DHA Gandhara (DHA Phase 9 Islamabad)
House Design and Construction in DHA Gandhara
DHA Gandhara is the DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi scheme commonly referred to as DHA Phase 9 Islamabad. Building approval needs a site plan and possession documents for the plot, and as at 11 September 2026 we have not found a DHAI-R possession notice for any part of Gandhara.
Avenir Developments works with Gandhara owners in two stages: settling the brief, budget and programme while possession is awaited, then site review, design, DHAI-R submission and construction once a site plan is issued.
Page updated 11 September 2026
- Authority
- DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi (DHAI-R)
- Building rules
- DHAI-R Revised Byelaws and Regulations 2022, updated 2023, unless Gandhara-specific controls are issued
- Possession
- No DHAI-R possession notice found, checked 11 September 2026
What is on record about DHA Gandhara, and what is only reported
Most of what circulates about Gandhara comes from property marketing, and it disagrees with itself. Listings give the land area as anything from 26,000 to 32,500 kanals, date the launch to April 2025 or to August 2026, and do not agree on where the scheme sits. Before design money is spent, separate what DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi has put on record from what is being repeated.
Of the seven basic questions below, DHAI-R has put two on record, one in part, and four in no document we could retrieve.
| Question | On record | Circulating, not verified |
|---|---|---|
| Who is behind itPartly on record | DHAI-R announced it would unveil Gandhara at its Property Expo on 29 and 30 September 2024 and described it as primarily residential, as reported by Zameen News from DHAI-R's official Facebook page. | Named master planners and development partners, including Surbana Jurong, Habib Rafiq and the Army Welfare Trust. We have not found a DHAI-R document setting out these roles. |
| NameOn record | Gandhara is the name DHAI-R used for the unveiling. | DHA Phase 9 Islamabad, Gandhara City and DHA Rawalpindi Phase 9 are all in use. None of them refers to DHA Phase 9 Prism in Lahore. |
| LocationNot on record | Not set out in any DHAI-R document we could retrieve. | Most listings place it on the M-2 Motorway corridor beside Capital Smart City, near the Rawalpindi Ring Road. Others place it somewhere else entirely. |
| Land areaNot on record | No DHAI-R figure found. | Figures from 26,000 to 32,500 kanals, with some listings describing a first Lake District phase of about 32,000 kanals. |
| Plot sizesNot on record | No DHAI-R schedule found. | 1 Kanal files are the most widely marketed. 5 Marla, 10 Marla and commercial plots are also mentioned. |
| Ballot and possessionNot on record | No DHAI-R ballot result or possession notice found as at 11 September 2026. | Launch dates of April 2025 and August 2026, and land-provider (LP) files sold ahead of any ballot. |
| Building rulesOn record | DHAI-R's byelaws extend to its specified and notified area (reg. 1.1.2). No Gandhara-specific building controls found. | Brochure descriptions of riverfront, hillside and golf-facing residences, which point to distinct plot categories. |
On record in a DHAI-R sourceReported in marketing, not verified
If a seller, an agent or a design firm tells you something about Gandhara that is not in a DHAI-R document, ask to see the document. That applies to us too. DHAI-R's sales line is +92 51 111 555 400.
Sources: Zameen News, 26 September 2024; DHAI-R byelaws; DHAI-R official website, checked 11 September 2026.
What is worth doing at each stage of a Gandhara plot
A house is designed for one plot: its dimensions, its road, its levels, and the gate, manhole and water point positions that DHAI-R marks on the site plan (reg. 6.3.2). Until those exist, drawings are guesses. What is worth paying for changes as the plot moves through four stages.
- Gandhara today: no ballot or possession notice found as at 11 September 2026
Booking, allotment or file
What you knowYour plot category and not much else.
Worth doing nowWrite the brief: who will live there, the rooms you need, how you entertain, the specification you expect and the total budget you can fund.
Wait onFloor plans and elevations. There is no road, orientation or level to design to.
Our roleA brief and budget conversation, with a covered area and cost range for your plot category.
Ballot result with a plot number
What you knowPlot size, sector and position on the layout plan.
