On March 13, 2011:  Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP)

Gulf Organization for Research and Development, the Ministry of Environment’s Laboratories and Standardisation Affairs division, Lusail Real Estate Development Company and Chevron Qatar Energy Technology joined hands to discuss a common emerging trend about the environment thanks to this session of QSTP’s TECHtalk series.

This QSTP TECHtalk session, which took place yesterday night at the General Electric Advanced Technology Centre at QSTP between 18:00 and 20:00 pm, focused specifically on emerging solutions to achieve sustainability in the built environment and was moderated by QSTP’s Environment Research Manager, Mr. Mohamad Abdisalam.

For more than 3 years now, the QSTP TECHtalk series has been opening windows of opportunity to explore the latest technology development trends in 4 themed areas: Energy, Environment, Health Science and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). These networking events organised and hosted by Qatar Science & Technology Park, start each event with an expert presentation given by the guest speaker who introduces the audience to the latest developments within a specific chosen topic. The presentation is followed by a panel discussion that dives into the pros, cons and values behind the given topic.

The design, construction and operations of buildings contribute to air pollution, land use and contamination, fossil fuel depletion, water depletion, water pollution, materials depletion, impacts on human health, and climate change. Thus, the built environment has a direct impact on the natural environment, the economy and society, and responsible building practices can mitigate the negative effects of the built environment.

Dr Tidu Maini, Executive Chairman for QSTP, commented, “One of the main criteria used to evaluate the success of a technology development project is examining how it will impact the natural environment in parallel. Initiatives, such as the TECHtalk series, that bring together some of the most influential people to discuss various solutions combining technology, skills and expertise are highly valued as they lay the groundwork for any future development.”

Dr Youssef Al Horr, Founding Chairman of Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) was the main guest speaker at this TECHtalk seminar. He provided an overview of how Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS) has been developed to encourage and promote the design, construction and operation of responsible and sustainable built environments. Each criterion in the system has been carefully developed to measure the environmental, social and economic impact of the project, both regionally and globally.

According to GORD, “The built environment has a direct impact on Qatar’s natural environment, the economy and human health. These aspects can be improved through the way buildings are designed, constructed and operated or in other words adapting to Green building practices. By adopting the QSAS methodology, Qatar will form an economical scene built on the sustainable development requirements such as recycling, energy, and friendly environment material”.

The panellists for this TECHtalks series consisted of: Dr Mohamed bin Saif al-Kuwari Executive Director of the Ministry of Environment’s Laboratories and Standardisation Affairs division, Eng Issa Mohammed Ali Kaldari CEO of Lusail Real Estate Development Company (LREDC), a subsidiary of Qatari Diar and Mr Carl Atallah President of Chevron Qatar Energy Technology,

Dr Mohamed bin Saif al-Kuwari discussed the role that the Ministry of Environment’s Laboratories and Standardisation Affairs division will play when it comes to government adoption of sustainable development. It is essential to look at the steps in construction making sure that the execution phase includes nothing other than environmentally friendly material.

Eng Essa Mohammed Ali Kaldari explained how sustainability is not a slogan at Lusail; it is a living practice.  It ensures that the facilities that are built at Lusail are up to the standard of intelligent designs and creative engineering.   The master Plan for Lusail City has been developed with sustainability embedded in all aspects of the plan right from the land use, to urban design of various districts to the actual building design. As a result, Lusail is a Master planned community that provides sustainable living for its residents, workers and visitors.  He also explained how the Civic Facilities and public buildings in Lusail will also be designed and built to achieve high standards of sustainability with a minimum of 4 star QSAS rating.

Mr Carl Atallah provided a high level overview of how Chevron Qatar Energy Technology itself has increased the energy efficiency of their global operations by 33 percent since 1992. Chevron is sharing this knowledge with Qatar organizations through the $20 mn and is investing in the Center for Sustainable Energy Efficiency and Solar Test Facility at QSTP. He also highlighted the fact that the world will need energy from all sources to meet future needs – traditional fuels, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is the most immediate and cost-effective form of new energy.