Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) awards Doha Festival City Mall the GSAS Design & Build (3) STAR Certification, recognizing the mall’s commitment to sustainable development and further adding to the mall’s list of achievements this year.

Home to more than 100s of international and local brands, Doha Festival City Mall is the first mall in Qatar to be awarded the GSAS Design & Build Certification (3) STAR rating. The mall is one of the largest and most popular entertainment and shopping destinations in Qatar, offering a wide array of exciting and comfortable shopping and leisure experiences for the whole family.

With the installation of GSAS sustainability plaque, a five-years quest to develop, open and fully leased DFC mall has been attained in Doha, Qatar. This achievement adds to Doha Festival City’s commitment to be a “sustainable mall” and further contributes to the mall’s list of achievements over the past year.

Commenting on this milestone Mr. Kareem Shamma, CEO, Bawabat Al-Shamal Real Estate Company, the owners and developers of Doha Festival City project, said:

We have strived to implement ecologically responsible measures throughout our project with the main aim to help protect the environment as we have the community’s best interest in mind. Being recognized by GORD with GSAS Design & Build (3) STAR rating is a welcome recognition for our commitment towards sustainable solutions, as we thrive to deliver in the future environmentally-conscious solutions wherever possible for the wellbeing of today and tomorrow’s generations.

Doha Festival City is the first mall in Qatar to achieve GSAS Design & Build (3) STAR Certification. As a recognized leader in sustainable developments, we are unwavering in our commitment to delivering green strategies as we feel this is our duty to give back to the community.

Dr Yousef Alhorr, GORD’s founding chairman, said,

Adopting the GSAS-D&B Certification help buildings owners and operators to optimize energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve indoor environmental quality, enhance human comfort and wellbeing, improve occupant productivity and reduce operation and maintenance expenses.

At DFC Mall, tenants embraced the opportunity to save energy, water and, of course, money and we are excited to share this success story with others.

A few of the design elements contributing to GSAS-D&B certification include;

1. Sustainable infrastructure through use of efficient, user-friendly pedestrians’ pathways providing direct access to the project entrances, which are adequately lit for the safety measures
2. Project demonstrates strategy for filtering, collecting and treating storm and sanitary water to avoid contamination of public sewer and waterway contamination.
3. Project encourages native/adaptive vegetation for landscaping.
4. Shading is envisaged for the common areas through natural and artificial devices.
5. A comprehensive Rainwater Management Plan to minimize the amount of rainwater entering storm sewers.
6. Strategies to ensure the heat islands effect stays within the threshold by incorporating high solar reflectance materials for the building external facades and roof areas.
7. Energy: Up to 30% energy saving by complying to GSAS requirements, Project incorporates energy efficient glazing, Energy saving cooling system, Variable frequency drives for Air Handling units (Fans), Energy recovery systems, Low lighting power intensity with LEDs, Total lighting management system
8. Water: Up to 40% Water savings by complying to GSAS standards, incorporates Dual flush toilets, Low flow urinals, Low flow faucets with sensors, Native and Adaptive vegetation, TSE water for irrigation use, efficient irrigation system.
9. Thermally comfortable environment to ensure the comfort and health of building occupants by complying to requirements of GSAS for Indoor temperature, Relative humidity and Air speed.
10. Effective mechanical ventilation to ensure occupant comfort, Indoor-air quality health & wellbeing.
11. Strategy to control all airborne contaminants from Indoor chemical and pollutant sources to ensure indoor air quality, Health & Wellbeing.
12. The project maximized the percentage of construction expenditure for goods and services originating from the National Economy
13. The project envisages the use of intelligent Building Control systems to monitor and control building systems for efficient management of the various facilities
14. Regionally extracted and manufactured buildings elements and materials incorporating recycled materials.

Developed by the Gulf Organization for Research and Development, the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) is first performance-based assessment system in the MENA region developed for rating the green buildings and infrastructure. The system was primarily established to consider the specific needs and unique environmental elements of the region and contribute to the creation of a sustainable built environment.