Sustainability in Qatar has crossed from marketing language into law, with every government project now required to pass a sustainability assessment before it proceeds, according to one of the country's best-known architects.
"In the past, the word sustainability was just a cliché and a marketing tool. But now in Qatar, I am so happy to see sustainability becomes a regulation. It is a practice and it is actually a legislation. Now, any government project has to have a sustainability assessment system," said Ibrahim Mohammed Jaidah, Group CEO and founder of Arab Engineering Bureau, one of the country's oldest and largest home-grown architectural firms.
Speaking to Gulf Times, Jaidah said the discipline now runs through the whole pipeline of national infrastructure. "Development projects in Qatar are well studied and based on the whole concept of sustainability and it is a key focus in Qatar's projects," he said.
Jaidah, who is well known as the architect of some of the iconic public and private buildings and projects in the country, including Al Thumama Stadium and Place Vendome among others, noted that sustainability should be the hallmark of an entire project.
"If your building is sustainable, you get to build more in such style. And that is why all the developers are very keen to get more stars in sustainability to gain more reputation. In my opinion, sustainability is not only needed for an individual building but for the entire project or the whole town. We should be developing a city that is very sustainable," he continued.
He commended the GSAS programme developed by Gulf Organisation for Research and Development, an initiative to measure and assess the sustainability compatibility of a project, and cited the Lusail development as a perfect example of sustainability.
Jaidah underlined that the growth taking place in the country is not a random one. "What is happening is not just taking place like some random growth. It is all very well-studied projects and each and every aspect of it has been well taken care of and it gives a solid step towards the future," he described.
Jaidah said development is a continuous process and that Doha has one of the best infrastructures any city could dream of.
He stated: "The country is still moving towards new development and the expansion. A bit of slowdown happened after the World Cup, which is natural as a lot of massive infrastructure development took place prior to the event.
"I think it is natural for any city to grow seamlessly. Now we hear about several projects that are happening in Simaisma. I think it is being expanded up there. So it is like the next stage of development. It will not be like a big city, yet it will be developed more for tourism, for apartments among others. I think the population is moving northwards and southwards and these are the areas that can be developed in the coming years," he continued.
The veteran architect highlighted the life of people in the country before the introduction of electricity and modern amenities.
"Our ancestors lived here without electricity, without any of the modern facilities. But they managed to live well because they were doing their buildings that were responsive to the environment. Small openings, even about the wind, they would study how it moves. Buildings were close to each other, they created shades to each other. And this is the lesson learned and implemented in some of the modern constructions in the country," he highlighted.
"However, with more greenery and with the landscaping and the use of proper and advanced materials, we are making the projects more environment-friendly and sustainable," he added.
