Kahramaa President Issa Hilal Al Kuwari (second right), opening the ‘Baytna’ Project yesterday. Deputy Group CEO at Barwa Real Estate Co Ahmed Abdullah (right), President of Qatar University Dr Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad, Chief Executive Officer of Msheireb Properties and Chairperson of Qatar Green Building Council Eng Issa M Al Mohannadi (second left), Barwa Chairman Hitmi bin Ali Al Hitmi (third left) and other officials were also present. Kammutty VP
DOHA: Green building concepts in Qatar have got a major boost with opening of the first Passivhaus (Passive house) villa in the country yesterday that claims to consume at least 50 percent less electricity and water compared to a conventional villa.
The villa was built at Barwa City in Mesaimeer, along with a conventional villa under a joint project — Baytna — launched by Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), Kahramaa and Barwa Real Estate Group (BRE) last year.
A passive house (Passivhaus in German) boasts an ultra low energy, super insulated airtight building design that requires little energy for space cooling, reducing its environmental footprint.
The opening ceremony was attended by a large gathering comprising senior officials of the Ministry of Environment, QGBC, Barwa and Kahramaa and representatives of the partnering companies.
Under the Baytna project, two 225 sq m villas were constructed side by side for a comparative study on the benefits of the Passivhaus design in Qatar’s hot and arid climate.
The Passivhaus villa was designed with all the comforts of modern living while consuming at least 50 percent less energy, water and operational carbon dioxide emissions.
“This is a landmark day for Qatar’s construction industry. With the opening of Qatar’s first Case Study Passivhaus, we have paved the way for a more sustainable future for generations to come. By testing energy efficient solutions, we support Qatar’s shift from a carbon economy to a knowledge-based economy in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030”, said QGBC chairman Eng Issa Al Mohannadi.
Eng Ahmed Al Abdulla, Deputy Group CEO at Barwa Real Estate Group, said: “Today our ambitions are translated into actions on the ground; it is a pleasure and a great success for Barwa and all the partners in Baytna to be launching Qatar’s first Passivhaus, a pilot project for more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient real estate around Qatar.”
Work on the project began in August 2012 and construction of the two villas was completed in eight months.
The passivhaus villa cost QR1.74m approximately, about 16 percent more than the cost of the conventional villa, according to Dr Alex Amato, head of Sustainability at QGBC.
“About 10 percent of the cost was only for insulation to stop heat from coming into the interior of the villa. The cost can be further reduced in future projects,” said Amato. The target was to keep the additional capital costs for the Passivhaus within 15 percent to 20 percent over the conventional villa’s costs.
A six month period of testing and commissioning will now commence to compare the villas’ baseline performance without occupants. After this period, the two villas will be occupied by two similarly-sized families, with at least one child, for further monitoring for one year. The two families, to be selected by Barwa, are expected to move into the three-bedroom demos by autumn this year.
Occupants will not be given any prior training on how to minimise energy and water consumption. After a period of monitoring to establish a regular base for energy and water consumption patterns, an intense educational and operational training will be delivered to both families.
The passivhaus villa differs from the conventional villa in a number of features. The former uses cement based plastered walls, acrylic based paint, ceramic flooring, electrical water heaters, standard lights, more cooling, potable water for flushing toilets, standard sanitary ware and one waste bin.
The passivhaus villa has resin flooring with recycled components, less cooling, solar water heater, thermo-plaster insulation, LED lights with lighting control, recycled water irrigation and water retainers, recycled water flushing, low consumption sanitary ware and recycling waste bins and compost for food wastes.
The conventional villa is totally relying on electricity from Kahramaa, while a major part of the energy needs of the passivhaus is met by some 130 solar modules supplied by Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec).
“We still cannot say how much of the electricity requirements can be met by solar power. The idea is to export back the excess electricity to the Kahramaa grid,” said Amato. The Peninsula
