LANI ROSE R DIZON

DOHA THE Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) on Monday launched the Green Infrastructure Interest Group (GIIG), a specialised unit which aims to foster the development of green infrastructure in the country.

Green infrastructure is an emerging concept highlighting the importance of natural environment in decisions over land use planning.

Speaking during the event, Dr Alex Amato, chairman of QGBC’s Research and Innovation Committee, said, “In line with the environment pillar of Qatar National Development Strategy 2011-2016, this interest group complements national and regional efforts to utilise our current and future green infrastructure.

This initiative demonstrates the value of green infrastructure investment and reiterates the benefits and need for sustainable investment in this field. This group will encourage the appreciation of Qatar’s natural systems and their role in landscape architecture.” Aside from furthering QGBC’s mission to drive sustainable growth in infrastructure initiatives, the GIIG will promote greater awareness on the various challenges shaping Qatar’s built environment in moving the country towards National Vision 2030. The group will promote effective sustainable urban planning, climate change adaptation and mitigation, cultural relevance and social wellbeing among other related topics.

Lee Allen, landscape architect and acting chair for GIIG, said, “QGBC’s leadership in encouraging industry collaboration through specialised interest groups in the built environment is both vital and significant.

Through this interest group, we want to create awareness of the benefits of green infrastructure sustainable design and practice in Qatar.

“The importance of natural systems to our lives is highlighted through our ‘working with nature and not against it’ approach to development that is certainly more relevant now than ever before. A project’s success in achieving any type of sustainable rating lies in the combined efforts from all sectors of the industry in recognising and striving for sustainable best practice.” The launch of the GIIG which was attended by over 260 professionals coincided with a seminar on the theme ‘Natural Systems’.

Speakers from the Qatar Foundation, Qatar University, Unesco, Atkins, BG2 Global Qatar, and the Msheireb Properties delivered key presentations on the latest technologies and strategies being used worldwide in the context of green infrastructure.