Sustainable development

Introduction

Sustainability is defined the desire to perform activities without any

depletion of resources or bringing any harmful effect on the environment.
Practicing sustainable construction methods will help avoiding harmful
effects from construction activities. Construction involves activities like
use of building materials from various sources, use of machineries,
demolition of existing structures, use of green fields, cutting down of
tress etc. which can impact environment in one or more ways. Civil
engineering field being the major part of the economy, it is very essential
that sustainable construction practice dominate the past followed
conventional construction practice and methods.

Policy

At AL-Rakhees Contracting Company, we are elevating what it means to

be a “green” builder.

Eight years ago, we made a formal commitment to becoming a green

builder. AL-Rakhees is now recognized as a leader in green building
projects. Along the way, we diverted three million tons of construction
waste from landfills, improved our work environment, and reduced our
environmental impact through programs such as the annual Al-Rakhees
Green Zone survey.

However, these efforts alone are not enough. Extreme weather events,
climate change and their impact on people and the built environment
have called on us to lead in new ways. That is why we have begun the
next chapter in AL-Rakhees sustainability story; we have elevated our
approach towards environmental sustainability.
We believe in utilizing our technical expertise to create a healthy,
prosperous and sustainable future for our people, clients and the
environment.
Vision

Three pillars support this achievement of our vision.

 Environmental Efficiency / 2030 Vision Commitment

We will be responsible in the use and protection of natural
resources. Our 2030 Commitment is to reduce the greenhouse
gas emissions and water consumption of our on-site
construction operations by 50 percent by 2030.

By taking a deeper look into the aspects of construction that we

can control – the building process itself – we have the opportunity
to make a direct, measurable impact on the environment. The first
step of the 2030 Commitment is establishing a baseline of our
greenhouse gas emissions and water use on our projects. We
have put in place a metering pilot program that is gathering data.
We will set our company average baseline by late 2020, giving us
ten years to realize our goal.

 Resiliency
Resiliency speaks to the ability to recover from or to be resistant to
the impact of natural and manmade disasters—as well as long-
term changes resulting from climate change.

We will protect and promote personal health and safety during the
construction process. We will increase our technical expertise in
resiliency to support critical decision-making to provide for the
long-term comfort, livability and sustainability of buildings and
communities.

Mindful of the range of extreme weather conditions we face in our

industry, we have a clear focus on providing for the safety and
welfare of people during the construction process and we actively
promote and protect their well-being.

Resiliency is also an expansion of the definition of the strength,

sustainability and livability of buildings. Renewable energy
 sources, especially those that are on site, reduce reliance on
distant power supply that may become unavailable during or after
a storm. Additional considerations include building materials that
withstand high winds, flooding, or extreme temperatures. We will
discuss a range of critical considerations with designers, engineers
and our clients during the design and construction process.

 Green Building
Our people will continue to learn and grow their knowledge and
experience in innovative green technologies and processes. We
will achieve the environmental goals of our projects.

Our people have certainly dedicated themselves to making us

stronger partners for our clients seeking sustainable solutions for
their projects.

We will enhance our culture of sustainability, invest in learning

opportunities for our people, expand our green team network
across the company, and continue to achieve the evolving green
building goals of clients.