Worth doing nowDevelop the brief against the plot's likely orientation and street position, and set an outline programme.
Wait onPaid design. Dimensions and service positions are only fixed when the site plan is issued.
Our roleBrief development and programme. Paid design does not start until the site plan exists.
Site plan issued
What you knowDimensions, road, and the gate, manhole and water point positions (reg. 6.3.2).
Worth doing nowLevel survey, soil investigation with at least two boreholes (reg. 8.4.1), concept design, structural and MEP coordination, and the submission set. The byelaws link possession documents to a DPC-level check of the boundary wall (reg. 6.3.3), so confirm the sequence DHAI-R is applying in Gandhara before anyone is mobilised.
Wait onExcavation for the house itself, which needs approved drawings and demarcation.
Our roleArchitecture, engineering coordination and the DHAI-R submission.
Approved drawings
What you knowEverything needed to build.
Worth doing nowConstruction demarcation with the inspection chart (reg. 8.13), a DHA-registered contractor (reg. 7.27) and a start date clear of the monsoon restrictions (reg. 8.19).
Wait onNothing. Approval lapses if construction has not started within three months (reg. 8.9).
Our roleConstruction from grey structure to turnkey, or Design + Build under one agreement.
Send us your stage and we will tell you what is worth doing now and what should wait.
The building rules a Gandhara house will be designed to
House construction across DHA Islamabad and DHA Rawalpindi is governed by the DHA Islamabad and DHA Rawalpindi Revised Byelaws and Regulations 2022, updated in 2023. They extend to the Authority's specified and notified area (reg. 1.1.2), and DHAI-R may amend them at any time (reg. 1.1.4). A Gandhara plot starts from these rules unless DHAI-R issues controls for the scheme.
That qualification matters. The same byelaws already carry a separate construction standard for the Emaar community (reg. 8.76). A scheme marketed with riverfront, hillside and golf-facing plot categories could receive standards of its own, so confirm the controls for your plot category before a concept is fixed.
- Regulation8.56.2
Two storeys, counted from the road
Ground and first floor are permitted, with storeys counted from the reference street or road.
- Regulations1.2.35 and 8.56.3
37 feet, measured from the road crown
Maximum height, including the water tank and mumty, is 37 feet from the reference point, and building height is measured from the crown of the front approach road. A further foot may be allowed in exceptional cases, on payment and approval.
- Regulations1.2.14 and 8.51
Below road level means basement
A basement is a structure wholly or partly below natural ground level or approach road level, so a lower floor on a plot that falls away from its road is a basement by definition.
- Regulation1.2.42
Plinth set from the finished road
Plinth is measured from the top of the finished road surface at the centre of the plot frontage. Where a street's final surface is not yet laid, confirm the reference level with Building Control before floor levels are fixed.
- Regulations8.54 and 8.54.7.2
Coverage falls as plots grow
Covered area and setbacks follow the plot-size table in regulation 8.54. On 1 Kanal and larger plots, the front setback can be relaxed by up to 2 feet on payment of DHAI-R's charges.
Not DHA Lahore, and not Phase 9 Prism
DHA Lahore's April 2026 regulations allow a residential height of 39 feet. DHAI-R's limit is 37 feet, so figures from Lahore guides do not transfer. DHA Phase 9 Prism is a Lahore scheme under a different authority, covered on our DHA Phase 9 Prism page and our DHA Lahore byelaws guide.
Source: DHA Islamabad and DHA Rawalpindi Revised Byelaws and Regulations 2022, updated 2023, published by DHAI-R. Checked 11 September 2026.
Not sure which stage your Gandhara plot is at?
Send us what you hold: a booking receipt, an allotment letter, a ballot result or a site plan. We will tell you what can be done now, what should wait and what to ask DHAI-R.
Your Gandhara plot in section: where the rules measure from
DHAI-R measures height, storeys and plinth from the front road, not from the ground your house stands on. On a plot that falls away below its road or rises above it, that one reference decides how much house fits and where it goes. Choose your plot's condition to see how the byelaws read.
