- The building's parts were incorporated and turned 70% environmentally- friendly
- The project was developed with internal resources while preserving the traditional style of the building
- Natural lighting was used in the ceilings to reduce the consumption of electricity, and light colours were used for painting
- Electricity consumption decreased by 18 percent, water by 7 percent, and employee efficiency improved by 4 percent
Ever since the formation of the committee of green building initiative in the oil sector, headed by KOC, the Company has sought to adopt the best environmental and health standards and concepts in the design of buildings.
The initiative was designed to adopt the concept of green building, or environmentally-friendly buildings, and reduce energy consumption by up to 15 percent at a minimum, through the use of sustainable technology systems and renewable energy sources.
The Company has continuously exploited all efforts and capabilities, whether in buildings that were constructed after the adoption of the initiative, or those that have undergone maintenance, in order to comply with the adopted sustainability standards in construction projects.
In this context, the Building Maintenance Team has undertaken radical rehabilitation and restoration works for the Referrals Building in Ahmadi City in order to comply with KOC's adopted environmental standards. The team succeeded in accomplishing its mission; and the building became the first to be converted from traditional to environmental-friendly by 70 percent.
Senior Engineer, Ahmadi Hospital Maintenance Team Dr. Salem Al-Marri, supervised all the stages of planning and restoration. In the following interview with "Al-Kuwaiti" he highlights this pioneering project.
Project with internal resources
Initially, it is necessary to give a simple definition of Green Buildings, which are also called Sustainable or High-performance Buildings that are meant to increase the efficiency of energy, water and construction materials consumption, in addition to protecting the environment and preserving the health of individuals who occupy them.
As for the project Dr. Al-Marri noted that the Company has decided to radically rehabilitate and restore the building of the Referrals Team. In view of this, he discussed the matter with the TL Building Maintenance Mr. Munther Al-Fawzan who welcomed the idea, and informed him that the team will transform the building from a traditional to an environmentally-friendly one, with the aim of reducing consumption of water and electricity.
Al-Marri told the Team Leader that the rehabilitation and restoration process according to the proposed specifications will entail additional 23 percent cost for the Company. Mr. Al-Fawzan threw himself wholeheartedly behind the project and provided all possible support to execute it perfectly, given the importance the Company attaches to preserving the environment and the health of its employees, and providing all capabilities and efforts in this respect.
The team charged with overseeing the project had a key objective relating to reduce water and electricity consumption and improve staff performance, by securing an appropriate work environment.
After an in-depth study of the aspects of the project, it became clear that the additional amounts spent within three years would be recovered. These details were then discussed with the Group Manager who welcomed the idea and stressed the need to commit to the terms of the contract in terms of cost.
According to Al-Marri, it was very important to execute the entire project with internal resources, maintain the interior and exterior design of the building, and the traditional style of the Company's buildings in terms of building style, which was already done.
Integrating building parts
The project was launched with the efforts of the staff of the Ahmadi Hospital Maintenance Team, in cooperation with its sections (Electricity, Mechanics and Civil Works), which provided all possible support with follow-up from the Team Leader.
Planning work began in 2015, where it was finished almost 13 months later, as the team encountered some design obstacles that must be overcome.
The headquarters of the Referrals building consisted of two sections facing each other, while the space between them was open, which meant that it would be constantly exposed to sunlight and dust that affects health and performance of employees at the same time.
From this standpoint, the physical appearance of the building was completely changed, and the two buildings were converted into one integrated building. All interior spaces that separated between the two buildings, which included the Team Leader's office and staff offices were utilized, in addition to the meeting and reception rooms. Ultimately, there was no change in the shape of offices and rooms.
Traditional Style & Environmental Specifications
Within the framework of the project, the Ahmadi Hospital Maintenance Team executed all construction, electrical, mechanical, and air conditioning related work. Work in the project began on isolating the building and using recycled materials in concrete works, where it was used to process the building's floor.
As for the civil structural part, the team redesigned the interior and exterior of the building to keep it in line with the traditional style of the KOC's buildings in Ahmadi. The exterior insulation process was done by replacing the Asbestos Panel with Sandwich Panel and tiles for the roofs, with the aim of breaking direct sunlight, so the building looked like a closed box.
As for the walls, an external limestone wall was built around the old wall and a vacuum was kept between them for further insulation. Heat insulation glass was installed inside and outside, as part of the determination to finalize the insulation process.
As it was intended to get natural lighting for the building as a whole, the depth of the external windows has been increased, and a greater distance has been provided for the refracted light coming from the outside, by extending the depth of the marble by 40 centimetres, in order to break the sunlight and prevent it from entering directly into the building.
