Gulf's 'capital of green'

Assessment of green building in Qatar: the Gulf's 'capital of green'?

June 25 2012 - Introduction

Following the announcement that Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the country has witnessed remarkable growth in the construction sector. Qatar has revealed that the cost of the projects being undertaken in anticipation of the event is estimated to be over $250 billion.(1) These projects include:

a deep-water seaport ($5.5 billion);
a national railway project ($42.9 billion);
the new Doha International Airport ($7 billion);
the Qatar North Gas Field Development ($20 billion); and
ongoing projects that are currently under construction, such as the $14 billion Pearl-Qatar real estate development.(2)

With this expected growth in mind, Qatar has introduced important legislative changes, including the launch of the Qatar Construction Standards 2010 (QCS 2010), which supersede the Qatar National Construction Standards 2007 (QCS 2007). The QCS 2010 introduce a new Green Building Code. Moving to sustainable construction practices may initially result in higher costs, but may also enhance the country's environmental credentials and attractiveness for companies seeking to play a major part in Qatar's forecasted growth.

Purpose of Green Building Code

The purpose of the Green Building Code is to create a sustainable building environment that minimises ecological impact, while addressing the specific regional needs and environment of Qatar. Its stated purpose is the promotion of "environmentally and economically sound design and development techniques in order to design buildings and infrastructure that are sustainable, healthy and affordable."(3) The Green Building Code places emphasis both on technical issues, such as "materials, building components, construction technologies and energy related design concepts,"(4) and on non-technical issues, such as "economic, social sustainability and cultural heritage aspects."(5)

Compliance

The Green Building Code incorporates a sustainability assessment system known as the Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS). The QSAS is divided into eight sustainable categories and sets of criteria, each with a direct impact on environmental stress mitigation.(6) Each of the eight categories consists of certain environment-related factors, as follows: read more>>>