GORD Accredits 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Stadiums Operating Team

Doha, November 08 (QNA) - The Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) held a workshop on the Global System for Sustainability Assessment Standards "GSAS", in the presence of a group of engineers and specialists in operations and facilities management, to ensure sustainable operation and maintenance of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums and beyond. The workshop was organized in cooperation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy at Al Janoub Stadium - one of the eight stadiums to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Representatives from both the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and Mosanada, a company providing consultancy services for facilities management for infrastructure projects, attended the meeting. At the end of the workshop, the work team was awarded sustainability certificates for the operation and maintenance of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums in accordance with the standards of the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) by the Gulf Organization for Research and Development. In this regard, Chairman of the Gulf Organization for Research and Development Dr. Yousef Al Horr said that with the near completion of most World Cup stadiums in Qatar, it is time to move sustainability to the next stage that comes after design and construction and to this end, the Gulf organization is proud to be part of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy's journey to enhance the knowledge, skills, and tools needed in the world of sustainability through a series of GSAS workshops. For his part, Director of the Al Janoub Stadium Project Eng. Abdulaziz Al Ishaq said that Qatari stadiums meet all the sustainability criteria required to obtain GSAS certificates with distinguished evaluations. He added that with regard to these projects, he started adhering to sustainability standards from the beginning of the design and construction, when they issued the tender documents, they defined the sustainability measures that they were looking for, which were incorporated during the design, construction, delivery and operation stages. Commenting on the recent training in the workshop, Engineer Al Ishaq added that the role of the Gulf Organization for Research and Development in coordination with the Supreme Committee was completely successful, as the training was very interesting for the participants in the workshop, pointing out that the training also included the ideal operation of these facilities in a healthy environment. Given that it is the first green building certification system in the Middle East and North Africa region, the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) aims to reduce the carbon footprint of projects related to design, construction and operations mainly through three certificates: GSAS Design and Build, GSAS Construction Management, GSAS Operating. In this context, the GSAS Employment Framework is based on the fact that construction operations have a direct and significant impact on the natural environment, the economy, and human health, therefore, it is at the core of GSAS Operations the importance of operation and maintenance practices to reduce the negative environmental impacts of existing buildings and infrastructure projects. It is worth noting that with the adoption of the GSAS system by FIFA to be applied in all stadiums of the World Cup in Qatar 2022, GSAS Operation will remain a key part of the sustainability journey in stadiums, in line with the commitment of the Supreme Committee to present the first World Cup championship without carbon emissions. Professionals trained by GSAS Operations will be qualified to conduct sustainability audits for stadium operations prior to external audits by GSAS, to ensure that stadium operations meet and exceed FIFA's sustainability requirements, through knowledge exercises such as the last workshop, the ultimate goal is to prepare qualified teams to operate and maintain stadiums sustainably. It is noteworthy that the Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) is a non-profit company affiliated with Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, which leads the sustainability scene in the Middle East and North Africa. The main operations of the organization include research and development, preparing standards, issuing sustainability certificates for green buildings, calculating carbon credits, building capabilities, and testing performance. The Gulf organization also targets all areas of environmental sustainability and combating climate change, to keep pace with the United Nations goals of sustainable development. In line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, the Gulf Organization for Research and Development is leading efforts towards the transformation of society, industrial sectors, and the built environment towards sustainability, by influencing the performance of companies, enhancing innovation, and developing capabilities to enable sustainable low-carbon growth for current and future generations. (QNA)