News

United Development Company (UDC) a leading Qatari public shareholding company and the master developer of The Pearl and Gewan Islands, received the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) Operations Certificate with GOLD rating for its headquarters, UDC Tower.

This makes it the first building in The Pearl Island to receive GSAS Operations certificate from the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD), for meeting sustainability and environmental best standards. At the same time, it is the first GSAS-certified project to demonstrate full indoor air quality compliance which qualifies it as a healthy building.

Commenting on this achievement, Mr. Ibrahim Jassim Al-Othman, UDC President, CEO and Member of The Board, said, “UDC has been making diligent efforts to minimize our impact on the environment by reducing the average carbon footprint per employee as well as energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. This certification is therefore a step closer to achieving operational excellence, of which environmental sustainability is an inherent component. We finally hope this important milestone will contribute to making our business more sustainable, as we actively seek to continue improving our sustainability performance and rating.”

Reflecting on UDC’s efforts, Dr. Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of GORD, said, “UDC’s commitment to environmental excellence has been evident from the outset. Housing the largest district cooling plant in the world, The Pearl Island has already set a precedent in sustainable building practices and energy optimization. By receiving GSAS Operations, UDC is now pushing the limit to further reverse the effects of climate change resulting from our urban developments. We congratulate UDC for achieving GSAS GOLD rating and hope to see more projects benefiting from the GSAS framework.”

Located in The Pearl Island’s Abraj Quartier precinct which consists of seven towers, UDC Tower covers a built-up area of 114,740 sqm and is one of the two gateway towers strategically positioned to make an iconic entrance to the Island. Upon completing necessary audits by sustainability experts from GSAS Trust, the project attained GSAS-OP GOLD rating, signifying that it meets GSAS’ stringent standards to minimize the carbon emissions resulting from building operations.

Being one of the tallest structures in The Pearl Island, the 42-storey building is a high-end office complex equipped with state-of-the-art amenities that include a health club, restaurants and eight-floor podium parking space connected to the tower. To ensure sustainable operations across these facilities, the project benefits from district cooling technology which compared to conventional cooling, delivers significant energy savings.

UDC’s efforts towards climate action extend beyond the scope of its recently certified headquarters. As part of its corporate commitment, UDC has implemented company-wide measures aimed at environmental protection. For instance, all projects managed and operated by UDC are equipped with ecofriendly technologies to minimize their energy footprint. Within the community, regular awareness campaigns are conducted to educate residents on ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Similarly, UDC has mechanisms in place to ensure waste segregation at source while also promoting recycling and environmentally friendly processes and packaging.

Following the successful GSAS certification of UDC Tower, UDC has expressed plans to obtain GSAS-OP for more projects within The Pearl Island.