THE PEARL-QATAR

The Pearl-Qatar’s development has been hailed as a prime example of environmental stewardship and sustainability

One of UDC’s greatest victories as a developer has been its ability to build something of The Pearl-Qatar’s magnitude without harming the environment. With a full-fledged environmental team conducting tests at all stages of development, there is even proof that The Pearl-Qatar’s development has been beneficial to the surrounding marine environment. For example, environmental reports confirm that in some areas of The Pearl-Qatar, there is now richer marine life than before construction began.

Qatar Cool’s role in introducing district cooling to the island has also been highly effective as UDC’s answer to the high demand for air conditioning and the national need for energy efficiency. The world’s largest district cooling plant is being built on The Pearl-Qatar and will provide 130,000 tons of refrigeration in order to supply all of the buildings on the man-made island. District cooling has many important benefits upon comparison with conventional air conditioning systems. On top of very low emissions and high efficiency, district cooling provides a significant cost reduction, which if spread throughout the entire country, will lead to massive savings.

The dredging that has taken place in The Pearl-Qatar has also played an important role in establishing the man-made island as a beacon of sustainability. The dredging has occurred over a shallow rock area, meaning that the island has a very strong foundation.

Environmental training is also given to the staff, retailers and contractors to help ensure people understand what they can do to help protect the environment.

Measures will continue in the future as an artificial reef is already planned for development, hundreds of species of indigenous plants and trees are being planted, and extensive and varied monitoring programmes, such as ecological surveys, sea water testing, noise, dust and emission monitoring are in place ensuring that The Pearl-Qatar remains a safe, green place in which to live.