Naseej and Habitat organize the Urban Heat Resilience Hackathon in 5 categories

Naseej Company, one of the pioneers of real estate development in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in cooperation with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, “Habitat”, announced the organization of the Urban Heat Resilience Hackathon during the period from 25 to 27 October this year, at the Bahrain Scientific Center for Sustainable Development Goals, in five categories, with the participation of an elite group of young creators and innovators in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

This event is organized within the framework of Urban October, which this year highlights the theme of “Responding to Urban Crises” and celebrates the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. The hackathon aims to motivate young minds to design innovative and sustainable solutions to confront the phenomenon of rising temperatures in cities and enhance their climate resilience.

The hackathon extends over 48 consecutive hours, where participants will compete to develop prototypes and ideas within 5 main categories, including: cooled building materials and designs, smart cooling and energy efficiency, cooled community spaces, heat-resistant urban planning, and natural solutions for cooling and public green spaces.

The team that wins first place will get the opportunity to have its project incubated within one of Naseej’s future projects, to develop the prototype with technical and advisory support from the company’s work teams, allowing it to transform its idea into a practical, implementable model. The first three winners will also receive certificates of appreciation and distinguished training opportunities, in addition to field visits to the company’s project sites to gain direct experience and knowledge in the field of sustainable real estate development.

The Urban Heat Resilience Hackathon represents a unique platform that brings together innovation, technology, and society for a more sustainable, healthy, and resilient urban future. It seeks to stimulate collective and creative work to confront environmental challenges through realistic, applicable solutions that support Bahrain’s vision of building smart, climate-adapted cities.

Naseej CEO Amin Al-Arrayed said: “We are proud of our partnership with UN-Habitat in organizing this innovative hackathon, which embodies Naseej’s commitment to supporting national and global efforts to confront the challenges of climate change. We believe that sustainable solutions start from ideas, and that engaging Bahraini youth and talents in designing a more resilient and intelligent future is an essential step towards green and sustainable cities that are in line with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals. In this regard, we affirm the company’s commitment to supporting everything that is innovative to create sustainable and smart urban cities in the Kingdom.”

For his part, the representative of the UN-Habitat program in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the head of the country program in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. Ayman Al-Hafnawi: “This hackathon comes at a time when there is an increasing need for innovative solutions to confront the effects of rising temperatures on cities and their residents. This initiative constitutes an important platform to stimulate innovation, build the capabilities of young people, and enhance their participation in formulating realistic solutions based on knowledge, technology, and creativity. The Kingdom of Bahrain is considered an advanced model in adopting sustainable city initiatives, and through our cooperation with Naseej, we look forward to Developing practical projects that contribute to enhancing cities’ resilience and preparedness in the face of climate change and improving the quality of life in urban environments in line with the Habitat Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and the Sustainable Development Goals.”

In turn, Executive Director of Real Estate Development at Naseej Company, Ayman Buhiji, added: “This hackathon is a clear indication of the company’s keenness and the focus of its strategic vision on building sustainable communities that serve the current and future structure of growth and development of the Kingdom. This hackathon will have a positive impact on increasing awareness of the sectors of sustainability, smart urban construction, increasing green spaces, and the qualitative addition that the company’s development projects provide.” “The real estate development sector will be sustainable for generations to come.”

It is noteworthy that the partnership between Naseej and the United Nations Human Settlements Program began at the end of 2023 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at promoting initiatives to develop sustainable communities in Bahrain. This is the first partnership of its kind between the program and a Bahraini real estate development company, as the two parties are working to implement a number of projects and initiatives aimed at achieving sustainable development goals and the new urban agenda, in line with Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda.