Final Draft QSAS Technical Guide

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v1.0-2012
GSAS/QSAS Technical Committee
Gulf Organisation for Research & Development
Suite 203, Level 2, Tech 1 Building
Qatar Science & Technology Park
August 2013
GSAS/QSAS Technical Guide

2

Table of Contents
Special Note ............................................................................................................................... 4
GSAS/QSAS Industrial Advertising Policy .................................................................................. 4
Disclaimer .................................................................................................................................. 4
Copyright ................................................................................................................................... 5
Trademarks ................................................................................................................................ 5
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... 5
Abbreviations and Acronyms .................................................................................................... 6
Why this Technical Guide was Developed? ............................................................................... 7
How This Technical Guide is Organized? ................................................................................... 8
How to Use this Technical Guide? ............................................................................................. 8
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 9
Part 1 Knowing the Development of GSAS/QSAS ................................................................. 10
Who is GORD? ..................................................................................................................... 10
What is GSAS/QSAS? ........................................................................................................... 10
What is the GSAS/QSAS Framework? .................................................................................. 10
How is the GSAS/QSAS Developed? .................................................................................... 12
What are the GSAS/QSAS Elements? .................................................................................. 13
What are the GSAS/QSAS Categories? ................................................................................ 14
What are the GSAS/QSAS Criteria? ..................................................................................... 26
Part 2 Using GSAS/QSAS ....................................................................................................... 38
What are the Different GSAS/QSAS Schemes? ................................................................... 38
Which GSAS/QSAS Scheme should the Project Team Use? ................................................ 38
What is the Scope of the GSAS/QSAS Schemes? ................................................................. 39
What are the GSAS/QSAS Suites? ....................................................................................... 50
Why there is a GSAS/QSAS Amendment? ........................................................................... 53
What is the GSAS/QSAS Scoring Mechanism? .................................................................... 54
How is the GSAS/QSAS Criterion Measured? ...................................................................... 57
What is the GSAS/QSAS Submittal Process? ....................................................................... 58
How to Improve the GSAS/QSAS Score for the Project? ..................................................... 59
Part 3 Applying for Projects Certifications ........................................................................... 61
What is the Policy for GSAS/QSAS Project Certifications? .................................................. 61

3

What are the GSAS/QSAS Stages of Assessment? .............................................................. 61
What is the Process Flow for GSAS/QSAS Project Certification? ........................................ 65
How is the Project Certified? ............................................................................................... 66
How to Register a Project? .................................................................................................. 67
What is the GSAS/QSAS Certification Fee Structure? ......................................................... 68
Part 4 Requirements to Register a Project for Certification ................................................. 69
What Type of Individual Certification is required to manage a Project for Certification? .. 69
Who Signs-Off the Assessed Criterion? ............................................................................... 70
What type of Corporate Membership is required to register a Project for Certification? . 70
Part 5 GORD Centers of Excellence ...................................................................................... 72
What is GSAS Trust? ............................................................................................................ 72
What is GORD Academy? .................................................................................................... 72
What is GORD Institute? ...................................................................................................... 72
What is GORD Consult? ....................................................................................................... 72
What is GORD Ventures?..................................................................................................... 72
Need More Information? .................................................................................................... 72
Appendices .............................................................................................................................. 73
Appendix A GSAS/QSAS Schemes Matrix ......................................................................... 73
Appendix B Fee Structures ............................................................................................... 74
Appendix C Sign Off Documents and Forms (TBA) ........................................................... 78
Appendix D References .................................................................................................... 79
Glossary of GSAS/QSAS Lexicon .............................................................................................. 81

4

Special Note

The primary objective of developing GSAS/QSAS is to create a sustainable built environment
that minimizes ecological impact while addressing the specific regional needs and
environment of the country. In Qatar, the Ministry of Environment has introduced a new
section in the latest version of Qatar Construction Specifications (QCS 2010) entitled SEC (7)
Green Construction where GSAS/ QSAS has been acknowledged as the only rating schemes
to be applied for the sustainability assessment of green buildings design, construction, and
operations.
GSAS/QSAS Industrial Advertising Policy

GSAS/QSAS Technical Guide has been developed to provide practical guidance for the
construction industry by offering a performance-based sustainable built environment rating
schemes customized to the unique conditions and requirements of the country or region. The
creation of the GSAS/QSAS rating schemes are determined by the need to encourage and
promote innovation in the design, construction and operation of responsible and sustainable
built environments that minimizes ecological impact while addressing the specific regional
needs and environment of the country. Measurements for the rating schemes are designed to
be performance-based and quantifiable, wherever possible.
In referring to GSAS/QSAS Technical Guide and certifying the set targets for the statistical
outcomes of the sustainable built environment and in advertising, no claim shall be made,
either stated or implied that the proper design, product selections, components sizing, system
choices, safety or other building and system design considerations has been approved by
GORD. For such considerations other sources need to be inspected, depending on local
regulations, client specifications and contractual agreements. All applying codes and
standards are in no way subsumed or affected by GSAS/QSAS approach which only targets
the outcomes of the sustainable built environment. The benefits of such approach are not to
impinge on the design freedom which leads to market acceptance, innovations, and the
maturity of the supply chain, which can accelerate the adoption of more stringent code over
time.
Disclaimer

GORD accepts no responsibility for any unauthorized revisions or amendments by others of
this Technical Guide and may take legal action to prevent such tampering or distribution of
tampered Technical Guide.