The interior windows have become more spacious in the new design, so that employees can see everything in the interior spaces of the building. The windows now overlook the inner garden that contains beds that the Agriculture Team has taken care of, by planting indoor plants to provide visual and psychological comfort to the employees, and increase their performance.
Similar to the process of external insulation, the building was insulated from the inside, including windows, doors and walls, to maintain a specific temperature in all seasons, and the windows were provided with heat insulating glass inside and outside.
Reinforced concrete, with a thickness of 15 centimetres, was used in the floors and it was covered with granite to reduce heat transfer from the ground into the building. Doors were also equipped with electronic sensors to control opening and shutting, to maintain a specific temperature inside.
It was important for the lighting inside to be as natural as possible. Thus the large size of windows, which took a rectangular shape instead of square, resorting to natural lighting in the ceilings (Sky Light) and the use of light colours in painting; contributed to reduce electricity consumption in the building.
The team cooperated with the Electricity Department in executing of water supply works in the building, where washbasins and water mixers were provided with sensors that help in reducing water consumption. As for ventilation, the horizontal and vertical openings for air circulation inside the building were expanded.
Dr. Al-Marri said that his plan to restore the building and turn it into an environmentally-friendly one was to plant a type of imported tree, Paulownia, in the east and west sides of the building, i.e. in line with both directions of the sun. This tree blooms in the summer, while its leaves fall in the winter.
Tangible Results
Ultimately, the team succeeded in achieving tangible results in turning the building 70 percent environmentally-friendly, while savings in electricity consumption reached 18 percent, and water 7 percent. Staff efficiency in conducting transactions improved by 4 percent.
As for improvement of employee performance, Al-Marri pointed out that the internal atmosphere provided by the building development has become very appropriate for the movement of staff and work flow. The reason for this, he said, is that the building is not affected by various climate changes outside, providing the staff with a secure work environment that helps them to accomplish their tasks easily and fully.
He pointed out that there are three clauses in the contract that need to be completed, noting that if they are completed, the building will be 90 per cent environmentally-friendly. However, he added that solar energy is to be used in the building in the future, which was not available in the contract from the start. If solar energy was used electricity savings would have risen to 25 percent.
Dr. Al-Marri stated that responsibility for the building was transferred to the Ahmadi Hospital Maintenance Team, indicating that new ideas will be presented to the team regarding the building. He also stressed that the original plan for the development of the building was aimed at placing fountains inside the planting beds in its inner yard.
The Paulownia Tree
Dr. Al-Marri attaches considerable importance to environmentally-friendly green building issues, and alternative energy, and has a story with the Paulownia tree.
In 2013, he presented a project idea to the Company to invest in the Paulownia tree and received great support from the higher management. The Building Maintenance Team was encountering several problems like breaking and blockage of drainage pipes due to Conocarpus trees that destroy roads, communications, electricity and other infrastructure. He noted that the State of Kuwait approved the replacement of Conocarpus trees, therefore many alternatives such as Royal Poinciana, Jojoba, and other trees have emerged.
He explained that the Paulownia tree is suitable for the climate of Kuwait, because its roots go deep into the ground and do not extend to the sides, but it needs great care in the first year after planting. In addition, it resembles palm trees and supplies the soil with nitrogen, which increases its fertility. The economic returns of Paulownia are high, as it produces the best types of wood that competes with oak wood in quality, hardness and light weight, and its life cycle extends to 6 years, and each tree can produce one cubic meter of wood.
Dr. Al-Marri has a countrywide project that he would like to develop in Kuwait, and he is now working on a feasibility study before bringing it to the concerned authorities. He described the project as being an agricultural one, in which engineering and agriculture overlap, and aims to beautify the city of Ahmadi and preserve its traditional character, by planting types of trees to eliminate visual pollution. He said that the city represents a conduit for air traffic, so it must appear in an aesthetic appearance befitting the status and reputation of Kuwait.
Dr. Salem Al-Marri
- Senior Building Maintenance Engineer, Ahmadi Hospital Maintenance Team.
- Graduate of the Public Authority of Applied Education, Civil Engineering.
- Received a grant from KOC to study at the Maritime Academy for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Egypt.
- Received his Master's degree from the Institute of Environmental Studies and Sciences at Ain Shams University, thesis “Recycling of Structural Waste in Concrete and How to Extract it and Benefit from it".
- Received his Ph.D. from the Department of Engineering Science - Institute of Environmental Studies and Sciences at Ain Shams University with a thesis on "Sustainable Architectural Design as an Introduction to Meet the Social and Psychological Needs of the User - An Applied Study on Ahmadi Region in the State of Kuwait".