Live in a high rise or in a compound?
hi,
just going to move to Doha/ Qatar in some months. I would like to know:
Would you prefer living in a high rise building/skyscraper (like e.g. the Zig-Zag-Tower) or in a "compound"?
Fortunately my employer will pay part of the rent, so it's not about the price ...
Referring to skyscrapers in Doha: Are there special problems, e.g. with air conditioning etc.?
thanks/ CU
... thanks to you all for your precious informations!
In my experience a far more pressing issue is mold. While fires are scarier, the fatalities rates in Qatar as still statistically quite low. Mold, however, is prevalent throughout the country, causing long-term respiratory problems and, is some cases, acute illness, particularly with children. Some of the black mold strains found in Qatar are particularly bad. You can buy simple testing kits from the US or Europe (I don't know about here), but the results are pretty scary.
marycatherine--having your own smoke detectors are essential. Cheap, easy to install; I am amazed that companies don't issue these immediately to all employees. I was advised to bring my own. In many cases the sprinkler systems are even hooked up to a water source!
as most people have commented, they are death traps in fires and Doha has more than their share of high rise fires. And when you say it's not about the price, well that shows you don't know the price of housing here. It is very expensive and if your employer only pays part of it, then be prepared to pay a lot.
In my experience, the items referred to as smoke detectors in residential housing, specifically in the kitchens are heat detectors. Heat detectors are singularly useless in a fire because the smoke will kill first (Villagio being an example of the cause of death).
The OP does not mention his employer - again, in my experience, the multi-national oil and gas and engineering firms do as you say Bachus and pull their people out of unsafe construction. Mine does not which is why I keep meticulous records should injury or death necessitate a lawsuit.
Which is why I insist on being on the first floor so I have a chance to save myself.
True. One of the American Universities pulled its employees out of Asas Towers because of safety concerns.
Mandi
Mary Catherine--A good quality place with excellent maintenance will have good safety. Compound fires are extremely common due to poor electrical designs and installation--usually from dishwashers and dryers--and smoke detectors are often faulty. The Villagio was a single-story building. Having been a part of the inspection teams of residential areas for my employer, I can say that safety and quality vary enormously in Doha.
For incoming people, the best option is to look very carefully at where multinational private firms with large number of American employees (or the embassy) place their people, because of the massive liability they carry. These companies have inspection groups that carry out their own assessments.
Sorry Bachus but the key quality is safety, in a villa you may risk a broken leg from the upstairs. In an apartment block you may be screwed. Almost all construction, wiring, plumbing etc, here is sub standard to a dangerous degree.
Be aware that most fire ladders reach only to the 8th or 10th floor, the stairways may be blocked by garbage or neighbors using them as storage spaces.
At least in a villa or the first floor of an apartment block you might risk breaking a leg if you had to jump.
Go to dohanews.co to read the latest on the poor construction standards, dismal inspection standards, and total lack of any standards in place to be adhered to. Based on a Northwestern University-Qatar report.
It all depends entirely on the building or compound. The key quality and great maintenance. Without that, the place is a dump whether or a tower or a compound.
http://qatarcl.com/a,49945,VIVA-BAHRIYA---SF-STUDIO.htm