The UN Environmental Programme is directing all developed countries to help emerging nations reduce carbon emissions from buildings and establish worldwide sustainable development assessment systems.

Supporters of the UN drive for sustainable development action include the non-governmental Barwa and Qatari Diar Research Institute (BQDRI). A pioneer in the GCC region, BQDRI is entrusted with realising the State of Qatar’s vision for a beautifully built environment, high indoor environmental quality, and sustainable communities and developments.

Dr Al-Horr’s dream is to create a dignified environment for all to live and work in, based on his vision and strategy for Qatar to be a leader in the field of sustainable development, design and construction. The institute’s ideas are currently being demonstrated in projects under construction such as Lusail City and BARWA City.

How are you contributing to the sustainable development of Qatar?
We are the starting point. The foundation stone upon which Qatar and other Gulf countries will build a better future is a strong set of sustainable development principles like the Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS). This is the Middle East’s first performance-based green building assessment rating system. BQDRI developed it cooperation with the T.C. Chan Centre for Building Simulation and Energy Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

QSAS creates sustainable urban environments which have a lower environmental impact than traditional projects. It is also tailored to meet regional needs, preserving the unique Qatari cultural identity and environment.

What makes QSAS different from other guidelines?
It is the best of the best. QSAS integrates best practice from 40 global assessment systems to create a new green building benchmark for Qatar. It’s based on proven green building guidelines, a rigorous sustainability rating system and challenging water and energy standards. Delve into the detail and you discover QSAS criteria are divided into eight categories: urban connectivity, site, energy, water, materials, indoor environment, cultural and economic value, and management and operations – each with a direct impact on environmental stress mitigation. Each category measures a different aspect of a project’s environmental impact. The eight categories are then broken down into specific criteria that measure and define individual issues.

Qatar’s largest developers, Barwa Real Estate and Qatari Diar, have adopted QSAS for all future projects. The system really takes the lead in addressing regional and national energy efficiency policies, reducing carbon emissions, minimising ecological impacts, and ensuring high indoor environmental quality…all the time taking into consideration social, economic, environmental and cultural conditions which are different from other regions of the world.
Among the many QSAS advantages is that the system learns and benefits from other global sustainability rating systems, using the best assessments (according to performance, integrity and flexibility) to overcome the weaknesses of other international systems.

Your groundbreaking work has not gone unnoticed internationally…
QSAS won the Excellence Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development at the 2009 International Real Estate Financial Summit in London. And in April 2010 I was awarded the Emerging CEO – Green Buildings prize from the Federation of GCC Chambers at the first Middle East Business Leaders Summit and Awards in the UAE.

Why are these initiatives important to you?
As a socially responsible citizen and qualified engineer, I believe that responsible design, construction and building operations can mitigate the negative effects of Qatar’s built environment, in particular making a significant impact in reducing carbon emissions. And QSAS is key to this. It differs in its foundation essence and from other imported sustainability systems in use in the region. QSAS evolves with the needs of the region, developing and implementing the sustainability concept in Qatar and other countries with similar environments to meet local needs like desertification, scarcity of water and preserving cultural identity.

What other work do you engage with to develop your vision of a sustainable Qatar?
BQDRI organises yearly exhibitions, seminars and conferences to build the country’s capacity to pursue sustainability. On March 1-3 2011 we will host the Qatar Green Building Technology Exhibition and Conference, the first of its kind of the GCC. We also run regular training workshops, ensuring Qatar’s construction industry gets the ‘green building’ message; we’ve introduced the QSAS – Certified Green Professional qualification, and launched the first full version of QSAS including manuals, a tool kit suite and a project management system.

Today the BQDRI remains dedicated to building a strong and vibrant network of respected research institutions, consulting companies, real estate and construction companies, and governmental and professional organisations throughout the region and the world.

We hope to foster a genuine commitment to addressing environmental challenges and empower the construction industry with sustainable applications and practices for the benefit of present and future
generations.