Doha: The 5th meeting of the GCC Technical Committee on Sustainable Building Standards (GSO TC17) has convened in Doha. The event was attended by representatives from the Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO), the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the national standardization bodies of the GCC member states.
According to Qatar News Agency, representatives of the GCC states, alongside a representative from the Republic of Yemen, participated in deliberations focused on key priorities for 2025. These discussions included reviewing newly proposed Gulf standards related to the sustainability of building design, construction, and operation across all building types.
The meeting underscored the shared commitment of the GCC member states to advancing sustainable development initiatives through collaboration and innovation to meet the aspirations of the Gulf peoples.
The event concluded with Dr. Yousef bin Mohammed Alhorr, Chairman of GORD and head of GSO TC17, affirming GORD’s commitment within the GCC states. This includes pursuing numerous standard specifications and technical guidelines for sustainable buildings aimed at achieving an enduring and climate-adaptable urban environment.
Held in person and virtually at GORD’s premises in the Qatar Science and Technology Park, the two-day meeting issued recommendations to adopt a new package of standard specifications and technical guidelines. These will be shared with member states for further review and technical feedback, paving the way for approval of priority standardization projects.
GSO TC17, affiliated with GSO, focuses on advancing and adopting standard specifications related to sustainable buildings in the region. Qatar holds both the chairmanship and secretariat of this committee, tasked with devising standard specifications for environmentally compatible green buildings, particularly standards that reduce energy consumption by up to 30 percent.
These specifications cover material properties, technical stipulations, testing methods, and terminology, along with creating a unified Gulf framework for evaluating green buildings.
GORD is a non-profit institution dedicated to environmental sustainability in the Middle East and North Africa. It aims to support the transformation of societies, institutional frameworks, and the built environment toward sustainability, enhancing innovation and capacity development for low-carbon sustainable growth for current and future generations.
Meanwhile, GSO operates as a regional standardization body comprising the GCC member states and the Republic of Yemen. It works to unify standardization activities, oversee their implementation, and ensure adherence in collaboration with the national standardization bodies of member states.