Qatar Green Building Conference 2015 - The Vision

This presentation will include energy audit and energy conservation steps and methods. Energy audit presentation will include step by step energy conservation process. Details on retrofitting (energy saving methods and procedures will be included) which can be implemented to achieve the target energy saving and target reduction in carbon emission.The presentation will include following steps in detail.· Energy consumption will be measured in Electrical (KWH), HVAC (BTU), mechanical (m3) and landscape (m3) fields for specific facility.· After careful analysis of these readings in audit report, site visits will be performed to investigate where energy saving procedures can be implemented.· After implementation of energy saving procedures, monitoring will be done to check all the equipments are working properly.· Energy consumption will be measured again in Electrical (KWH), HVAC (BTU), mechanical (m3) and landscape (m3) and compared to the report developed initially. This report will provide saving achieved by implementing energy saving techniques.

Rapid urbanization in Doha during the past few decades has resulted in the disappearance of traditional neighborhoods that were replaced by modern mega real-estate developments, public buildings and projects. More traditional neighborhoods are threatened to be demolished to allow the construction of new real estate projects due to their land value and strategic locations. The most threatened areas are the ones located in the old city center adjacent to historical sites. There is a need to preserve these environments as they represent stages of Doha’s urban development and history. This paper presents strategies and proposals to preserve and improve one of Doha’s unique traditionally built environments. A group of graduate students from the Masters of Urban Planning and Design program at Qatar University carried out an in-depth study of one of the threatened traditionally built environments in Doha as part of Urban Planning Legislation course requirements. The area, known as Old-Mushaireb, located near the under-construction Msheireb, Downtown Doha and the renovated touristic attraction Souq Waqif, was the residence of many old Qatari families. It has a strategic location in the heart of Doha surrounded by main roads, namely; the A-Ring Road, Wadi Musheireb Street and Abdul Aziz Bin Ahmed Street. It contains large number of traditional houses, and historical and modern buildings. The perimeter of the area is occupied by mixed-use buildings constructed after the discovery of oil. The heart of the area contains a large number of traditional houses occupied by low income migrant workers. Each house is occupied by a large number of individuals with no adequate hygienic nor living conditions. The narrow streets and old fareejs are in a deteriorated condition lacking proper pavement and sewage system. Many buildings are either abandoned, deteriorated or neglected with no proper maintenance. The condition is not acceptable neither for the poor workers nor for the unique traditionally built environment and houses that are deteriorating rapidly and are on the verge of collapsing. The aim of this project was to study the area and introduce legislation to preserve and enhance the quality of the built environment that would consequently enhance the human experience and use of space. The goal was to make the area a national and tourist attraction representing a stage in the physical evolution of the built environment in Doha. Another objective was to ensure a quality experience in an attractive heritage place that would respect all age groups using a sustainable approach. The area was surveyed and documented applying urban planning and design methods and practices. The team members analyzed the area and proposed a preservation and improvement strategy that addresses the following components: 1) historical preservation, 2) safety and security, 3) children, 4) territoriality, 5) senior citizens, 6) walkability and 7) streets and parking. The study provides a model for a comprehensive strategy to retrofit, improve and preserve traditionally built environments that represent important stages of Doha’s urban development.

