Abu Dhabi and Qatar: 1-4 March 2010

UKTI seminar mission. Sustainability and the Built Environment. 1-4 March.

Sustainability – and the Gulf. Hmmmm. The two have only very recently even flirted with each other, far less actually embarked on a happy relationship together. CO2 emissions per capita in the UAE remain the highest in the world by quite a significant margin. It is hard to assess how much things are really changing, even after 4 very interesting and productive days with a 17 strong British delegation in Abu Dhabi and Qatar, helping UKTI to promote British expertise in sustainability. But I would judge that - slowly - sustainability is becoming a new buzzword, even if there is an awfully long way to go.

Of course there is Masdar, the groundbreaking new development outside Abu Dhabi where we were lucky enough to have a full tour. (Well not quite a full tour as it was raining, therefore muddy, which means flooded areas etc. You may remember from my visit to Abu Dhabi in December that I attract the rain, managing to be in the city for 2 out of the 3 rainy days expected each year!) Rain digression aside, Masdar is a truly amazing concept and is slowly becoming a reality on the ground with Phase I now well under construction. The first wind tower is taking shape, and experiments are going on with clever things like photo-voltaic cells which really could change the world one day. The Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) station is also under construction – PRT was new to me – it is a kind of personal pod which runs on predetermined tracks. Heathrow Airport is currently running a pilot project between T5 and a long term car park, but in Masdar light rail and PRT will be the only options. Despite a bit of reprioritisation and delay caused by chilly winds from Dubai, it really seems as though Masdar will become a reality.

Outside the green bubble of Masdar, environmental standards have been slow to take root, but I have no doubt that interest in sustainability is now growing fast. My delegation delivered 2 major seminar events in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island hotel (for which the word iconic is an understatement), and in the Diplomatic Club in Doha. Both events were extremely well attended with 75 guests in Abu Dhabi and 120 in Doha. By contrast last year’s similar Qatar event attracted 60 – so in theory interest levels have doubled in a year, helped by effective UKTI marketing.

We had a strong group, led by Terry Hill, Chairman of Arup’s Global Transport Group, with a good mix of leading consulting engineers and architects, along with energy specialists and eco-town planners. Both seminars tried to offer as wide a picture of UK experience as possible, and also brought in local experts to speak as well. All involved in the seminars were impressed by the interest levels, and although there is undoubtably an element of resistance from some local developers, it is increasingly clear that sustainability is not only desirable but necessary if the Gulf is going to be able to sustain its rapid development. People are becoming more aware, and our seminars can only have helped spread the word that it is important and necessary in the development of communities.

In Qatar, sustainability is most obviously represented in the ‘Heart of Doha’ or Musheireb project to revitalize the historic core of Doha. We visited the impressive ‘Knowledge Enrichment Centre’ which showcases this project (on the ground it is still at the demolition and clearing phase), and the determination to combine sustainability with historical awareness is clear. Several UK companies are already working on this, and as it moves forward there will be a lot more opportunities especially in design and architecture. All of Qatar’s major developers are serious about sustainability, even if there is still significant ignorance at other levels. It still amazes me that even in early March when – rain notwithstanding - the weather is still mild (warm by day and balmy at night), the idea of hotels opening a window rather than blasting out the A/C is deemed to be weird. I also think patio heaters in the Gulf are completely unnecessary, even if I have come from a freezing English winter!!

Still, there is a huge amount of work to be done here with the various new cities and developments underway. The Dubai crash has definitely had a slowing effect, but mainly on overambitious real estate rather than the core infrastructure work going on in Abu Dhabi and Qatar. Competition from overseas (China, India, Korea, as well as France and Germany) continues to grow, although British firms remain well respected and the UKTI teams at both embassies have impressive networks of contacts at their fingertips.

A few words about my first visit to Yas Island outside Abu Dhabi, where we stayed at a brand new hotel at the ‘Golf Plaza’ hotels complex. This was all built for the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November, and is a lot cheaper and more chilled out than staying in the city (even if the first Links golf course in the Middle East does not open until this summer). Yas Island is very interesting – it seems that Dubai will have an entertainment rival, although maybe not for a year or two. We visited Ferrari World – the world’s largest indoor theme park designed by UK architect Benoy which will open to the public in late summer. It includes what looks like a terrifying rollercoaster which will run at 250kmh – I will not be volunteering for the first run! With Ferrari World, a new arena, shopping malls, golf and other sports including of course Formula 1 and other racing events, Yas Island will be a very interesting place to watch. And hopefully, after this week, more of it will be sustainable as well!

Dominic James
Qatar
4 March 2010