Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi receiving a memento from Dr Yousef Alhorr, Founder Chairman GORD, Qatar (right) at the Sustainability Summit in Ritz Carlton Doha yesterday. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
DOHA: The cities developed by Qatar in accordance with sustainability standards following the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) have exceeded one billion square feet (sqft), said Dr Yousef Al Horr, Chairman of the Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD).
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of 5th Sustainability Summit yesterday, Al Horr said: “The development of individual buildings in Qatar according to the same criteria exceeded 150 million square feet.”
He said that the cities that have been recently developed in a sustainable manner included Lusail City, which exceeded half a billion square feet, in addition to the new economic cities, which constitute a total of more than 100 million square feet.
“All buildings applied the criteria of sustainability in terms of the infrastructure aspects and the provision of services and green spaces required,” he added.
Speaking about the cost of buildings that apply sustainability standards, Al Horr pointed out that its capital costs, which are not more than 10 percent higher than their traditional counterparts, will be compensated by savings in lower operating costs such as maintenance and energy savings.
He added that the sustainable buildings are 30 percent energy efficient and reduce water consumption up to 40 percent.
On his part, Executive Director of Competition Venues at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Othman Zarzour said: “Together with our main tournament delivery partners, FIFA and the Local Organizing Committee, we will be publishing the first ever jointly developed FIFA World Cup Sustainability Strategy later this year.”
He added that the purpose of the Sustainability Strategy is to maximize the sustainability of the preparation, staging, and post-tournament activities of the 2022 FIFA World Cup by fulfilling our obligations, managing risks and leveraging opportunities related to peoples rights and wellbeing, economic development and environmental protection.
Zarzour added: “In fact, we are nearing completion of Al Wakrah and Al Bayt stadiums, and both are reaching the 5 star GSAS Construction Management certification level.”
Program Officer & Acting Deputy Regional Director UN Environment, Abdul Majeid Haddad, said that research, innovation and technology development “are the drivers for the transformation we need for our systems in all spheres of sustainability.” “The UN Environment is looking forward to further collaboration with GORD through the Memorandum of Understanding that will be signed between both organization during this Summit,” he said.
