Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kuwait University and Al-Sayer Holding Group, to qualify students of Kuwait University’s College of Architecture for the “GSAS Certified Green Professional" program.

By training the students of Kuwait University’s College of Architecture on the requirements of the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) for green buildings and sustainability in the built environment, the MoU aims at fostering collaboration in the field of education and training related to environmental sustainability and green buildings. In addition to accrediting the professors of the College of Architecture at Kuwait University as trainers licensed by GORD to teach and train the university students on GSAS standards, as well as granting the Architecture department at the university with GSAS tools and suites for educational purposes.

Speaking about the MoU, Dr. Yousef Mohammed Alhorr, Founding Chairman of the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD), said, “We are proud to sign this MoU with Kuwait University and Al-Sayer Group. It is the first of its kind since the launch of the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), which is now transcending from professional industry to universities. GSAS has proven to be the ideal sustainability system that suits the regional climatic conditions while also being in line with our culture, environment and heritage, and this is what distinguishes it from other sustainability systems.”

“We consider this cooperation with Kuwait University a continuation of our years-long work with ministries, companies and institutions, aimed at enhancing sustainability and environmental preservation within the State of Kuwait through a range of projects that we have successfully completed in cooperation with our partners in Kuwait,” added Dr. Alhorr, expressing his confidence in preparing a new generation of graduates of the College of Architecture at Kuwait University, who prioritize sustainability of the built environment and building operations, in a way that achieves environmental sustainability in line with Kuwait Vision 2035, which targets capacity building and  human resources required to enhance sustainability practices at all levels.

This agreement is a culmination of GSAS system’s contribution in the State of Kuwait that goes back to more than ten years, with GSAS being considered one of the most popular green building systems implemented in the country. GSAS implementation in Kuwait started with cooperation coming from Green Building Committee in 2010 and the National Codes Committee. It progressed with an MoU with Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works, collaboration with Al-Sayer Group Holding in January 2015, and a strategic partnership with the National Technology Enterprises Company (NTEC) in 2019, followed by Kuwait’s first Low Energy House launched in collaboration with the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW). More recently in April 2021, Al-Sayer Group’s Fahaheel Service Center in Kuwait was awarded with Platinum rating for GSAS Operations Certification, and in October 2021, Kuwait National Petroleum Company’s Technical Building and Al-Zour Administration Building were crowned with GSAS certifications.

The Acting Vice President of the University for Scientific Affairs, Prof. Dr. Mashari Al-Aifan, expressed his happiness with the partnership between Kuwait University, the ALSAYER Group and GORD, which aims to enhance the cooperation towards scientific research, achieving sustainable development, and establishing an integrated system that serves the students as well as all the people of the State of Kuwait. These goals can be achieved by supporting institutions that focus on capacity building and create a strong sustainability culture that combines the economy and the environment.

Dr. Omar Khattab, Acting Dean of the College of Architecture at Kuwait University, said, “We look forward to cooperating with the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD) and ALSAYER Group Holding to train our faculty members in the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS). With technical support from GORD and generous financial support from ALSAYER Group, our faculty members will then train the students to apply green building principles in all their architectural design projects.”

Dr. Khattab highlighted that architecture and urbanization practices have a significant impact on the natural environment. They contribute to the global warming and climate change, the negative and destructive effects of which are experienced by all. Hence, since its inception, the College of Architecture has been spreading awareness among college students and Kuwaiti society in general about the concept of green building. The institute does so by teaching compulsory and elective courses focused on green building strategies and the best ways to implement and evaluate them through various sustainability assessment systems. Dr. Khattab stressed that there is no doubt that this generous initiative by leading partners – GORD and ALSAYER Group – will leave great impacts on developing related academic courses and deepening their positive influence on students and faculty members.

Mr. Mubarak Nasser Al-Sayer, CEO of ALSAYER Group Holding, said, “We are pleased today to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Kuwait University and the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development, with the aim to cooperate in the field of training related to environmental sustainability and green buildings by teaching students of the College of Architecture at Kuwait University about the requirements of the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS).

“We started cooperating with GORD a long time ago, and this resulted in achieving the platinum rating of GSAS Operations certification for our facilities, including the main Headquarter building in the free zone, ALSAYER Showroom in Qurain, ALSAYER After-Sales Service Center (Fahaheel), and currently we are working on obtaining GSAS certification for the largest ALSAYER building, which is vehicle delivery center in Ardiya. This partnership will contribute to spreading awareness about sustainable building and construction practices, preserving natural resources, protecting the environment and improving the welfare of current and future generations, in line with Kuwait Vision 2035.” He added.

Mr. Al-Sayer pointed out that to ensure practical application of courses taught at Kuwait University, a competition for the best environmental design will be announced in the future.

It is worth noting that the development of the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) draws best practices adopted from 40 regional and international rating systems, shortlisted from more than 140 building rating systems, tools, guidelines and standards applied around the globe, while also taking into consideration the environmental, climatic and legislative conditions of the countries within the Gulf Cooperation Council region.

One of the key objectives of the GSAS system is to spread awareness among construction professionals and the general public about the importance of living their lives in a sustainable manner, conserving natural resources, protecting the environment and improving human wellbeing.

The Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) is the first green building system in the MENA region that relies on objective performance criteria in evaluating green building and infrastructure projects. It aims to improve the design, construction and operations of buildings, while also addressing the sustainability challenges specific to the regional built environment.

So far, more than 1,500 buildings and 2.4 billion square feet of master plans have been registered under the GSAS system, in addition to dozens of parks, neighborhoods and infrastructure projects.

GSAS works to improve the sustainability performance of buildings and infrastructure during the design, construction and operation phases with a dedicated certification for each phase, namely: GSAS Design and Build for new building and infrastructure projects to evaluate sustainability performance; GSAS Construction Management for ongoing building and infrastructure projects to assess their sustainability impact over the course of construction, and GSAS Operations for existing building and infrastructure projects to evaluate the sustainability impact of operations.

The Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) has also been adopted by mega projects such as FIFA 2022 World Cup stadiums, Lusail City, railway stations and government and infrastructure projects within Qatar. The system was launched in the region as a result of its suitability to the regional climatic conditions.