Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), the 177,000 sq m facility due to open in 2011, is on course to achieve Gold Status in the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

A member of the Qatar Foundation, QNCC is the first convention and exhibition centre of its kind being built to the premium standard of an internationally recognised green building rating system, said a top QNCC official.

"As the world’s first high-performance green convention centre, it will have state-of-the art systems for water savings, energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality," QNCC general manager Paul D’Arcy.

He said the QNCC has combined cutting edge design, functionality and sustainability to meet the complex needs of meeting planners, exhibitors and attendees.

"In terms of its environmentally sustainable construction, the venue is going for gold in the LEED green building rating system. To the best of our knowledge it is the first such venue of this nature to achieve such a standard in its entirety."

“For example, to capitalise on Doha’s endless sunshine, over 3,600 metre square solar panels on the Centre’s roof will produce 12.5 per cent of our total energy requirements,” stated D’Arcy.

The QNCC, being built at a cost of $1.2 billion, will boast of several world-first signature features that will set a new benchmark in venue design, he pointed out.

These include a wireless conference management system; 108 inch (minimum) LCD screens in all meeting rooms; LED lighting for the exhibition halls (no metal halide); full colour LED lighting in Exhibition Hall 6 (designed for banqueting); a 35,000 sq m of modular mobile rigging grids within the exhibition halls; 100 per cent fibre optic connections for all service pits in the Exhibition Halls; two interactive LCD screens for public use (each measuring 5 metres long by 2 metres high); 3,676 sq m of solar panels that occupy 7,080 sq m of roof area to produce 12.5 per cent of the buildings total electrical requirements.

"It is not just the convention industry that is excited about these world first achievements, global conference organisers responsible for selecting venue location in the years ahead are also taking great interest in the Qatar Foundation’s stunning new development in Doha’s Education City."

The World Petroleum Council (WPC) executive committee recently undertook a venue site selection tour of the Centre and its building progress.

WPC’s director general, Dr Pierce Riemer commented not only on the spectacular nature and design features but was particularly impressed that the Centre would qualify for the LEED Gold Rating.

The World Petroleum Congress is one of the energy industry's most prestigious events and will be held in QNCC’s opening year.

"Construction is on schedule with stage 1 capturing the imagination of all that pass by," D’Arcy stated.

"Designed by world renowned Japanese architect, Arata Isozaki, the stunning architectural creation with its external steel façade resembling the significance of the sidra tree in Qatari culture is already identifiable as an iconic landmark of the city."

Full enclosure of the building envelope is on course for September 2009 and groundwork has commenced for the 35,000 sq m exhibition halls, or Stage 2, of the construction process.

With construction in full swing, the QNCC team are working in partnership with the Qatar Foundation, Qatar MICE Development Institute and Qatar Tourism & Exhibitions Authority to secure more convention and exhibition business to assist the country in achieving its goal to become one of the most dynamic knowledge-based economies in the world.-TradeArabia News Service