To ensure sustainable operations and maintenance of the stadiums during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and beyond, the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (Gord) has certified a group of 34 engineers, operators and facility management professionals recently.
Titled GSAS Operations Certified Green Professional (CGP) Workshop, the course was organised in collaboration with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) at the site of Al Janoub Stadium.
Attending the training were representatives from SC and Mosanada, the organisation responsible for providing facility management consultancy services for SC's infrastructure projects.
Gord founding chairman, Dr Yousef Alhorr, said “with most World Cup stadiums in Qatar now nearing completion, it is about time we took sustainability to the next stage that comes after design and construction.
"Now is the time for Qatar’s stadiums to gear up for setting yet another benchmark by incorporating green principles in their operations phase.
"To this end, Gord is proud to be a part of SC’s journey by providing the necessary knowledge, skillsets and tools within the sustainability realm through its GSAS Workshop series.”
Abdulaziz Ali al-Ishaq, Al Janoub Stadium manager, said, “Qatar’s stadiums meet all the required sustainability measures to obtain GSAS certificates with outstanding ratings.
"For these projects, sustainability started from the very beginning. When we issued the documents for tendering, we had specified the sustainability measures we were looking for.
"These were incorporated during the design, construction, handover and commissioning stages.
“The role of Gord in co-ordination with SC is very sound. The training was very interesting for the participants. It elaborated how we can run these facilities in the right manner with a healthy environment,” he added.
Adam Wood, deputy director, Business Solutions at Mosanda, said, “GSAS operations is the framework that has been used and approved for ensuring that the stadiums are sustainably operated. At Mosanada, we make sure that all aspects of the operations of the stadiums are sustainable and are setting world leading trends.
“Sustainable operations have already begun at the stadiums. Getting certified under GSAS operations takes time as we need to collect 12 months of data.
"Since a lot of these stadiums have only just been handed over or have not been operating for extended periods, it’s going to be a little while before we see these shiny gold plaques for GSAS Operations,” he pointed out.
GSAS aims to curb the projects’ carbon footprint linked with their design, construction and operations primarily through three certifications – GSAS Design & Build, GSAS Construction Management and GSAS Operations.
GSAS Operations framework is premised on the fact that building operations have a direct and significant impact on the natural environment, economy and human health.
The recent workshop was both theoretical and practical in nature.
Following the technical training, attendees of the course received live demonstration about the equipment and monitoring systems required to perform operations audit.
A visit to Al Janoub mechanical rooms took place which was an added value to all participants.
During the site tour of the stadium, candidates learnt various approaches and practices to accurately record and analyse data from monitoring systems linked with air quality, thermal imaging and comfort, noise and acoustics, and energy and water consumption.
It also included a quick overview about energy audits and water audits was summarised for future exploration.
With GSAS endorsed by FIFA for its implementation on all FIFA 2022 World Cup stadiums across Qatar, GSAS Operations will remain a key part of the stadiums’ sustainability journey in line with the SC’s commitment to deliver the first carbon neutral World Cup.
Candidates receiving training in GSAS Operations will be eligible to carry out sustainability audits for the stadiums’ operations prior to external audits by GSAS Trust.
Attending the training were representatives from SC and Mosanada, the organisation responsible for providing facility management consultancy services for SC's infrastructure projects.
Gord founding chairman, Dr Yousef Alhorr, said “with most World Cup stadiums in Qatar now nearing completion, it is about time we took sustainability to the next stage that comes after design and construction.
"Now is the time for Qatar’s stadiums to gear up for setting yet another benchmark by incorporating green principles in their operations phase.
"To this end, Gord is proud to be a part of SC’s journey by providing the necessary knowledge, skillsets and tools within the sustainability realm through its GSAS Workshop series.”
Abdulaziz Ali al-Ishaq, Al Janoub Stadium manager, said, “Qatar’s stadiums meet all the required sustainability measures to obtain GSAS certificates with outstanding ratings.
"For these projects, sustainability started from the very beginning. When we issued the documents for tendering, we had specified the sustainability measures we were looking for.
"These were incorporated during the design, construction, handover and commissioning stages.
“The role of Gord in co-ordination with SC is very sound. The training was very interesting for the participants. It elaborated how we can run these facilities in the right manner with a healthy environment,” he added.
Adam Wood, deputy director, Business Solutions at Mosanda, said, “GSAS operations is the framework that has been used and approved for ensuring that the stadiums are sustainably operated. At Mosanada, we make sure that all aspects of the operations of the stadiums are sustainable and are setting world leading trends.
“Sustainable operations have already begun at the stadiums. Getting certified under GSAS operations takes time as we need to collect 12 months of data.
"Since a lot of these stadiums have only just been handed over or have not been operating for extended periods, it’s going to be a little while before we see these shiny gold plaques for GSAS Operations,” he pointed out.
GSAS aims to curb the projects’ carbon footprint linked with their design, construction and operations primarily through three certifications – GSAS Design & Build, GSAS Construction Management and GSAS Operations.
GSAS Operations framework is premised on the fact that building operations have a direct and significant impact on the natural environment, economy and human health.
The recent workshop was both theoretical and practical in nature.
Following the technical training, attendees of the course received live demonstration about the equipment and monitoring systems required to perform operations audit.
A visit to Al Janoub mechanical rooms took place which was an added value to all participants.
During the site tour of the stadium, candidates learnt various approaches and practices to accurately record and analyse data from monitoring systems linked with air quality, thermal imaging and comfort, noise and acoustics, and energy and water consumption.
It also included a quick overview about energy audits and water audits was summarised for future exploration.
With GSAS endorsed by FIFA for its implementation on all FIFA 2022 World Cup stadiums across Qatar, GSAS Operations will remain a key part of the stadiums’ sustainability journey in line with the SC’s commitment to deliver the first carbon neutral World Cup.
Candidates receiving training in GSAS Operations will be eligible to carry out sustainability audits for the stadiums’ operations prior to external audits by GSAS Trust.
