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Qatars foray into sustainable living

BY SINDHU NAIR

At the Baytna press conference, a journalist, new to the country wondered why there was such a fuss about this small sustainable house. The reason is simple the culture of abundance prevalent here makes any small step seem like a huge jump towards sustainable living.

mportant to note is the fact that per capita energy consumption in Qatar is among the highest in the world. Yet slowly but surely, a mind-set change is taking place. Sustainability is being discussed in conferences and implemented in projects. One such important step to integrate sustainability into everyday life is the Baytna (My Home) project revealed to the masses on April 22. Following months of planning, design and construction, Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), Kahramaa and Barwa Real Estate Group (BRE) celebrated the completion of Qatars first Passivhaus (Passive House), marking a major shift in the countrys burgeoning construction industry. The Passivhaus villa is an ultra-low-energy building, derived from a super insulated airtight building envelope that requires little energy for cooling, reducing its

environmental footprint. The building was officially opened alongside a conventional villa. Under the Baytna project, two identical villas of 225 sq m were constructed side by side in Barwa City for a comparative study on the benefits of the Passivhaus design in our hot and arid climate. The Passivhaus villa has been designed with all the comforts of modern living while consuming at least 50% less energy, water and operational carbon dioxide emissions. BRE, Deputy Group CEO, Eng. Ahmad Al Abdulla said, Ten research universities, three consultants and 40 suppliers were involved in this pilot project and on this day our ambitions are translated into actions on the ground. This experiment demonstrates Barwas ambitious environmental strategy inspired by Qatar National Vision 2030, which

BUILDING ENVELOPE

The Passive House has solar panels on its roof and recycled water is used for irrigation .

30 > qatar today > may 2013

OPEN TO GREEN

QGBC officials, Kahramaa President, Barwa officials together inaugurate the new Passive House building

advocates sustainable practices not only in construction techniques, but in every aspect of our daily lives as individuals. Work began in August 2012, and after eight months of construction, Baytna has successfully limited additional capital costs in construction of the Passivhaus to approximately 16% more than the conventional villa. The projects initial aim was to keep the additional capital costs for the Passivhaus within 15 to 20% over the conventional villas costs. A six-month period of testing and commissioning will now commence to compare the villas baseline performance without occupants, after which in October 2013, the two houses will be let out to occupants who will live test" the facility. The Passivhaus is certified by the Institute of Passivhaus, LEED and the local green building certifiers, QSAS.

PARTNERS' SPEAK
(pictured right) QGBC, Chairman of the Research and Innovation Committee, Dr. Alex Amato says, Stopping the heat coming in was the primary aim for the Passive House. We have included low-energy lighting, fitting and home appliances. Electricity is generated by the solar grid and the excess is said to go to the Kahramaa grid (this is not confirmed yet). We are metering and monitoring all the subsystems so that we can test the performance when the house is unoccupied and later when the house is occupied, so that we have one complete cooling cycle. (left) Bionest, Manager Specialist Divisions, Paul R Wykes says, The waste management of the Passivhaus is quite revolutionary as we have recycled both the black and the grey water. The water is then used again for flushing and also for irrigation. What makes this remarkable is that there is no need for a connection with the main sewerage as it can all be recycled at site. Also to note is that there is absolutely no odour and the water is within healthy standards.

Cost of the Passivhaus house

QR1.74 million

more than the "Impassive house".

I.74 % I6 I.6

If the same project is produced in larger quantities (250 units) the cost reduces by 5% to 10% to cost QR1.6 million. If mass-produced (pre-fabrication methods being used) the cost could be reduced further.

qatar today > may 2013 > 31

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