Limak aims to accomplish a LEED Gold certificate for T2

KUWAIT: Limak Insaat Kuwait S.P.C. demonstrated its effective corporate social responsibility strategy in environmental sustainability and waste management after reporting that 88 percent of Kuwait International Airport Terminal 2 (T2) construction waste material is diverted from landfills.

As the project contractor, Limak is also committed to accomplishing all LEED Gold certification (Green Building Certification System of USGBC) requirements for construction. Since the start of construction in August 2016, the project has diverted 88 percent of all construction waste from landfills. The T2 project has diverted from landfills around 21,111 tons of materials from a total of approximately 23,897 tons, including 100 percent of all wood, concrete, metal, plastic, cardboard and reused tiles.

LEED Coordinator at Limak, Eng. Orçun Ozhelvaci, said: "As the contractor of the biggest landmark project in Kuwait we aim to obtain LEED Gold certification and to educate the community on the challenges of construction, the benefits of sustainability and how to achieve LEED certification. We want people to see what makes this project unique and to understand the concept behind green buildings."

Limak implements its own Construction Waste Management Plan on-site recognized by the Environmental Public Authority (EPA) as the best implementation of construction waste management in Kuwait. The plan's activities include the set-up of nine 100 sqm collection areas across the site to segregate the waste, and a dedicated waste management team of loaders, foremen, supervisors and engineers.

Limak currently has four ongoing LEED projects worldwide as part of the company's vision to add value to environmental protection. The company's other LEED projects include the Istanbul New Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, the High Speed Train Station in Ankara, Turkey, and the Residence and Mall (Mixed-use building) in Skopje, Macedonia.

Limak announced its environmental achievements during the Project UCON event, held under the theme 'Terminal 2 Design and Construction' at Al-Shaheed Park from February 6 to 13.

Held under the patronage of Environment Public Authority (EPA) Director General and Chairman of the Board Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad Al-Homoud Al-Sabah, Project UCON is a local, environmental initiative of the Ministry of Public Works that aims to promote waste management and recycling in buildings currently under construction.

At the opening ceremony, Limak's Project Director for the New Kuwait International Airport Terminal 2 project, Richard Meredith, said: "At Limak, the environment has always been an important aspect. For every project we undertake - both in Kuwait and across the world - we prepare an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment considering different standards like IFC, World Bank, EBRD, Equator Principles, etc. to predict and assess the potential environmental and social impacts of a proposed project. This enables us to keep up-to-date with international standards and practices as part of our commitment to achieve our vision of a sustainable and greener future. We are proud to be recognized for the impact we have been adding to this field by sharing our studies and techniques with the public and other corporate entities in Kuwait. Through Project UCON and our other activities in Kuwait, we hope to raise awareness on sustainable construction and green building certification and encourage other construction companies in the country and across the region to follow suite."

As a strategic partner to UCON, Limak donated over 8 tons of construction waste materials used in the pavilions and event signage, and designed and constructed all arrangements in the T2 Exhibition Hall. The seating and tables in the hall were produced from and filled with waste materials gathered from the T2 construction site with informational plaques to share information and increase awareness on sustainable construction.