5

The GSAS/QSAS manuals, toolkits, and project management suites are still undergoing
minor updates. Some of the GSAS/QSAS references that GORD used in this Technical
Guide may not be the latest published version, and certain parts to which GORD refers might
have been changed since its first use. Experts users of this Technical Guide need to purchase
all necessary GSAS/QSAS materials in their latest version.
Copyright

The information contained in this document is the property of Gulf Organisation for Research
and Development (GORD) unless explicitly stated to the contrary. All rights reserved. No
part of this document may be reproduced in any form by any means without permission in
writing from GORD, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages. Requests for
permission should be emailed at info@qsas.org.
This Technical Guide is made publicly available for information purposes only and shall not
be used in a derogatory manner, in a misleading context or for commercial purposes. Its use
for assessment, certification or conformance must be in accordance with GORD internal
procedures and requires interpretation by GORD and GSAS/QSAS specialists. Any party
wishing to use this Technical Guide to offer assessment, certification or conformance must
apply to GORD for GSAS/QSAS training, qualifying certificates, and memberships; fees will
normally be charged. GORD will not unreasonably refuse such applications.
Trademarks

QSAS, GSAS, GSAS/QSAS-ACGP, GSAS/QSAS-CGP, GSAS/QSAS-NH&PK,
GSAS/QSAS-SPORT, GSAS/QSAS-HOTEL, GSAS/QSAS-MSQUE, GSAS/QSAS-LINDU,
GSAS/QSAS-CONST, GSAS/QSAS-URBAN, GSAS/QSAS-CIVIL, GSAS/QSAS-ARCHI,
GSAS/QSAS-MECHL, GSAS/QSAS-ELECT, GSAS/QSAS-ENVIR, GSAS/QSAS-ACOUS,
are all registered trademarks owned by GORD and may not be used without GORDs written
permission.
Acknowledgements

GORD would like to acknowledge the efforts and contributions of TC Chan Center whose
collaborations were instrumental in forming the frameworks for the Global or Qatar
Sustainability Assessment System.
GORD would also like to acknowledge the building technology group in Georgia Institute of
Technology for their effort in the development of the energy performance standards
calculation toolkits.

6

Furthermore, GORD wishes to acknowledge the continuous support of the Ministry of
Environment (MOE) and in particular the General Organization for Standards and Metrology
for adopting GSAS/QSAS as the only rating system acknowledged by (QCS 2010).
The drafting of this Technical Guide was managed and implemented by GORD.
Abbreviations and Acronyms

CE = Cultural and Economic Values
CEUs = Continuing Education Units
CPD = Continuing Professional Development
E = Energy Category
EPC = Energy Performance Coefficient
EPL = Energy Performance Label
EPSCT = Energy Performance Standard Calculation Toolkit
GORD = Gulf Organisation for Research and Development
GSAS = Global Sustainability Assessment System
IE = Indoor Environment
M = Materials Category
MO = Management and Operations
QSAS = Qatar Sustainability Assessment System
GSAS/QSAS-ACGP
TM
= Associate Certified Green Professional
GSAS/QSAS-ACOUS
TM
= Acoustics
GSAS/QSAS-ARCHI
TM
= Architecture
GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
= Certified Green Professional
GSAS/QSAS-CIVIL
TM
= Civil Engineering
GSAS/QSAS-CONST
TM
= Construction Typology
GSAS/QSAS-SCHOL
TM
= Schools Typology
GSAS/QSAS-ELECT
TM
= Electrical Engineering
GSAS/QSAS-ENVMT
TM
= Environmental Engineering and Science
GSAS/QSAS-HOTEL
TM
= Hotel Typology
GSAS/QSAS-LINDY
TM
= Light Industry Typology
GSAS/QSAS-MECHL
TM
= Mechanical Engineering
GSAS/QSAS-MSQUE
TM
= Mosque Typology
GSAS/QSAS-NH&PK
TM
= Neighborhoods and Parks Typologies
GSAS/QSAS-SPORT
TM
= Sports Typology
GSAS/QSAS-URBAN
TM
= Urban Planning
S = Site Category
TBA = To Be Advise
UC = Urban Connectivity Category
W = Water Category
WPC = Water Performance Coefficient
WPL = Water Performance Label

