Form &
design language.
A machine-readable rulebook for the built form: 29 parameters — right-of-way, setbacks, frontage, envelope — each with a control type, risk level and decision class, applied across 10 city typologies drawn from the Dubai 2040 plan.
Applicability matrix
typology × parameterBlack = applies · grey = conditional · pale = excluded
Typologies
10| Code | Name | Permit authority |
|---|---|---|
| T01 | Global Metropolitan Core | SPLIT — DM mainland; DDA inside DIFC |
| T02 | Civic & Government Centre | DM |
| T03 | Cultural & Heritage Centre | DM (Architectural Heritage Dept. concurrence) |
| T04 | Innovation & Knowledge Centre | DSOA / DIEZ (free-zone authority, NOT DM) |
| T05 | Residential Community Centre | DM (or relevant free-zone authority by location) |
| T06 | Waterfront Centre | DM; Trakhees in Palm/Port areas |
| T07 | Transit-Oriented Centre | DM + RTA concurrence mandatory |
| T08 | Wellness & Lifestyle Centre | DM |
| T09 | Industrial & Logistics Centre | DM; Trakhees in Jebel Ali; Dubai South authority in DWC |
| T10 | Ecological / Low-Impact Centre | DM Environment Dept. concurrence mandatory |
Control types
6| # | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mandatory fixed |
| 2 | Permitted range |
| 3 | Context-responsive |
| 4 | Performance-based |
| 5 | Prohibited condition |
| 6 | Controlled exception |
Parameters
29| ID | Parameter | Ctrl | Risk | Class | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDL-FX-0001 | Civic Boulevard Right-of-Way | 1 | High | D | DERIVED |
| FDL-FX-0002 | Shaded Pedestrian Width, Civic Boulevard | 1 | High | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-FX-0003 | Strategic View Corridor Protection | 1 | High | D | DERIVED |
| FDL-FX-0004 | Principal Facade Datum | 1 | Medium | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-FX-0005 | Emergency Vehicle Access Envelope | 1 | Critical | E | VERIFIED |
| FDL-RG-0011 | Building Height (design-language overlay) | 2 | Medium | C | MEDIUM |
| FDL-RG-0012 | Ground-Floor Transparency | 2 | Low | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-RG-0013 | Colonnade Depth | 2 | Low | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-RG-0014 | Maximum Uninterrupted Blank Frontage | 2 | Low | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-RG-0015 | Ground-Floor Clear Height | 2 | Low | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-CR-0021 | Solar Orientation Shading Response | 3 | Medium | C | VERIFIED |
| FDL-CR-0022 | Coastal Exposure Material Class | 3 | Medium | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-CR-0023 | Transit Proximity Parking Adjustment | 3 | Medium | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-CR-0024 | Heritage Context Facade Module | 3 | High | D | DERIVED |
| FDL-PB-0041 | Facade Thermal Performance | 4 | Medium | C | VERIFIED |
| FDL-PB-0042 | Primary Pedestrian Shade Coverage | 4 | Medium | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-PB-0043 | Pedestrian Thermal Comfort Index | 4 | Medium | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-PB-0044 | Public Realm Wind Comfort | 4 | High | D | DERIVED |
| FDL-PB-0045 | Landscape Water Demand Efficiency | 4 | Medium | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-PR-0051 | Sidewalk Obstruction by Utility Equipment | 5 | Medium | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-PR-0052 | Encroachment into Emergency Routes | 5 | Critical | E | VERIFIED |
| FDL-PR-0053 | Exposed Rooftop Equipment Visible from Principal Public Space | 5 | Low | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-PR-0054 | Non-Approved Reflective Glass | 5 | Medium | C | VERIFIED |
| FDL-PR-0055 | Discontinuous Accessible Route | 5 | High | D | OPEN |
| FDL-PR-0056 | Unapproved Materials in Heritage Zones | 5 | High | D | DERIVED |
| FDL-PR-0057 | Prohibited Water-Demand Landscape Species | 5 | Medium | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-PR-0058 | Digital Signage Above Approved Luminance | 5 | Medium | C | DERIVED |
| FDL-PR-0059 | Marine and Dark-Sky Lighting Limits | 5 | High | D | DERIVED |
| FDL-EX-0061 | Controlled Exception Record | 6 | High | D | DERIVED |
Parameters flagged envelope_subordinate operate only as a narrowing overlay within the affection-plan envelope. Where the design language is more permissive, the affection plan binds. Where the design language demands more than the affection plan allows, emit a rule conflict and escalate; never resolve by choosing.