Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) and the UK-based Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will allow for close cooperation between the two organisations.
Under the agreement, both groups will raise the profile and recognition of professional construction management and promote awareness of key issues concerning sustainability in the built environment.
“QGBC is committed to establishing best practice in sustainable building for Qatar and we fully embrace the opportunity to work with other international organisations leading best practice in the construction industry. By combining our local expertise with the sizeable experience that the Chartered Institute of Building possesses in the field –stretching back more than a century –this MoU opens the door for powerful collaboration,” said Eng. Rasha Khamis Al-Sulaiti, Vice Chairman of QGBC and Project Manager of Qatar Foundation’s Capital Projects, who signed the MoU on behalf of QGBC.
“Our shared vision for mobilising the construction industry to reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact, while technically empowering our members to lead this transformation, holds great potential for Qatar and the region. I look forward to the innovative initiatives that this MoU will undoubtedly inspire.”
In addition to developing joint research and educational studies in the field of sustainable building, the MoU enables QGBC and the CIOB to design environmentally-friendly projects for implementation in Qatar and abroad.
Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the CIOB trains and certifies specialists working in the international construction industry. Similar to QGBC, its members include consultants, contractors and managers from a wide range of backgrounds, some of which include building regulation, research, education and sustainability.
With 48,000 certified members worldwide, the CIOB's strategy in the Middle East includes close collaboration with universities that offer degrees in construction management, governmental organisations and leading construction companies. The institute is also devoted to sustainable building, having instigated a number of impressive green initiatives in recent years.
Its Carbon Action 2050 project, for example, was launched in 2011 and is a free online tool that provides guidance on every facet of a building’s life cycle and ways to reduce energy use.
The CIOB also strictly adheres to the Global Reporting Initiative, a project that develops applicable sustainability guidelines, to manage its own carbon emissions. Hundreds of the institute’s members have followed suit, and qualified for its ‘Chartered Environmentalist’ award by demonstrating competency in the field of sustainability.
“For us, sustainability means much more than the industry being greener in terms of its waste disposal and energy usage. It is about not compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. That is why education and the way we continually develop and train the industry’s workforce to tackle these issues is so vital,” explained Bridge Bartlett, Chief Operating Officer at the CIOB.
“Professionalising the workforce is fundamental and that means not just building green today but raising the standards for tomorrow. By signing this MoU with the Qatar Green Building Council we aim to better enable the sharing of knowledge and expertise through our networks.”
Alongside leading QGBC and CIOB officials, senior representatives from Interserve and QGBC’s Water Interest Group and Green Hotels Interest Group were also present at the signing, which took place at the Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel.
QGBC, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, was established in 2009 through a decree signed by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser to provide leadership and encourage collaboration in green building design and development in Qatar.
ifpinfo
5 March
