Lekhwiya’s mixed-use development first to get GSAS 4 Stars rating
The Internal Security Force – Lekhwiya’s newly completed development in Duhail has become the first GSAS (Global Sustainability Assessment System) certified (4 Stars) district project in Qatar.
With 4 Stars rating under GSAS Districts Certification, the development has pioneered green building practices on a district level. Lekhwiya’s mixed-use development covers 3,261,844sq m, featuring a range of facilities that include military buildings, stores, guardhouses, headquarters, workshops, training and sports facilities, health centre, grand mosque, shops, mess and petrol station among other facilities.
The Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (Gord), founding chairman Dr Yousef Alhorr, said: “Ensuring outstanding levels of green building credentials is no simple feat, especially on a district level. We are talking about not one, but many buildings and facilities all equally ambitious to receive a world-class green building certification like GSAS. The Development of Lekhwiya Camp has taken the lead and proved that sustainability is possible for a project of any scale provided that there is political will to do so. Considering the sheer scale of this project, the outstanding GSAS rating achieved by Lekhwiya represents its leadership’s strategic focus and the management’s unhindered efforts.”
To incorporate green building principles while also catering to the unique need of each facility, Lekhwiya camp has benefited from multiple schemes under the GSAS framework. As Mena’s first performance based green building certification system, GSAS provides thorough guidelines to implement and assess projects’ carbon footprint while also considering regionspecific challenges. In the case of mixed-use developments like Lekhwiya Camp in Duhail, GSAS framework also provides specific guidelines and methodologies suited for a diverse range of building typologies.
While a GSAS Districts Certification represents Lekhwiya Camp’s overall sustainability achievement, projects within the development have obtained GSAS-Design & Building certifications under different schemes based on their building typologies. These include GSAS Hospitality to assess the barracks buildings, GSAS Commercial to assess headquarters and other administrative and mixed-use buildings, GSAS Sports to assess sports facilities, GSAS Healthcare to assess ISF Healthcare Medical Unit, GSAS Mosques to assess the Camp Grand Mosque, GSAS Light Industry to assess warehouse and workshops, and GSAS Core & Shell to assess the Traffic Control Center Building. Most of the buildings within Lekhwiya Camp have attained GSAS 3 Stars ratings.
Among some key green features of Lekhwiya Camp is the Integrated Building Management System that monitors mechanical and electrical systems of the facilities to keep a tab on energy and water consumption. The project boasts of Refrigeration District Cooling Plant with a 40,000 tonnes capacity, utilising recycled water provided by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal).
With leak detection system, water leaks in any building within Lekhwiya’s district can be easily identified and fixed, thereby preventing wastage and further damage to the surrounding facilities. Similarly, submetering system across the project provides real-time data on energy consumption from various locations. This data is useful in identifying and fixing any unusual consumption patterns resulting from faulty appliances or misuse.
Other sustainable features of the development include the use of sustainable and locally sourced building materials wherever possible, use of treated water for irrigation purposes, native plants for landscaping, and reuse of the existing buildings to avoid waste from demolition, etc. With Lekhwiya Camp project now complete, plans are in place to continue sustainable practices in the operations stage with GSAS Operations certification.