Measured by the byelawsConsequence to confirm for your plot
If the plot falls away below the road
Reference point. Height is measured from the crown of the front approach road, not from the ground your house stands on.
Regs. 1.2.35 and 8.56.337 feet maximum, including the water tank and mumty. One further foot may be allowed in exceptional cases, on payment and approval.
Reg. 8.56.3Two storeys, ground and first, counted from the reference road.
Reg. 8.56.2Plinth is measured from the top of the finished road surface at the centre of the plot frontage.
Reg. 1.2.42A floor partly below approach road level is a basement by definition, so the basement provisions apply. Designed well, it opens onto a lower garden.
Regs. 1.2.14 and 8.51- Confirm with Building Control
Measured from its own lower ground, the garden side can stand taller than 37 feet. How this applies to your plot is for Building Control to confirm.
Regs. 1.2.35 and 8.65 A retaining wall where your plot sits above the one behind, with seepage treatment shown on the submission drawings.
Regs. 8.18 and 8.64If that lower neighbour is already built, excavation keeps a 5-foot safety distance and follows the approved excavation plan.
Reg. 8.21.1
If the plot rises above the road
Reference point. The crown of the front road stays the reference however high your plot sits.
Regs. 1.2.35 and 8.56.337 feet maximum, still counted from the road crown and including the water tank and mumty.
Reg. 8.56.3- Confirm with Building Control
A ground floor set well above the road uses part of that 37 feet before the first room is built. Confirm how the provisions for plots at different levels apply before floor heights are fixed.
Regs. 1.2.35 and 8.65 Plinth is referenced to the finished road, so steps, ramp and gate absorb the level difference and belong in the first concept.
Reg. 1.2.42The road-side boundary wall must be complete to DPC level and checked before the main building starts.
Reg. 7.19Water trapped against the higher plot behind drains through a 6-inch pipe in your wall, noted on the drawing as temporary. Seepage treatment is shown on the submission drawings.
Regs. 8.20 and 8.18
On either kind of plot
- At least two boreholes before structural design (reg. 8.4.1). On a slope, where they go matters as much as how deep.
- No blasting anywhere in DHA (reg. 8.26). If the soil investigation finds rock, budget for slower mechanical excavation.
- Levelling and protective works inside the plot line are the owner's, not DHAI-R's (reg. 8.17).
Source: DHA Islamabad and DHA Rawalpindi Revised Byelaws and Regulations 2022, updated 2023. The byelaws carry further provisions for adjacent plots at different levels (reg. 8.65), and DHAI-R may issue Gandhara-specific controls. Checked 11 September 2026.
Building on a Gandhara street with no neighbours yet
Every house started in Gandhara's early years will go up on a street with few or no built neighbours. That changes the order of work, the site set-up and the budget in ways owners in established phases rarely meet.
The boundary wall comes first
The main building cannot start until the whole road-side boundary wall is complete to DPC level and checked by DHA (reg. 7.19). With no neighbouring walls, the full boundary is yours to build and pay for.
Water and power follow demarcation
The Project Director's office provides a water connection, and allows the electricity application, only after demarcation (reg. 8.16). Curing water and site power need a plan for the gap.
Materials arrive before digging
Excavation cannot begin until cement, steel, sand, crush and bricks are on site (reg. 7.7). On a street far from established supply, procurement lead time sets the start date.
The store plot is assigned
DHAI-R formally provides a store plot or space after demarcation, and occupying any other plot counts as encroachment (reg. 8.14). On an empty street it is an easy rule to break without noticing.
Registered contractors only
Construction must be carried out by a contractor registered with DHA, with registration renewed every year (regs. 7.27 and 8.11). Building it yourself needs Security Directorate permission.
No houses to read levels from
In an established phase, floor levels can be checked against the houses either side. On an early Gandhara street they come from the survey and the reference road, which is why the plinth question matters.
These are the costs a per-square-foot rate does not carry: boundary wall length, retaining structures, excavation in hard ground, temporary water and power, and security for materials on an open site. Price them into the bill of quantities from the start. For current rates, use our house construction cost guide and construction cost calculators rather than any figure quoted before drawings exist.
