Qatar Foundation’s student housing project in the Education City now has the highest concentration of independently registered platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings in the ‘New Construction’ category in the world.
The unique student complex yesterday received special recognition and praise for earning 12 Platinum LEED certifications in ‘New Construction’ from the US Green Building Council.
Jassim Telefat, group executive director of Qatar Foundation Capital Projects and Facilities Management, received the award at the Greenbuild 2013 International Conference and Expo in Philadelphia, US.
Hosted by the US Green Building Council, the event attended by over 30,000 attendees, is one of the world’s largest international green building conferences, featuring distinguished speakers and international experts from all sectors of the building industry.
At the conference, Rick Fedrizzi, president and chief executive officer of the US Green Building Council, commended Qatar Foundation for its highly sustainable Male and Female Student Housing project.
In a presentation at the event, Telefat pointed out that in less than a decade, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development has emerged as a regional leader in the green building movement.
“With extraordinary plans to become one of the world’s most sustainable communities, its futuristic campus is a remarkable feat of eco-friendly design and excellence,” he said.
The official gave a detailed analysis of Qatar Foundation’s master plan, which is directly in keeping with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.
“Having accomplished significant milestones on the path to a greener future, Qatar Foundation is keen to solidify its international standing as an environmentally-friendly campus by developing one of the world’s largest LEED-certified building portfolios,” he stated.
All QF properties play a major role in minimising the carbon effect by using sustainable and innovative technologies.
“One of the impressive features that QF plans to implement is an integrated public transportation system based on light rail and an innovative ‘e-bike’ circuit. The light rail, or ‘people-mover system’, will incorporate high-end technology that has never been used commercially before,” Telefat said.
“The system is fully electric, incorporating rail cars that will recharge when entering stations, before continuing on their journey. Once the system is complete in 2015, employees and students can leave their cars in large car parks on the perimeter and use the people-mover system to travel between buildings in Education City.”
The QF official asserted that a key objective is educating the community about the importance of sustainability and striving towards a greener lifestyle.
From its inception, QF’s Education City has been built with the goal of minimising the environmental impact of construction and developing high-performance buildings with significantly reduced energy and water demands.
“We have installed a monitoring system in each housing unit to help students track their own energy and water consumption. This project serves as a valuable tool for students, as it educates them about sustainability and encourages accountability.”