Dr al-Kuwari flanked by other officials at the press briefing yesterday.

By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter

 

The fifth edition of the Qatar Construction Specifications (QCS 2014) conference and exhibition will begin at the Qatar National Convention Centre on October 26.

Representatives of key government and private entities will attend the two-day event, which is being held under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin
Khalifa al-Thani.

Construction engineers from Qatar and other GCC states will also to take part in the
conference.

Dr Mohamed bin Sayf al-Kuwari, assistant undersecretary, laboratories and standardisation affairs at the Ministry of Environment (MoE), yesterday said that the success of any such initiative would not be possible without the active involvement of the private sector along with the government sector.

Stressing that QCS 2014 focuses on the quality of building and construction materials, he said the local market would not see any hike in these as the producing companies were competing with each other to supply high-quality materials.

Speaking on the preparation for QCS 2014, Dr al-Kuwari said: “Actual work on QCS 2014 started in 2010. Around 120 experts and consultants in the field, from both private and government entities, took part in the preparation process, besides some university professors.”

Some international building and construction consultants also took part in the preparation of the specifications.

For the first time, a large group of consultants working in big construction companies - and undertaking major projects - have given their entries to QCS 2014 based on the actual requirements in Qatar and
similar places.

“Some 11 sub-committees were formed in different sectors, including concrete, road works, safety and quality and railways, to cover all areas of interest,”
he said.

The new edition will include key areas of interest such as the technical requirements of concrete for different construction purposes, taking into consideration sustainability standards; earthquake- and wind-resistance requirements; development of insulation for energy-saving buildings; and some chapters on the quality of railways.

Dr al-Kuwari said QCS 2014 was the first step towards issuing the “Qatar international specifications for construction 2017”.

He hoped that the Qatari specifications would be used as a regional and international reference for construction in humid, saline and hot areas.

“QCS 2014 is an urgent necessity to maintain the well-being and safety of man and environment. It also tackles the sustainable and green building concepts,”
Dr al-Kuwari stressed.

Senior officials from the MoE, Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Qatar Railways Company and a number of construction and contracting companies were present during the press briefing held at the MoE headquarters.

They stressed the importance of having a code for the
country’s construction sector.

 

 

 

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