Three rules that set the programme once possession arrives
Owners waiting on Gandhara tend to think about timing in terms of possession. Once possession arrives, three provisions in DHAI-R's byelaws decide when a house can actually start and how long it has to finish.
Approved drawings last three months
An approved submission drawing is valid for three months. If construction has not started by then, it must be revalidated on payment. Seek approval when funding and a contractor are ready, not before.
Reg. 8.9The monsoon closes the ground
No excavation is allowed in the monsoon. Demarcation stops about a week before it begins, around 15 July, and demarcations on sites where work has not started are cancelled and must be redone afterwards. An approval in June can cost you the season.
Reg. 8.19Three years to complete
The house must be completed within three years of building plan approval, with a penalty under DHAI-R policy if it is not completed or occupied in that time.
Reg. 8.31.1
Planning around the monsoon
Monsoon season, typically July to September: no excavation (reg. 8.19)Around 15 July: demarcation stops
Time approval so excavation starts outside the monsoon. Confirm the dates DHAI-R is applying before you fix a start; the season shown is the typical pattern in the twin cities.
DHAI-R's stated scrutiny time is 15 working days to approve drawings or return them with observations, and 15 working days after each resubmission (regs. 8.7.2 and 8.7.3). The practical sequence is to use the waiting period for the brief and budget, move quickly from site plan to submission, and time the approval so excavation starts well clear of the monsoon.
Use the wait to get the brief right
The months before possession are the cheapest time to decide how you want to live, what you will spend and what the house must include. Tell us your plot category and household, and we will start the brief with you.
How Avenir Developments works on DHA Gandhara projects
Avenir Developments is an architecture, interior design and construction firm with an Islamabad office at 101 Luxus Mall, Gulberg Greens. For Gandhara plots we provide architectural design and DHAI-R submission drawings, and we deliver construction in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The scope and site coverage for each project are confirmed in writing before appointment.
| Service | What it covers on a Gandhara plot | When it starts |
|---|---|---|
| Brief and budget planning | Household brief, specification level, and a covered area and cost range for your plot category | Now, at any stage |
| Architecture and DHAI-R submission | Level survey review, concept, elevations, working drawings and the submission set required by regulation 8.6 | When the site plan is issued |
| Structural and MEP coordination | Structure designed from the soil report, retaining structures where levels demand them, and services coordinated with the architecture | With the concept |
| Construction | Boundary wall, grey structure, finishing and turnkey delivery, inspected against DHAI-R's inspection chart | After approval and demarcation |
| Design + Build | Design, approval, engineering, bill of quantities and construction under one agreement | From brief to handover |
| Interior design | Space planning, kitchens, wardrobes, lighting and finishes resolved before execution drawings | With working drawings |
| 3D visualisation | Views and walk-throughs for owners approving from a distance | At concept and before finishes |
Most Gandhara files marketed so far are 1 Kanal. Plot-size design guidance is on our 1 Kanal house design page, with equivalents for 10 Marla and 5 Marla plots.
NORA Residences is Avenir's project in Islamabad. No firm can show a completed private house in Gandhara before possession has opened, so treat any such claim as a question: ask for the plot number and the date DHAI-R approved the drawings.
Holding a Gandhara file from overseas
Gandhara files have been widely marketed to overseas Pakistanis. For an owner abroad, the difficult part is rarely the design. It is having decisions, signatures and funds ready in the short windows the byelaws allow.
- Decide who acts for you.
DHAI-R deals with attorney holders and charges separately for general and special powers of attorney (reg. 3.13). Put the arrangement in place before possession opens.
- Plan decisions around the three timing rules above.
A three-month approval validity and the monsoon excavation restriction leave little room for approvals that wait on a visit home.
- Approve from drawings, not renders.
Visualisation helps you judge a design, but the submission set is what DHAI-R approves and what the contractor builds from.
Read how overseas clients work with us, and the project controls set out on our DHA Islamabad page.
