Qatar Green Building Council’s premier susainability education programme proved a success

Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), is set to launch a new season of its highly popular premier sustainability education programme.

Aimed at enhancing the quality of green building and sustainability education in Qatar, the first season of the comprehensive professional training programme proved a huge success with more than 800 construction professionals, school teachers, university students, and sustainability activists enrolled on the courses.

Through the sustainability education programme, QGBC supports QF’s mission to foster a progressive society, and seeks to support the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV2030) in creating a vibrant sustainability culture with a special focus on Qatar’s booming construction industry.

Sustainability practices during construction has become an essential part of ensuring major construction and infrastructure projects in Qatar keep up-to-date with the existing international sustainability standards, which is the focus of several courses offered as part of the training programme.

Commenting on the launch of the programme’s new season, Engineer Meshal Al Shamari, QGBC Director, said: “Education is one of QGBC’s main focuses. We also strive to help create a sustainable construction sector in Qatar for the long-term. In order to bring these together, we work with our various local and international partners including the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to design courses tailored to the pressing needs of the Qatari construction and green building sectors.

“Over the last nine months since the launch of the programme, our leading experts and trainers have delivered live and online in-house workshops and training as well as provided support to training modules in major construction conferences in Qatar.”

During the previous training sessions, experts at QGBC also worked closely with the Supreme Council of Education in Qatar to create a better understanding of sustainability among teachers and school students. Multiple courses highlighting green building core concepts were delivered to over 70 teachers in Qatar.

Hamoda Youssef, Research Specialist at QGBC, who leads the comprehensive training programme, said: “We take a different and a rather innovative approach to sustainability education by offering courses for people from all walks of life in Qatar. We believe that achieving a sustainable environment is a collective effort. This approach not only helps the wider industry, but also provides us with a clear understanding of the existing needs.”

Examples of the different training modules featured in the programme include Sustainability Practices During Construction in Qatar, LEED V4 Core Concepts, Green Building Core Concepts For Teachers, Passivhaus Design, Carbon Measuring and Life Cycle Assessment, Green Building Information Modeling, Building Analysis, and Understanding WELL Building Standard.

The new season of the programme is now open for registration with an array of new courses, which have been designed by experts at QGBC during the summer. These courses are available for registration at QGBC’s newly developed website: http://www.qatargbc.org/courses. 

QGBC is a non-profit, membership-driven organisation dedicated to advocating green building solutions, leading industry research, and promoting sustainable practice in the community. QGBC offers membership opportunities to organisations, individuals and students who demonstrate support for the QNV 2030 and showcase passion for environmental sustainability.