HVAC · Electrical · Plumbing · Fire
An MEP design is only as useful as the drawings that carry it to site. Engineers mark up layouts, size ducts and pipes, schedule equipment and sketch risers, and someone then has to turn all of that into clean, coordinated drawings the installer, the consultant and the authority can work from. That is the work this service covers.
We prepare mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection drawings in AutoCAD for MEP contractors, MEP consultants, fit-out contractors and facility managers in Dubai. You can send us your engineer's design and mark-ups to draft, or ask our own engineers to carry out and check the design as well. Either way, you receive editable DWG files and a PDF set, drawn over the correct architectural and structural backgrounds and checked for clashes before issue.
It is worth being clear about where drafting ends and engineering begins, because it affects who is responsible for the drawings.
MEP design is engineering work: heat load and ventilation calculations, sizing ducts, pipes and cables, selecting equipment, preparing DEWA load schedules, designing fire fighting and fire alarm systems to Civil Defence requirements, and taking responsibility for the result. That is covered by our MEP design and approvals service.
MEP drafting turns a design into drawings. The drafter places equipment, routes services, adds sizes, levels and annotations, coordinates with other disciplines and keeps the drawing set consistent through revisions.
We offer both, and the written scope records which applies to your job:
Ductwork layouts with sizes and levels as designed, supply, return and exhaust grilles and diffusers, fan coil units, AHUs and condensing units, chilled water and refrigerant piping routes, kitchen and toilet extract systems, fresh air arrangements and plant room layouts. Where needed, we add schematic diagrams of the air and water systems and equipment schedules taken from the engineer's selections.
Lighting layouts with fitting types and switching, small power and socket layouts, dedicated circuits for equipment, distribution board locations and schedules, cable containment routes, earthing references and single-line diagrams showing how the supply is distributed from the incoming point to each board. For new connections and load changes, these drawings sit alongside the load schedule the engineer prepares for DEWA.
Hot and cold water supply layouts, pipe sizes and isolation valves, water heater and pump positions, soil, waste and vent layouts with falls, floor drains and gully traps, manholes and connections to the external network, rainwater drainage, and riser diagrams for multi-storey buildings.
Sprinkler layouts with head spacing and pipe routes, hose reels and fire extinguisher positions, fire pump and tank arrangements, fire alarm device layouts, and emergency lighting and exit signage positions. These drawings follow the engineer's fire protection design. Where the project needs Civil Defence approval, the drawings are prepared with that submission in mind.
Data and telephone outlets, CCTV camera positions, access control, intercom, public address and similar systems, with containment routes and equipment rack positions.
The most valuable MEP drawings are often the ones that put everything together. In a ceiling void a few hundred millimetres deep, ducts, pipes, sprinkler mains, cable trays and light fittings all compete for the same space, under beams that are deeper than the architect's section suggests.
When we prepare coordinated services drawings, we:
For complex areas, a 3D model in AutoCAD can make clashes easier to see and explain. See 2D and 3D CAD drafting for when that is worth doing.
If you only have PDFs of the backgrounds, we can convert them to CAD first and check the scale before drafting the services over them.
MEP drawings serve different readers at different stages, and the drafting changes with them.
Submission drawings go to authorities such as DEWA or Dubai Civil Defence as part of an approval. They follow that authority's expected content and presentation, carry the engineer's details and must agree with the calculations and schedules submitted alongside them. Where we are appointed for the design, we prepare and submit them; where your engineer is the designer, we draft them to their requirements.
Construction drawings are for the installer. They need clear routes, sizes, levels and references to details, and must be coordinated with the other trades.
Shop drawings come from the contractor's side and show the exact products, supports and installation details for consultant review. We prepare those too; see MEP shop drawings.
As-built drawings record what was installed, often from the contractor's mark-ups at handover; see as-built drawings.
MEP sets tend to drift as revisions pile up: a duct moves on the plan but not in the section, a board schedule no longer matches the layout. Before each issue we check that:
Services drawn on an old background. The architect moved a wall last month, but the MEP drawings still sit on the previous layout. We check the background revision before drafting and again before issue.
Ceiling heights nobody checked. A duct, a sprinkler main and a cable tray each fit on their own drawing, but not together under the beam. Sections through critical areas expose this before installation does.
Board schedules out of step with the layouts. Circuits are added on the plan but not on the schedule, or the other way round. We cross-check circuit references between layouts, schedules and single-line diagrams.
Duplicate or missing equipment tags. Two units labelled FCU-03, or a pump with no tag at all, cause confusion from procurement to commissioning. Tags are checked for uniqueness across the whole set.
Drainage without falls or levels. Plumbing plans that show routes but not invert levels can't be built reliably. Where the engineer provides levels, we show them; where they are missing, they go on the query list.
You get a written quotation that sets out the systems and sheets covered, the revision allowance and the delivery date, before any drafting starts.
Preparing a submission set? See what MEP drawings for approval need to show for DEWA, Civil Defence and the permit.
Both. We can draft from your engineer's design, with your engineer remaining responsible for it, or our engineers can carry out and check the design. The scope states which route applies.
Yes. Marked-up PDFs and printed sets are a common starting point. Where a mark-up is unclear, we raise a query rather than guess.
Yes. We overlay HVAC, plumbing, drainage, fire and electrical services on combined plans, cut sections through congested areas and list clashes with suggested resolutions.
Yes. We prepare MEP shop drawings from the approved design for consultant review, including supports, levels and equipment details. See our shop drawing service.
Yes, following the fire protection engineer's design. Where Civil Defence approval is needed, the drawings are prepared to suit the submission.
Yes, when they are prepared as part of a design package for that authority. If our engineers are appointed for the design, we prepare and submit the package. If your engineer is the designer, we draft to their submission requirements.
Where it helps, yes. AutoCAD 3D models are useful for congested ceilings, plant rooms and risers. For most areas, coordinated 2D plans and sections are enough.
Current architectural and structural drawings, ideally in DWG. PDFs can be converted to CAD first, with the scale checked.
Each revision is clouded, recorded in the revision table and issued as a full DWG and PDF set, so everyone works from the same version.
It depends on the systems, the floor area and the coordination required. Once we have seen the design input and backgrounds, the delivery date is agreed in the scope.
On this page
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MEP engineering design with DEWA and Civil Defence approval.
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MEP shop drawings from the approved design.
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Fire and life safety approvals and inspections in Dubai.
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LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
Send your engineer's design and backgrounds, and we will draft and coordinate the MEP drawings.
Tell us what you are planning
Tell us which systems need drafting, the floor area and your deadline, and whether the design is complete or you would like our engineers to carry it out. Once we reply, send the mark-ups, equipment schedules and backgrounds.
Use the form below, or message us on WhatsApp for the quickest reply.
