Qatar Green Building Council’s new green building project showcased in Dubai

The Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) showcased its Passivhaus ‘Baytna’ project at the Emirates Green Building Council’s (EGBC) second annual congress in Dubai recently. 

The Passivhaus study seeks to establish if an eco-friendly villa can be a viable building option. Through the construction and operation of a Passivhaus villa and a Business As Usual (BAU) villa, the project’s initial data showed a small increase in capital cost during construction of the Passivhaus compared with a BAU villa, offset against a 50 per cent reduction in water and energy consumption and CO2 emissions. 

Under the theme, “Building a Green Future”, the Congress aimed at accelerating activities across the building supply chain, and working towards achieving a green economy for sustainable development by sharing the latest insights from local and international experts.

The QGBC delegation discussed collaborations on projects and events with Saudi and UAE counterparts, and engaged in a roundtable on the green building movement in the Middle East and North Africa region. 

A summary of the current situation in each of the countries represented by delegates was given in relation to other countries in the region. 

“We shared each country’s achievements in the hope of finding good examples that could be replicated in other countries. We also discussed legislation, subsidy, education and financial incentives to find the one area that would benefit most from the sustainable building sector,” said Engineer Meshal Al Shamari, QGBC Director.

“With the UAE hosting the World Expo in 2020 and Qatar the FIFA World Cup in 2022, demand for materials and a region-wide focus on infrastructure make it an optimum time to address green building in our region,” he added.