The recently held three-day Qatar Green Building Conference, organised by the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), brought together key stakeholders from a variety of industries to discuss the way forward in ensuring the nation’s sustainable future.
Among those in attendance at the event, which was held at Qatar National Convention Centre, were event gold sponsors Astad Project Management - a leading project management consultancy and founding member of QGBC.
The event featured various stakeholders who discussed challenges faced by the industry as well as innovative solutions to overcome them with minimal environmental impact.
Touching on a myriad of themes, the Qatar Green Build Conference featured presentations, workshops and discussions on various aspects of sustainable operations.
Astad contributed through a presentation titled “Future Cities - Qatar Economic Zones by Manateq”, sharing their experience on one of the largest infrastructural developments in Qatar, and how they are managing the operations on site according to global sustainability standards.
The presentation contained Astad’s plan on fulfilling the requirements of the GSAS District Certificate with a four-star rating. It highlighted the key sustainability concepts of the plan, which are going to make Qatar Economic Zones “well-connected, energy-efficient, culturally and economically relevant, environment-friendly business hubs”.
Astad CEO Ali al-Khalifa said, “We have been committed to making sustainable construction the norm in Qatar since our inception. Our portfolio of awards and recognitions are a testament to our efforts and we are delighted to share some of the knowledge we have accumulated over the years, while working on the country’s most iconic projects, with our industry counterparts on this significant occasion.”
Astad sustainability manager Sheikh Soud al-Thani delivered the keynote address, marking the commencement of the conference.
In his speech, Sheikh Soud emphasised the importance of building in harmony with the environment as well as adhering to global best practice in terms of sustainability. He praised industry counterparts for the efforts made in this regard and also called for an industry-wide effort to elevate sustainability standards in the construction industry.
“We are working on a defining project in building Qatar’s sustainable economy. Therefore, from a project management point of view, we want to ensure that its delivery is environmentally sustainable, resources are optimally managed and the end result is functional and future-proof,” stressed Sheikh Soud.