Senior members of the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development’s (GORD) Center of Excellence, GSAS Trust, joined an international workshop titled “Recycling and Reconstruction – Building Methods and Materials for Post-War Syria." The hybrid workshop was organized through a collaboration between the Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft Thüringen and the Innovation Center at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Germany.

With tens of thousands of buildings destroyed or severely damaged in Syria during the war, the workshop was aimed at facilitating exchange and collaboration between academia and industry to develop ecological, practical and economically viable approaches for the sustainable reconstruction of Syria.

On the first day of the workshop, representatives from GSAS Trust presented on the topic of “Accelerating Re-Urbanization through the Implementation of the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) Framework in the Reconstruction of Syria." The presentation introduced the GSAS framework and its potential application for a green recovery in Syria. It discussed the alignment of GSAS with Syria’s reconstruction targets of rubble management, circular economy, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically #SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and #SDG13 (Climate Action). It also highlighted the economic and financial benefits of applying the GSAS framework in a post-conflict Syria.

GSAS Trust introduced a novel assessment model tailored for the case of post-conflict and after war situations. The model addresses the critical challenge of prioritizing sustainable recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts to increase the resilience of nations and communities.