Sustainable city energy modelling for extreme climate areas such as hot arid climate zones require the knowledge of and the interaction with the territory in order to create a sustainable living for all inhabitants. To achieve this goal in an arid, dry area, we propose to modify buildings and microenvironment to affect, for example, temperatures and air humidity. To reduce energy costs and hence pollution, we need to find solutions that are more natural and capable of reducing energy costs and CO2 emissions, such as 1) the choice of an improved orientation of buildings and of the new urban area in order to reduce solar irradiation and facilitate cooling of buildings through convective air flows, 2) the implementation of green space in order to reduce CO2 emission, regulate air humidity and temperature, and to create a pleasant place to live.The method used is the study of alternative scenarios for settlement principles and built morphology as well as the assessment of energy costs and emissions.The first point that we must take in account for increasing the energy savings is the built morphology: examples are buildings shaped as inverted pyramids with few floors and therefore reducing energy costs and cost of vertical mobility. The shape acts like an umbrella to produce a shadow and allows the creation of green spaces and a pleasant movement through pedestrian focused facilities. The roof can host green spaces for the thermal insulation of the building and solar panels for environmentally friendly production of energy and reflection of solar rays.Floor orientation: the rotation of the various layers/floors allows to distribute the solar irradiation and facilitate the cooling (air-conditioning) of the buildings.Services and facilities for entertainment and recreation are integrated in the buildings. Interstices and green terraces in the building will help the natural air ventilation and create a perfect machine for living.The aggregation of inverted pyramid building types create a more interesting and enjoyable pedestrian and peaceful pathway in the building shadow to reach all available services and facilities housed in the various buildings and in the open space. Finally, the green space on the ground and roof will be useful to reduce the CO2 pollution through photosynthesis providing inhabitants with a high quality of life in a green microclimate.In addition to settlement principles, the built morphology creates comfortable microclimates for the human life.The objective of this research project is to identify a built typology able to define an urban model capable of improving the life of people living under extreme environmental conditions.

Indoor thermal comfort is essential for occupants well-being, productivity and efficiency. Comfort standards state criteria in order to create adequate thermal comfort conditions in buildings. Early on, humans tended to create a thermally neutral environment in which they can feel comfortable to spend the most creative hours of their life. One of the greatest challenges of modern architecture is to create a thermally comfortable environment inside buildings, studying in detail all the factors that contribute to it. Nowadays the aim is also to achieve the preeminent indoor air quality and specifically thermal comfort with the minimum possible energy cost and environmental impact.This paper is a literature review of the thermal comfort requirements based on international standards and occupants behavioral trends with their effect especially on the energy consumption. The study focuses in the warm humid climatic regions particularly the Gulf area where comfort preservation and sustainability of a building could be very challenging. Extremely high temperatures and intense solar radiation are on the rise in this era of climate change and global warming. Thus achieving indoor thermal comfort and reducing energy usage in buildings is becoming increasingly difficult. Passive strategies and bioclimatic techniques may serve well and in combination with the growing environmental awareness of occupants may conclude to a more comfortable and sustainable built environment.

The construction material industry is responsible for approximately 25% of global CO2 emissions associated with material manufacturing in addition to consumption of significant non-renewable natural resources. Leading environmental and energy guidelines and certification bodies therefore promote the reduction of carbon footprint of the building and the use of a high recycling content in the construction materials.The aim of this research is to tackle the issues of natural resources conservation, carbon footprint of construction materials and waste management by producing a renewable construction brick made from micro algae, with almost 100% renewable and recycled content using a very low energy process.Micro-Algae has a higher yield of oil production than terrestrial crops whilst providing no competition for agricultural land and water. It could be cultivated using seawater and solar heat, the most abundant resources on the planet. This research paper will present a holistic approach (patent pending) to produce the algal bricks which comprise of:· The most suitable microalgae species as precursors for the brick manufacturing; · Associated oil yields and characteristics; and · A novel low energy polymerisation process to produce an engineered brick with variable properties depending on the intended use. Compressive Strengths that could be achieved exceed those of conventional Portland cement concrete.The engineered brick is characterised by a negative carbon footprint, and is manufactured from renewable and recycled feedstock.

Creating sustainable urban environments is one of the biggest challenges that the Middle East will be facing over the coming years. Fueled by an economic boom that adds pressure on available resources, Qatar, like other countries in the region, is at a crossroads to rethink its approach to urban planning and design to create more sustainable built environments on a macro level and redefine the impact of its future cities. First steps have already been taken as part of the country’s ongoing efforts to realize the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.This presentation highlights sustainability rating systems as tools that enable planners and designers to redefine their approach to creating neighborhoods and cities in the Middle East. It examines LEED Neighborhoods and GSAS Districts as two rating systems that are currently applied in Qatar and sheds some light on their structure, scope and application to projects. Comparing both systems reveals unique aspects for each but most importantly highlights important similarities when it comes to defining sustainability on an urban scale. Analyzing both shows the importance of considering a number of key factors that make cities more resilient: buildings, infrastructure, transportation, social and cultural factors, security, the use of natural resources and other important factors. These tools can also provide insight into how well new urban environments would perform, revealing valuable lessons for everyone to learn from.

