The CIHT Group in Qatar had two speakers from the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) discussing the interesting themes of sustainability in Qatar on November 7th. “Sustainable Materials & Supply Chains” and “Construction Materials, CO2e And Their Sustainability Measurement” were presented by Dr Cynthia Skelhorn and Dr Alex Amato respectively.

 

Dr Skelhorn explained that QGBC is part of the internationally renowned Qatar Foundation and it was founded in 2009 as a non-profit organisation driving sustainable growth in Qatar through education and networking programs.

 

Dr Skelhorn went on to explain how sustainable practices are moving from a linear cycle of extracting resources to make materials and products which later leads to large amounts of waste that require disposal to a circular economy approach which reduces waste. This can be achieved by identifying where material which had previously gone to landfill can be recycled or reused elsewhere on construction projects. In Qatar’s construction sector, for instance, recent research on recycled aggregates has led to some of these materials being reused in roads and other construction applications.   It was also highlighted how design for off-site manufacture/ on-site assembly and how materials optimisation can reduce wastage, particularly through the use of BIM modelling.

 

Dr Amato began his presentation with an explanation of how we must take a life cycle approach when we look at materials, i.e. that we must look at elements such as extraction, transportation, maintenance, recycling and disposal across the life cycle of any material to truly understand the impact of a material. Dr Amato talked through a number of case studies around the world and through some key findings. 

 

The session was wrapped up with a series of questions from the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

CIHT Qatar is sponsored by AECOM, DCE, Egis, Fugro, PAF, Seero, TMS, and WSP.