Green buildings on the rise in Persian Gulf states

With massive steel Sidra trees sprouting from the base of the building and a nine-metre high sculpture of a spider in the lobby protecting a sack of grey and white eggs, Qatar National Convention Centre is hard to ignore.

But it’s what most visitors don’t see that may become the building’s lasting legacy in a region far better known for over-the-top excesses than conservation.

From the sustainably logged wood used in its construction to the 3,500-square-metres of solar panels on the roof, the building designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki is considered one of the most environmentally sound convention centres in the world.

“We want to change people’s mindsets,” said Ali al-Khalifa, as he led a visitor through an exhibition hall where dozens of ceiling windows helped cut down on electricity. It will take centre stage in November when it hosts the UN Climate Change Conference, the first to be held by a top oil producer.

“We have to make something stay friendly to the environment. We are part of this earth,” said al-Khalifa, the chief executive officer of Astad Project Management, which oversaw the construction. “All the oil and gas countries are moving to a green concept to insure the new generation understands they have to preserve this energy and have something efficient.”

Green buildings would seem an oddity in this tiny Gulf nation which has plenty of oil and gas and, according to the International Energy Agency, the highest per capita emissions in the world, closely followed by Gulf neighbours Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.