Qatar Green Building Council members at the Qatar Sustainability Expo.
Doha: The UN Climate Change Conference here (COP18/CMP8) has proven a valuable opportunity for Qatar’s green building movement to connect with industry beyond Qatar’s borders and rally support for a new kind of real estate in the Arab world.
Through a variety of activities related to COP18, the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) has mobilised its 160-member network, composed of Qatar’s key green building figures, to raise awareness of the green initiatives in the country, share local insight on green building, and build relationships with the regional and international industry.
On December 2, QGBC joined hands with the World Climate Summit – the largest business, finance and government conference during COP18 – as an industry partner to help facilitate an exchange of knowledge between local industry professionals and international industry figures.
Lee Allen, Chairman of QGBC’s Green Infrastructure Interest Group, offered a local perspective on green infrastructure development at a town hall session titled “Smart Buildings & Cities,” that concluded a discussion on resource efficiency.
He joined top-level representatives from the ICC and the EU Committee of the Regions Environment Commission, and the Catalan Government’s Secretary for the Environment on a panel to discuss how existing and future cities can be made more liveable and resource efficient.
“The connection people have to the outdoors in this region is becoming increasingly distant; our town hall session explored how we can better support reconnecting citizens with the outdoors. I believe landscape architecture and green infrastructure are essential in changing this attitude to benefit the habitat, health and wellbeing of those in Qatar. This was a great opportunity to share lessons learned with the international community from the many regional sustainable projects in which I have been involved,” said Lee Allen.
Eng Meshal Al Shamari, Director of Qatar Green Building Council said: “QGBC has already made significant progress working with partners across a variety of industries in Qatar, and we are keen to share local insights captured with international experts. The World Climate Summit was an important opportunity to connect our valued local members with international business, finance and policy leaders to further the debate on innovative green and sustainable practices.”
Earlier that day, QGBC hosted a meeting for the MENA network of World Green Building Council members, attended by QGBC’s Vice Chairman and local members. The event, held at the Qatar Society of Engineers headquarters located in Katara cultural village, brought together green building industry leaders from seven countries around the region.
“QGBC plays an active role in mentoring new councils joining the WGBC MENA network and we were pleased to host the 2012 MENA Network Meeting and share our experience about creating a green building movement in Qatar. The event was a valuable opportunity to network and explore common regional issues and opportunities for collaborative developments in sustainable building,” added Eng Meshal.
The highlight of the networking event was a workshop on stakeholder participation in green building councils, led by World Green Building Council CEO, Jane Henley.
The event also featured discussions about the MENA Green Building Council Network’s plans for 2013.
In another special event during COP18, the US Green Building Council joined QGBC to discuss the growth of green building design and construction throughout the world on December 3 at the Msheireb Enrichment Centre (MEC).
The visit highlighted the Msheireb Downtown project in Doha, a city which now boasts the fifth greatest number of LEED-registered and certified buildings outside the United States. Stakeholders took part in a guided tour of the MEC, followed by remarks from the Qatar Green Building Council, US Green Building Council, Msheireb Properties and a presentation of new survey findings on world green building trends by McGraw-Hill Construction.
Meanwhile, at the Qatar Sustainability Expo, which complemented the UNFCCC COP18/CMP8, QGBC spent two weeks raising awareness amongst the local community through relevant presentations led by QGBC members, covering topics such as waste water management in Doha’s natural lagoon in Doha West and the impact of landscaping on building practices.
For more information on QGBC’s activities, please visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Qatar-Green-Building-Council/105289276259
The Peninsula