Historically the peoples of Arabia have had a strong affinity with and respect to nature, recognizing that their life depended on a mutually supportive relationship. These intertwined connections between people and nature included a reverence for the camels that provided a dependable mode of transport across the harsh desert landscape; a deep affection for the majestic falcons that soared high above vast sand dunes in search of prey; and a great pride in the saluki dog breed as a loyal and skillful hunting companion. Through the generations, nomadic and static tribes in the Gulf have learned how to coexist with their hostile desert environment, following nature’s path to water and fertile plains. And, while this bond endures, with the advent of oil wealth, which has brought with it unprecedented rates of development, it is a connection which at best is under strain and at worst on a catastrophic path as much desired rapid development brings with it demands on the environment and incursions into the landscape as never before; dredging destroying sea grass plains and their associated weird and wonderful wildlife; agriculture requiring ever more water, irreparably depleting natural aquifers and necessitating higher levels of energy draining desalination; and skyscraper cities demanding more electricity to light, keep cool and give residents the comforts they need. Add to this an ever growing mound of waste generated by a swelling population and the picture does not look favorable for Arabia and her peoples.What will it take to restore the human-environment balance? What needs to be retrofitted? Is it simply a matter of technical fixes, add-ons or replacements? Or is there a need for a more fundamental change? Do we need to retrofit mindsets, both individual and organizational, with a new set of overarching socially and environmentally driven principles that allow Qatar to continue along its developmental path while enhancing its historical ties with the environment? In short, is it possible to design or retrofit our way towards a sustainable Qatar? It will be argued in this paper that no amount of technological retrofits or prestigious sustainable planned communities, such as those of Lusail, The Pearl and Msheihreb, will in and of themselves solve the problems faced by Qatar unless there is an associated fundamental change in mindsets at all levels and in all communities, underpinned by a deeply held responsibility for our own impacts on the environment around us and a desire to minimize them. Drawing on examples from individual, organizational and community driven initiatives in solid waste management in Qatar, this paper will illustrate the complexity of the task ahead, how retrofitting mindsets might be achieved and the obstacles faced.

Worldwide recession, rapid increase in energy cost, inefficient use of nonrenewable resources, global climatic changes and pollution are all indicators of a deteriorating built environment. Improving the living conditions in the built environment became essential. To obtain living conditions improvement there has to be balance between the triple bottom lines of sustainability i.e environmental, social & economic bases. . The aim of this paper is to determine sustainability goals and objectives that are needed to be achieved on the neighborhood scale through discussing the benchmarks set by different sustainability oriented rating systems. There is a number of rating systems in the world for sustainable buildings, but a few have dealt with neighborhood assessment. Neighborhood sustainable assessment tools measure the success in approaching sustainable goals. In this study, five tools from the Gulf region, Europe, Japan, and the United States (Estidama, GSAS, CASBEE, BREEAM and LEED) are selected and analyzed to provide insights on the current situation; highlight the strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures; and make recommendations for future improvements for the development of local adaptable assessment tools. Using a content analysis, sustainability issues including coverage, pre-requisites, local adaptability, participation, scoring and weighting, reporting, and applicability are discussed in this paper. The results of this study indicate that most of the tools do not cover social and economic aspects, as well as the main sustainable pillars. There are ambiguities and shortcomings in the weighting, scoring and rating. In most cases, there is no mechanism for local adaptability and participation; only those tools which are embedded within the broader planning framework are doing well with regard to applicability.

