Dr al-Horr announces the launch of GSAS Version 2.0 as Dr Elsarrag and al-Ayoubi look on. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed
By Bonnie James/Deputy News Editor
Qatar’s Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (Gord) has launched Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) Version 2.0, described as the ‘world’s most comprehensive’ sustainability rating system for the built environment.
“The highlights of the new GSAS version include the world’s first railroad projects assessment system, and the Middle East’s first sustainable parks and public space assessment system,” Gord founding chairman Dr Yousef al-Horr said yesterday.
Systems to assess urban planning, health facilities, sports facilities, green buildings project management system GSAS gate, training programmes for professionals in the real estate sector and launch of GSAS computer-based tests around the world are among the new features.
GSAS Version 2.0 has upgraded the system to handle - through a scientific approach - the technical challenges involved in air conditioning open stadiums, using conventional methods as well as renewable energy, in line with the Fifa 2022 requirements.
Revealing that a simulator model has been built for the first time from an environmentally sustainable perspective, Dr al-Horr said that GSAS is the world’s only system designed to assess sports facilities and meet the needs of stadiums and pitches in 2022.
Gord’s experts have developed the railroad assessment system by incorporating ‘exceptional features,’ including the ability to evaluate the efficiency of modern energy-saving methods against financial costs, while enabling users to apply sustainability standards in early design stages.
“Rail projects represent Qatar’s main option in public transport, with projected investments worth $40bn. The GSAS railroad assessment system depends on a set of subjective measures that can be applied on the entire rail network,” Dr al-Horr said.
Five new health centres have been registered for GSAS-compliant design and the objective is to widen the initiative to cover major hospitals too. “This would make Qatar the only country to develop a specific system that is practically applied,” the official maintained. Referring to the parks and public spaces assessment system, Dr al-Horr expressed hopes of seeing sustainable parks in the near future, as a first step towards instilling in the society sustainability concepts, such as saving water and renewable energy lighting.
GSAS gate allows all parties of a real estate project to register their projects and monitor the progress of their assessment while exchanging opinions and suggestions online through an integrated electronic environment, consistent with sustainability requirements to protect natural resources.
In order to offer GSAS professional tests across the world, Gord has entered into a partnership with Prometric Inc for developing a testing platform that enables computer-based delivery of exams through more than 300 centres in over 100 countries. The Qatar Financial Centre’s Academy is the approved testing centre in Qatar.
“Yet another distinctive feature in the new version is ‘GSAS Publication Series,’ which provides all scientific references and technical information on amazon.com as well as international publishing houses, to facilitate easy access to information and support Gord’s globalisation goals,” added Dr al-Horr, who was accompanied by research and development director Dr Esam Elsarrag and marketing and corporate communications head Salah al-Ayoubi.
