Opening in 2011, the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) is the first convention and exhibition centre of its kind being built to the premium standard of the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
The 177,000 m2 (1,905,000 ft2) facility is going for gold rating. As the world’s trailblazing green convention centre, it will have state-of-the-art systems for water savings, energy efficiency and indoor environment quality. The LEED System is an internationally recognised benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
“From design stage, we placed a great deal of importance on sustainability,” said QNCC General Manager Paul D’Arcy. “It is a key issue in the industry and we are committed to ensuring sustainability targets are met,” he added.
The Centre has combined cutting edge design, functionality and sustainability to meet the complex needs of meeting planners, exhibitors and attendees. Its world first features include:
• 3,676 m2 (39,570 ft2) of solar panels to produce 12.5 percent of the building’s total energy requirements
• Wireless conference management system
• Minimum 108 inch LCD screens in all meeting rooms
• Full colour LED lighting in the exhibition halls (no metal halide)
• 100% fibre optic connections for all service pits
Qatar is quickly earning a sterling reputation in environmental sustainability. Qatar Airways is set to become the world’s first commercial airline to fly aircraft powered by natural gas. Energy City Qatar, the Gulf region’s first integrated business and residential hub for the hydrocarbon industry, is being developed along an all-green design. The eco city’s innovative green building features will make it the first fully LEED concept project. Meanwhile, in Education City, a US$500million solar power plant is expected to be completed within two years.
No doubt Qatar is taking future environmental concerns seriously. And as organisations seek to become more eco-aware, this strong commitment will further enhance Qatar’s appeal to the business community.
The Sidra Signature
Designed by leading Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) features a spectacular facade resembling two intertwined trees supporting the building’s exterior canopy. The 250 metre (820 foot) long, curved steel tree structure forms the signature entrance to the QNCC.
The Centre’s facade portrays not just any kind of tree, but specifically the sidra, a beloved and multifaceted icon in Qatari culture.
The sidra tree is a beacon of learning and comfort in the desert. It is treasured by the Bedouins, who used it for shelter and meetings. The sidra was a shady haven for poets and scholars, who gathered beneath its branches to discuss and impart knowledge. Its fruit, flowers and leaves were used to concoct traditional medicine.
Befittingly, the execution of Isozaki’s architectural vision was a gathering of skills and ideas from all over the world. UK engineering firm Buro Happold undertook the design and fabrication challenges posed by the complex and unusual tree structure. The electronic data generated by the team was sent to the Belgium-based contractor, Victor Buyck Construction. The fabrication took place in Malaysia, with final assembly in Doha.
The tree structure has two main components. The visible exterior skin is a complex curved form. Underneath it is a structural core of octagonal tubes, each tube itself composed of flat steel plates. The whole tree is made up of 70 percent single curvature panels and 30 percent double curvature panels.
Arata Isozaki is one of the most influential architects practicing today. His work blends an Eastern architectural style with emerging global trends. Other notable works of Isozaki include the Kyoto Concert Hall, Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Doha’s Weill Cornell Medical College and the Shenzhen Cultural Centre.
Land of Peace + Happiness
Not only is Qatar one of the most peaceful places in the world, it’s also one of the happiest!
According to two separate findings, this tiny thumb-shaped peninsula of just over 1.6 million people is one of the best places on the planet.
The Global Peace Index (GPI) ranked Qatar 16th out of 144 countries surveyed. The index, now in its third year, ranks countries according to their relative states of peace, based on factors such as respect for human rights and military expenditure.
Qatar took top spot in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and leaped from being 33rd on the list in 2008. It outranked Switzerland and Australia in the Top 20 list and was way ahead of France, United States and the United Kingdom.
The land of peace also garnered special mention in New York Times Bestseller “The Geography of Bliss”. Author Eric Weiner, a correspondent for National Public Radio who often travelled to war-torn or famine-ravaged countries visited some of the world’s happiest places to find out just what made them so joyful. His 10-nation journey culminated in “happiness lessons” from around the world.
Weiner’s lesson from Qatar is that “happiness is spreading the wealth to everyone”. Health care is free for all. There’s no tax imposed on individuals, no real estate, inheritance, sales or value-added taxes. This also makes visitors and people doing business in Qatar very happy.
Qatar’s largesse extends outside the country. The Emir, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, contributed US$100 million to the victims of hurricane Katrina in the U.S, an “extraordinary act of kindness” according to then President George Bush.
Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned is the guiding force behind Reach Out to Asia (ROTA), a non-governmental organisation committed to providing poor Asian countries with quality education.
