Dubai Municipality Future of Construction Legathon 2026

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 24 September 2026: Dubai Municipality has organised the first Future of Construction Legathon at Emirates Towers, bringing together government entities, industry stakeholders, innovators and specialists to examine regulatory and legislative challenges arising from the adoption of emerging construction technologies in Dubai.

The event provided a platform for participants to examine specific regulatory challenges and develop practical approaches that can support innovation while maintaining effective governance and compliance. Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between government entities and the private sector, expanding industry participation in the development of future building regulations and licensing requirements, and exploring ways for regulation to keep pace with technological developments.

The Future of Construction Legathon is part of Dubai Municipality’s efforts to strengthen compliance and governance while supporting the continued development of an agile and future-ready construction sector.

The event also saw the signing of a cooperation agreement between Dubai Municipality and Dubai Future Foundation, establishing a framework for collaboration in the building and construction sector. The agreement aims to accelerate innovation through regulatory experimentation under Sandbox Dubai.

As part of the agreement, the two entities will initially work together through the Smart Built Environment sandbox group, with the possibility of expanding cooperation into other mutually agreed areas. The partnership will facilitate regulatory and innovation experiments, knowledge exchange and the testing of new approaches within Dubai’s construction sector.

The two entities will jointly support the design and implementation of experimental use cases, including setting objectives, success indicators and evaluation criteria. Dubai Municipality will coordinate with relevant technical departments and establish the requirements and controls needed to assess construction technologies and pilot projects. Dubai Future Foundation will support coordination and documentation through the Sandbox Dubai platform.

The evidence and lessons generated through these experiments will be analysed to support future policy recommendations and regulatory frameworks. Where solutions are successfully validated, the two entities will also assess opportunities for wider adoption or replication across Dubai.

Eng. Maryam Al Muhairi, CEO of the Buildings Regulation and Permits Agency at Dubai Municipality, said: “The Future of Construction Legathon reflects our approach to developing a regulatory environment that evolves alongside the technologies shaping the future of the construction sector. The objective is to create clearer pathways through which new ideas and technologies can be examined, tested and evaluated while maintaining strong standards of governance and compliance.”

She added: “Through the Legathon and our cooperation with Dubai Future Foundation, we are bringing regulatory, technical and industry expertise together around real challenges and creating a stronger evidence base for future decision-making. This will help us develop more agile regulatory approaches that enable innovation and support a more efficient and future-ready construction ecosystem in Dubai.”

Khalifa Al Qama, Chief of Research, Development and Innovation at Dubai Future Foundation, said: “The future of construction will shape the future of our cities, economies and communities. As Dubai continues to grow, our regulatory frameworks must evolve with the same ambition and agility, creating the conditions for new ideas to move from possibility to real-world impact.”

He added: “This partnership reflects Dubai’s proactive approach to anticipating change and shaping it through collaboration. By bringing government and industry together, we are building a model that enables innovation, strengthens future readiness and supports Dubai’s position as a global testbed for the technologies that will define tomorrow’s cities.”

The cooperation will also strengthen engagement with innovators, start-ups, scale-ups and local and international technology providers. The two entities will work to create channels for new technologies, products and business models to be demonstrated, tested and assessed, while connecting innovators with relevant government and industry stakeholders.

The partnership will also include workshops, training programmes and knowledge-sharing initiatives aimed at strengthening institutional capabilities in the regulation and adoption of innovative construction technologies and related market practices.

The initiative forms part of Dubai Municipality’s wider efforts to develop a construction ecosystem that brings together effective regulation, innovation, sustainability and future readiness.