step towards a safer and more resilient Sri Lanka,”
The necessity for a nationally applicable code is especially significant due to the country’s diverse climatic, geographic and environmental conditions which include natural hazards such as floods, landslides and high winds as the initiative will provide a clear consistent basis for safe design, construction, maintenance and regulatory oversight. The proposed NBCSL aims to amalgamate these requirements together under one national framework, adapted to Sri Lanka’s own conditions, while aligned with internationally recognised best practices.
As revealed by senior officials of Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) “the SEA is empowered by Act No. 35 of 2007 to introduce a Code of Practice for buildings through its Section 36 (2) (f). The compilation was made by a consultant Co-Energi (Pvt) Ltd which was subsequently developed into several modules by SEA assisted by experts in the relevant field. This Code sets forth the requirements for design of new facilities of commercial buildings, industrial facilities which include large-scale housing developments. The building code will minimize potential damages to human lives, property, business continuity, including cost of emergency response by improving the resilience of the built environment.”
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