Qatar’s Construction Institute set to open next week

Doha: Qatar’s Construction Institute which is aimed at improving the efficiency and productivity in the country’s construction industry, is now in the final stage of registration at the Qatar Financial Centre, and is set to open next week. 

The institute targets construction professionals and academics in Qatar, and will seek to promote the adoption of lean construction in Qatar, leading construction expert Dr Luai Sabek (pictured) who is also the Head of Infrastructure and Landscaping at construction giant Qatari Diar, told The Peninsula on the sidelines of the ongoing The Big 5 Construct Qatar 2019. 

Sabek said the institute will serve the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030, including the directives of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to improve the reliability and delivery of construction projects as well as improve their efficiency.

With construction projects market currently valued at around $75bn, Qatar remains to be one of the leading countries with the highest construction costs in the world. The country has been ranked 11th most expensive place to build construction projects in the world, and has also been ranked first in the forecasts of Arcadis’ International Construction Costs 2018 report on construction industry value and real growth. 

Sabek believes that lean construction, which is a way of designing production systems in a construction environment with the aim of decreasing time, effort, and waste of materials is the way forward to sustain the growth in Qatar’s construction industry. Implementing lean construction ensures that a project is quickly done, and lower costs are incurred during the building process. 

He added: “Construction is the most wasteful industry. Studies have shown that construction projects generate as much as 50 percent construction waste. There is a huge potential for improvement. And more companies in Qatar are now implementing lean construction”. 

Sabek added that adopting lean construction will reduce cost or time of operation in projects by 25-50 percent. Construction quality and productivity will also increase by more than 50 percent. 

“There are now eight ongoing projects with the Public Works Authority (Ashgal) which are implementing lean construction. At Qatari Diar, we have started adopting lean construction in 2008. And we have implemented lean construction in three projects already. Lean principles in general are also being applied in other industries like financial institutions and other organisations. In Qatar, the Qatar National Bank, Doha Bank, Qatar Airways, and the Ministry of Public Health are applying lean principles as well,” added Sabek.