By Mohammad Shoeb
DOHA: Doha ranked number one in terms of smart building capabilities, across all three categories of ‘Green’, ‘Safe’ and ‘Productive’, among all major cities in the Middle East, a latest survey, which was launched yesterday, has revealed.
The Qatari capital scored 70 points out of 100 in the study, which evaluated 620 buildings across seven major Middle Eastern cities which included Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait City and Riyadh. The average score across the Middle East was 48 out of 100, with Doha scoring 22 points above the regional average, closely followed by Dubai scoring 65 points.
The survey, conducted to prepare ‘Honeywell Smart Building Score’ (Middle East) in partnership with researchers Nielsen and global advisors Ernst & Young, highlights Qatar’s dedication to smart and sustainable development.
The findings of the research suggest that Qatar is well on its way to deliver its smart cities goals in line with its National Vision 2030, and is strongly positioned to lead the way for smart buildings on a global scale, placing Doha as the overall leader for smart buildings in the region.
The results fall in line with the priorities outlined by Qatar’s leadership and the National Development Strategy, and highlights Qatar’s prominent role as one of the most influential countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
“Doha has some of the smartest buildings in the Middle East, and we have found that the country’s 2030 vision and development strategy have created great momentum for smart and sustainable development,” said Norm Gilsdorf, President for Honeywell’s Middle East, Russia and Central Asia regions.
Norm added: “Qatar, as a leader for smart buildings, is a great source of best practice examples in the smart building arena and has experiences that could benefit the entire region.”
The study evaluated a building’s use of 15 technology assets to find out which systems are in place to make the facility green, safe and productive — the three main indicators of smart buildings. The systems’ overall capabilities, coverage of the facility and uptime were then factored in.
According to Honeywell, increased investment in smart building technologies and improving integration between subsystems that manage functions such as energy usage, access control, fire safety and CCTV systems from a single point of access, are key to achieving a higher smart score.
Although 40 percent of buildings in Doha have robust integration between subsystems, about 60 percent were found to have limited or no system integration platforms that can help centralise facility information, streamline processes, and reduce energy and operating costs.
In addition to investment in integration technologies, the Honeywell Smart Building Score found that having strong building codes are key to increasing the “smartness” of a city’s buildings.
Doha’s high scores, according to Honeywell, are also likely explained by the presence of strict building regulations and the enforcement of codes as laid out by the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), as well as early engagement among developers, designers, contractors, technology companies and end users during the building planning phases. The Peninsula