Global Education + Research Destination
In Qatar’s capital city of Doha is an exciting vision come true for the small but ambitious country. Ivy League universities and elite research and technology institutions have sprouted from the desert to form an oasis of knowledge and innovation called Education City.
The flagship project of the Qatar Foundation is Education City, a strategic investment in the long-term vision to establish Qatar as a leading international hub for education, research, and health care.
“I imagine Qatar as a small lab finding solutions for the rest of the world, ” said Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation.
Qatar spends 2.8 percent of its GDP (US$1.5 billion) a year on research purposes.
The 1,000-hectare (2,500-acre) sprawl is a unique enclave of world-class institutions. Education City includes: six of the best American universities–Virginia Commonwealth, Weill Cornell Medical, Texas A&M, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown and Northwestern; the Sidra Medical and Research Centre; MD Anderson Cancer Research Centre; and Qatar Science and Technology Park. The new Qatar National Convention Centre is also in Education City.
The focus of activities in Education City is on bringing cutting-edge technology to Qatar. The industries set for development include energy intensive production technologies, the solar power industry, business incubation services, gene therapy, neurogenetic studies, embryonic stem cell biology and vaccine development.
Sidra Medical and Research Centre, due to open in late 2012, together with Weill Cornell Medical College, will form the first academic medical centre of its kind in the region for clinical care, medical education and biomedical research. Qatar Foundation set up a US$7.9billion endowment fund to finance Sidra Medical and Research Centre, the largest endowment of a medical centre anywhere in the world.
More than US$800 million has been invested in the Qatar Science and Technology Park by Qatar Foundation and its 21 corporate partners including the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Microsoft, Shell and Total. The Park is an international hub for technology-based companies and an incubator of start-up enterprises.
Watch This Space
Construction of the much anticipated Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) is on schedule for its opening in the second quarter of 2011.
The full enclosure of the building envelope is on track for completion September 2009. Over 3,000 personnel are working six days a week to ensure construction schedules are on track.
Groundwork has commenced for the second construction stage of the additional 35,000 m2
(376,736 ft2) exhibition halls.
Observing the construction progress on site, QNCC General Manager Paul D’Arcy, said it was exciting to be part of Qatar’s development buzz.
“Many Gulf countries have been affected by the global financial crisis but there’s no slowing down in Qatar. It has a clear vision for its future and an unflagging conviction to make this come true.”
Estimated to cost US$1.2 billion on completion, the QNCC will feature a multi-purpose hall for 4,000 seated theatre style, a 2,300 seat lyric style three tiered auditorium, two additional tiered auditoriums, 57 flexible meetings rooms, 40,000 m2 (430,557 ft2) exhibition halls and banquet space for up to 10,000 guests. It is reputed to set new benchmarks in venue design.
QNCC is managed by AEG Ogden, one of the world’s leading venue management specialists with experience in a full spectrum of venues including sports arenas, convention and exhibition centres and performing arts theatres. The industry A-list team behind multi-award winning venues has had substantial input into QNCC ’s design and functionality.
Top Team Head to Doha
When you have served some of the world’s high profile leaders including His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Elizabeth II, the Queen of England, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, Albert II Sovereign Prince of Monaco, former President of the United States Bill Clinton, Chancellor Dr Helmut Kohl, as well as corporate identities such as Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Michael Schumacher, what would be your next challenge?
The answer is, heading to one of the Middle East’s newest and largest convention and exhibition venues, the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).
QNCC General Manager, Paul D’Arcy has confirmed the appointment of some of the convention industry’s most experienced and talented individuals to head up the venue’s operations and catering teams Detlef Haupt as Executive Chef, Cathy Neagle as Director of Operations and Jeremy Hagenbach as Director of Food & Beverage will join the QNCC’s executive team in the coming months.
“The progressive nature of Qatar and its vision to become a world leader in science and education is not only gaining interest from organisers of conventions, exhibitions and events, it is also attracting topflight industry professionals who want to be part of this growth,” said D’Arcy.
Executive Chef Detlef Haupt previously worked in the Middle East, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. Detlef cannot wait to immerse himself in Qatari culture, and to source local produce and create new supplier channels.
On accepting the position of Director of Operations, Cathy Neagle said it is incredibly exciting to be part of the pre-opening team and working in this emerging and dynamic region.
Director of Food & Beverage, Jeremy Hagenbach said the reason he was attracted to Doha was his passion to work with people from culturally diverse backgrounds.
When the Centre opens in 2011, it will be one of Qatar’s largest employers in the hospitality sector with an anticipated core contingent of 250 employees.