As the capital of Qatar, Doha is undeniably in a state of profound change. The aspiration to complete significant additions to the built environment in time for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 coupled with the ambitious goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030 promise to continue this state of flux for the better part of the coming decade. Urban practice and research in Doha have been preoccupied with the master planning of new developments, often at the expense of existing neighborhoods and their inherent sustainable elements and character. Even in cases where efforts have been made to emulate ‘traditional’ forms of urbanism it remains to be resolved as to how this relates to traditional ways of living. At the local scale the public realm has often been neglected due to the rapid pace of development and a general prioritization of creating notable architectural objects over the generation of a cohesive and shared space between buildings. As a result, reliance on the automobile increases, personal health decreases, and the quality of social interaction deteriorates. Given this context, this paper proposes the development of an alternative to master planning; one that addresses different scales and is entrepreneurial in nature. The objective is to investigate and demonstrate – through the use of design tactics – a multidisciplinary approach to maximize the potential of Doha neighborhoods potential to become vibrant places with an active public realm that serves the community. With the vision of evolving into integrated sustainable neighborhoods, the focus becomes about creating an appropriate, inclusive, and tangible public realm rather than merely planning it. In this way, design is not just a solution to urban challenges but also a means to identify them, becoming inherent to both research and practice methodologies. The framework to test such an approach would involve identifying a relevant neighborhood, conducting localized spatial analysis; considering stakeholders and actors including governmental, private and community-based ones in all their diversity; designing tactics for developing the public realm and establishing a public platform to participate in such proposals. Ultimately, design tactics should be applied to examine their potential for broader implementation at the level of the city and to evaluate the efficacy of such a methodology.

MANATEQ is Qatar’s largest master developer of economic zones and is tasked with spending over QAR 20 Billion for the development of three new projects that will collectively cover an area greater than 70 square kilometers (twice the size of Lusail City). These Qatar Economic Zone (QEZ) projects are strategically located to compliment and link with Qatar’s rapidly developing transportation networks and international hubs for air, sea, rail and road. Refer to http://www.manateq.qa for further details.This paper explores the approach taken by ASTAD and MANATEQ to adopt sustainability principles from the outset of the planning and design stages of these projects up until their present construction stages. The economic zone projects are each following the ‘GSAS Districts’. This paper also outlines some of the challenges and opportunities from our experience of implementing this sustainability rating system. The GSAS Districts system has had a major influence on key decisions during the masterplanning and engineering design stage. In particular, it helped focus and challenge our discipline engineers to deliver the most appropriate technology. It is our aim that during operational stages sub-developers will benefit from these decisions due to greater efficiency in the zones from a facilities and operational perspective, as well as reduced carbon emissions. The QEZ projects goal is to provide a globally competitive and environmentally sustainable business environment, which delivers competitive advantage through the most modern infrastructure, most efficient utilities, most advanced communications and most effective transportation infrastructure. This paper will discuss our approach and challenges for achieving this goal while complying with GSAS Districts, as well covering the main sustainability strategies to be implemented:Planning & Design· Urban morphology · Landscape and public spaces· District cooling · Smart grid power distribution· Wet utilities· Solid waste management· Public transport · Adopting ‘Eco-Industrial Park’ principles in the planning stages· Construction·Construction materials consolidation centres· Recycled concrete and aggregate· Workers welfare· Development phasing· Operational · ‘One-stop-shop’ approvals centres· Efficient public transportation vehicles· Community ManagementWhile the projects are pursuing 3 Stars GSAS Districts Certification, our design teams have been keen to introduce the best practice from other established rating systems, especially LEED Neighborhood. Specialist consultants were also engaged to prepare “Strategic Environmental Assessments” in order to ensure the cumulative environmental impacts of adjacent projects were predicted and proportionate mitigation measures introduced. High levels of stakeholder engagement during the design stages ensured that the projects are integrated with their surrounding districts and available utilities, many of which are also currently under development. In addition to incorporating modern design standards, high levels of open space and amenities, the QEZ projects are strategically investing in sustainable infrastructure ( power, water, transport, etc.) for the benefit of their future investors (i.e. sub-developers). This paper outlines how sustainability rating systems were used as a key tool for selecting the most sustainable solutions for the development of their economic zones, which will offer unrivalled opportunities to meet the needs of Qatar’s future business leaders.