AN AGREEMENT to develop codes and standards to promote sustainable construction has been signed in Doha, Qatar.

The agreement aims to minimise energy and water use as well as carbon emissions of buildings, especially those in urban areas in the GCC, in order to rein in the depletion of natural resources and encourage the construction of green buildings.

The new system will be utilised to evaluate and assess building materials used in the Gulf region.

The agreement was signed by Yousef Mohamed Al Horr, founding chairman of Qatar-based Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (Gord) and Nabil Amin Almullah, secretary general of Standardisation Organisation of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GSO) at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).

A memorandum of co-operation related to this was also signed.

While Gord seeks to make buildings resource and energy-efficient through their design, GSO will look to unify different standardisation activities in the region and draw comprehensive plans based on the needs and potentials of member states.

The initiative comes at a time when the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), Qatar’s green building rating system, is expected to be mandatory in the new Qatar Construction Specification Code to be launched by the end of this year.