Barwa and Qatari Diar Research Institute (BQDRI) has launched the first version of Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS).

BQDRI, the premier organisation supporting research and training to ensure sustainable development in Qatar and the world, has launched QSAS for cities and urban planning.

The QSAS system covers indicative design guidelines for best practices in the field of urban planning along with the evaluation guide for cities in addition to a range of software that facilitates the process of conducting the necessary calculations for the design of the project.

The system also includes a project management system specially designed to help designers, developers and owners to control the project assessment from all sides to achieve the highest levels of sustainability in major developments.

To guarantee efficiency in implementation, QSAS was designed and developed according to the local needs of the Middle East region, taking into consideration the region’s social, economic, environmental and cultural conditions which are different from other parts of the world where issues such as desertification, water scarcity, communication and cultural identity and heritage neglected,' said a spokesperson.

“QSAS is considered a safety valve to preserve the architectural identity of the gulf region, since it encourages adopting sustainable design principles which coincide with environment in shape and context, and takes into account issues that imported assessment systems do not,” said BDQRI chairman Dr Yousef Al-Horr.

QSAS criteria are divided into eight categories - Urban Connectivity, Site, Energy, Water, Materials, Indoor Environment, Cultural & Economic Value, and Management & Operations - each with a direct impact on environmental stress mitigation.

The BDQRI has also announced the Green Building Solutions Exhibition & Conference (GBS 2011) to be held in Doha on March 1 to 3, 2011. - TradeArabia News Service