Nasser AbdulRahman Kamal addressing the conference
By Bonnie James
Quality, sustainability and efficiency are the three central pillars of Qatar’s efforts in meeting the time and resource challenges for hosting the 2022 Football World Cup, Qatar Project Management (QPM) CEO Nasser AbdulRahman Kamal said.
“The magnitude of the task is vast, the projects complex and moving towards the iconic event is not easy,” he said in the opening keynote address at the World Cup Construction Conference, hosted yesterday by Construction Week magazine.
“A unified vision is required in all sectors, and there should be a shift from creating concepts to articulating tangible plans,” Kamal said.
The QPM CEO asserted that every project related to the 2022 World Cup should be of the highest international standards, adding “what we build is as important as how we build.”
Implementation of sustainable building practices and best business practices is the key to success, he said.
Kamal said QSAS (Qatar Sustainability Assessment System) and QGBC (Qatar Green Building Council) are promoting standards.
QSAS is the first of its kind performance-based sustainability rating system in the Mena region, developed by Barwa & Qatari Diar Research Institute in collaboration with T C Chan Center at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.
QSAS aims at creating a sustainable urban environment to reduce the environmental impacts while satisfying local community needs.
“Ultimately 2022 represents an opportunity to meet challenges and demonstrate innovation,” Kamal said.
QPM, one of the region’s premier project management companies and the first Qatari firm in the field, was the main project management partner for the conference.
In his welcome address, Hyder Consulting’s country manager and associate director for rail in Northern Gulf, Maher Chatila said investments to the tune of $75bn are expected in Qatar over the next 10 years.
“The major thrust areas include rail, roads, sports facilities and drainage. Logistics, collaboration, and excellence are the main buzz words in Qatar for the next decade,” he said.
Split into two streams, the conference agenda provided an interactive platform that allowed attendants to discuss and debate the strategic elements required to deliver a successful fifa World Cup event in Qatar.
QPM also supported some of the key conference activities, including a panel discussion on the future of project management, led by QPM’s HSE manager Wayne Harris; and a technical presentation on Net-Zero Carbon Stadiums: The Challenges and Solutions by Salah Nezar, QPM’s MEP manager.
It was concluded that project management would be an integral component of Qatar’s future due to the magnitude and complexity of future projects, and the need to place quality as a driver for success.
Nezar stressed on the relevance of cooling loads optimisation, energy-efficiency implementation and energy generation.