Five early mistakes we expect to see in DHA Gandhara
Paying for a house design before there is a plot number
A design drawn to a brochure plot has no road, orientation, levels or service positions, and most of it will be redrawn once the site plan arrives.
Designing to another scheme's rules
DHA Lahore allows 39 feet; DHAI-R allows 37. Neighbouring private societies publish their own controls again. Design to DHAI-R's byelaws and to any Gandhara-specific controls DHAI-R issues.
Getting approval before the money and contractor are ready
Approval lapses after three months without a start (reg. 8.9), and the three-year completion period runs from approval (reg. 8.31.1).
Assuming DHAI-R will level the plot
Ditches, mounds and seepage inside the plot line are the owner's responsibility (reg. 8.17). On a sloping plot, retaining walls can become a major line in the budget.
Fixing floor levels before the reference road is final
Plinth is measured from the finished road surface (reg. 1.2.42). On an early street, confirm the reference level with Building Control before the ground floor is set.
Have a site plan, or expect one soon?
Send the site plan or ballot details with your plot size. We will come back with the questions your plot raises on levels, orientation, soil investigation, basement potential and programme, before any drawing is priced.
DHA Gandhara: questions owners ask
Is DHA Gandhara the same as DHA Phase 9 Islamabad?
Yes. DHA Gandhara is the DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi scheme commonly referred to as DHA Phase 9 Islamabad, and sometimes as Gandhara City. It is a different place from DHA Phase 9 Prism in Lahore, which falls under DHA Lahore and a separate set of building regulations.
Can I build a house in DHA Gandhara now?
Not yet, as far as we can establish. A building plan submission in DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi must include the plot's site plan and possession form (reg. 8.6.19), and as at 11 September 2026 we have not found a DHAI-R possession notice for Gandhara. Confirm the current position with DHAI-R, whose sales line is +92 51 111 555 400.
Which building byelaws apply in DHA Gandhara?
The starting point is the DHA Islamabad and DHA Rawalpindi Revised Byelaws and Regulations 2022, updated in 2023, which extend to DHAI-R's specified and notified area. DHAI-R already publishes a separate construction standard for the Emaar community within those byelaws, so Gandhara plot categories may receive specific controls. Confirm what applies to your plot category before a concept is fixed.
How high can I build on a Gandhara plot?
Under DHAI-R's current byelaws, a house may have two storeys, ground and first, counted from the reference road, and a maximum height of 37 feet including the water tank and mumty, measured from the reference point (regs. 8.56.2 and 8.56.3). Up to one further foot may be allowed in exceptional cases on payment and approval. Confirm whether Gandhara-specific controls change this for your plot category.
Should I get my house designed before possession?
Settle the brief and budget before possession, but do not pay for floor plans or submission drawings until the site plan is issued. A design depends on the plot's dimensions, road, orientation, levels and the gate, manhole and water point positions shown on the site plan, and none of those can be read from a file or booking receipt.
What changes if my Gandhara plot slopes?
Where height and floor levels are measured from, and how a lower floor is treated. Height is measured from the crown of the front road and a floor partly below road level is a basement by definition, so plots above or below their road need levels, drainage, seepage treatment and retaining structures resolved at concept stage (regs. 1.2.14, 1.2.35, 8.18 and 8.20).
Does Avenir Developments build in DHA Gandhara?
Avenir Developments provides architecture and DHAI-R submission drawings for Gandhara plots and delivers construction in Islamabad and Rawalpindi from its office in Gulberg Greens, Islamabad. Construction on any Gandhara plot can only begin once it has possession and approved drawings, and the scope and site coverage for each project are confirmed in writing before appointment.
I live abroad. What should I arrange before possession opens?
Put a power of attorney in place for whoever will act for you, finish the brief and budget, and plan decisions around the three-month validity of approved drawings and the monsoon excavation restriction. Avenir holds design reviews and drawing approvals online for owners who are abroad.
Related pages
Start with where your Gandhara plot stands
Whatever you hold today, the first useful conversation is about your stage rather than a house plan. Tell us what you have and your plot size, and we will take it from there.
Status and regulatory references checked 11 September 2026.