D’Arcy grins and bears it
DOHA – It’s not that Australia lacks great, legendary trees.
Heard about the outback mulga, its wood sought after for making spear throwers and boomerangs?
Then there’s the striking baobab, traditional meeting place for campfire discussions. Of course there’s the ubiquitous gum tree or eucalypt, the iconic Australian forest tree.
Yet, when Paul D’Arcy left the lush eucalypt forests of Australia to take up the general manager post at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), he was a tad apprehensive at first.
Koalas sleep most of the time and spend three of their five active hours eating eucalypt leaves. They are known to become violent when disturbed from their hazy slumber.
“I was relieved to discover that Qatar has its own iconic tree, the sidra, which casts a wonderful shade for napping,†said D’Arcy.
“And exchanging ideas of course,†he hastily added.
The sidra is a beloved icon in Qatari history and culture. The Bedouin, who would use it for shelter and meetings, treasure it.
The sidra is also the basis of QNCC’s distinct design as well as its corporate identity. The Centre’s spectacular steel façade features a soaring, tree like structure.
QNCC’s logo is symbolic of the tree base, reflecting a strong platform for communication.
And so it transpired that under the shade of a sidra tree, the QNCC’s pre-opening team held its first “green meeting†to discuss the stringent requirements of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.
“We’re aiming for gold certification,†said D’Arcy, huddled with staff under the sidra like the poets and scholars of yore did.
The LEED System is an internationally recognised benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
The rating system covers sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and design process.
From gum tree to sidra, Paul D’Arcy’s tree change will see him presiding over the opening of Qatar’s “Centre of Distinction†during the first quarter of 2011.
Footnote: D’Arcy was previously in charge of the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, and before anyone points out there are no koalas in the wild in Western Australia, Paul encountered the little critters when he travelled the country frequently in pursuit of business.
Ian Jarrett
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