Global Sustainability Academy, a center of excellence of Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD) organized a workshop held in QNCC on GSAS Operations certification specialized to train building administrators, commissioning engineers, environmentalists, and movement officials on the best practices for saving energy and water through the use of GSAS tools.

GSAS Operations certification aims to reduce the environmental impacts of existing buildings, to improve health and well-being and occupant satisfaction by adopting the best practice available. Irrespective of how buildings are designed and built, the actual sustainability footprint largely depends upon how buildings are operated.

The workshop attracted the participation of more than 50 practitioners working in various public and private sectors in Qatar and the region. Representing government entities and local organizations, the delegates reaffirmed their commitment to improving the sustainability standards of the built environment and address the need to conserve water and energy consumption in Qatar and the region.

The certificate targets five main assessment categories: energy consumption and performance, water consumption, indoor environment quality, waste management, and facility management. Projects that target the standard operations scheme must fulfill the energy, water and facility management requirements. While projects that demonstrate compliance in the energy, water, indoor environment, waste management and facility management categories will be awarded the Premium Scheme certificate.

Additionally, the GSAS Operation Certification introduces five certification ratings to recognize the project achievement and measure the sustainability impact of operational practices for a specific building type. Whether bronze, silver, gold, platinum or diamond, each rating corresponds to a specific range of the aggregated score of all assessment criteria.

By promoting the best sustainability practices in building design, construction management and operations, GSAS aims to create a sustainable built environment, minimize resource consumption and reduce environmental degradation caused by urbanization in the region.