Santiago. – With the aim of strengthening the technical capabilities of engineering and architecture professionals, the Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVHED), in coordination with the Dominican Society of Structural Engineers (SINEDOM), held the technical workshop “Building Code of the Dominican Republic: structural analysis and design in buildings”.
The event, held in the Centro León auditorium, brought together nearly 200 specialists and was dedicated to delving into the main changes of Volume I of the Dominican Republic Building Code (CDCRD), which establishes the criteria for the structural analysis and design of buildings, minimum loads, seismic design, and foundations.
The new regulatory framework was made official during the administration of the Minister of MIVHED, Víctor “Ito” Bisonó, through Resolution No. 007-2026, issued on April 10, 2026, following an extensive process of public consultations, specialized working groups, and the approval of the National Council of Technical Building Regulations (CONARTED).
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During the opening of the meeting, the Director of Standards and Regulations of the MIVHED, Iliana Gallardo, highlighted the importance of bringing this training process closer to the regions with the highest construction activity and seismic risk.
“This first volume can be considered the heart of the Building Code, due to its direct impact on the safety, stability, and resilience of our structures. Holding this conference in Santiago responds to the high sensitivity and awareness that this city has regarding seismic risk and its outstanding technical community,” he expressed.
For her part, the president of SINEDOM, Maribel Guzmán, valued the MIVHED’s effort to decentralize the training sessions and reiterated the union’s commitment to support the dissemination and implementation of the new regulation throughout the country.
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Specialized presentations
The presentations were given by the technical team of the MIVHED Directorate of Standards and Regulations.
Karla J. Cueto presented the general structure of the Code, its scope, and the criteria established for the transition period toward the new regulations.
Subsequently, Juan José Tavárez explained the main updates related to minimum loads, seismic analysis, and structural design, while Eridania López addressed the new provisions applicable to soil studies and foundation design.
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In addition to the content of Volume I, the MIVHED offered an overview of the five volumes that make up the Building Code of the Dominican Republic, which regulate plumbing, electrical, and mechanical installations, as well as the architectural design criteria that must be applied to buildings in the national territory.
Following the reception of this first session in Santiago, the MIVHED announced that the training program will continue in Santo Domingo and the Eastern region, as part of a national strategy aimed at promoting the correct application of the new Building Code and strengthening a culture of safer, more resilient buildings executed with updated technical criteria.