7

Why this Technical Guide was Developed?
Buildings, neighborhoods, parks, and sports facilities are expected to fulfill a variety of
requirements related to their function, applicable codes and standards, environmental and
community impacts. Among these requirements is the creation of a sustainable built
environment that not only minimizes its ecological impact but also preserves the values,
traditions and identity of the region.
While project proponents and professionals may recognize the importance of incorporating
sustainability concepts and strategies in their projects, they often employ prescriptive
measures thought to provide high level of sustainability without a systematic assessment of
priorities and outcomes suitable for the region.
While GSAS/QSAS was initially developed to provide the systematic assessment customized
to the unique conditions and requirements of the State of Qatar, the rating schemes have been
evaluated for the transition from local to a global scale. This Technical Guide addresses the
best available information to allow GSAS/QSAS members and practitioners to make
informed decisions. The Technical Guide was generally written for the following audiences:
Consultants, contractors, assessors, service providers, project managers, facility
managers and operators and other building professionals who can apply the intent and
measurement principles of the GSAS/QSAS criterion during design developments,
construction processes, and building operations
Proponents, developers and other decision makers who can use this Technical Guide
to direct the work of these professionals
Commissioning authorities who can develop a comprehensive commissioning plan
for all phases of the building process from pre-design to post occupancy to meet all
the sustainable goals of the project
Suppliers and/or vendors who can select and supply products and materials that could
mitigate environmental impact due to material use
Organizations that provide sustainable solutions for the built environment and/or that
conduct training and awareness for these sustainable solutions

8

How This Technical Guide is Organized?
Based on the need of the construction industry for guidance in applying GSAS/QSAS to their
projects, this Technical Guide is organized into 5 major parts:
Part 1 Knowing the Development of GSAS/QSAS
Part 2 Using GSAS/QSAS
Part 3 Applying for Project Certifications
Part 4 Requirements to Register a Project for Certifications
Part 5 GORD Centers of Excellence
Each part consists of sections that answer the typical questions relevant to the part. Updates
to this Technical Guide will be made available in its future versions.
How to Use this Technical Guide?
The GSAS/QSAS Technical Guide is a supporting document to the GSAS/QSAS rating
schemes. This Technical Guide helps the project teams understand the development of the
rating schemes, applying the rating scheme to the project, preparing the submittal
requirements for project certifications, qualifying for memberships, and maintaining the
members credentials. It does not provide an extensive list of requirements to meet
GSAS/QSAS rating scheme. Where necessary, reference to other manuals is mentioned to
direct the reader to other relevant information usually detailed in the respective GSAS/QSAS
documents.
The GSAS/QSAS rating schemes, downloadable in its entirety from the GSAS/QSAS
website, is referenced in this Technical Guide. This Technical Guide addresses the
deployment of GSAS/QSAS and GORD policies for certifications, memberships, and
credentials maintenance and progressions.

9

Introduction
The primary objective of GSAS/QSAS is to create a sustainable built environment that
minimizes ecological impact while addressing the specific regional needs and environment of
the country.
GSAS/QSAS was developed to encourage and promote the design, construction, and
operation of responsible and sustainable built environments. Representing the local culture,
circumstances and ecosystem by a set of discrete value statements, each value statement de
facto constitutes a major category in GSAS/QSAS subsequently populated by the specific
criteria with associated measurements that together quantify the category as a whole.
Each criterion in the system was carefully developed to measure the environmental, social
and economic impact of the project, both regionally and globally using the outcome based
measurement method to rate a category as a whole; and the weighing of each category by
local stakeholders to aggregate an outcome over all categories.
This document presents technical guidance on how to implement GSAS/QSAS in projects
and apply for certifications and memberships registrations. The benefits and privileges
afforded to its members and projects that are recognized to be compliant with GSAS/QSAS
star ratings are also described in this Technical Guide.
Given the very real benefits of sustainable practices, this Technical Guide further purpose is
to help all stakeholders move beyond current practice and make each and every criterion in
the GSAS/QSAS rating schemes a high-priority concern in the design, construction, and
operations of the built environment.

10

Part 1 Knowing the Development of GSAS/QSAS

Who is GORD?

GORD, Gulf Organisation for Research and Development, a non-profit organization,
owned by Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company (QD) is committed to the
advancement of sustainability in the built environment.

Currently, GORD have four (5) Centers of Excellence namely: GSAS Trust, GORD
Academy, GORD Institute, GORD Consult, and GORD Ventures. See Part 5 for
more details.

What is GSAS/QSAS?

GSAS/QSAS, Global / Qatar Sustainability Assessment System, the first of its kind
performance-based sustainability rating scheme for the construction industry
developed by GORD in collaboration with TC Chan Center at the University of
Pennsylvania, USA. The primary objective of GSAS/QSAS is to create a sustainable
built environment that minimizes ecological impact while addressing the specific
regional needs and environment of the country.

The development of the GSAS/QSAS rating schemes took advantage of a
comprehensive review of combined best practices employed by a mix of established
international and regional rating schemes. This review has been performed resulting
in a customized tool specific to the requirements of the region and the needs of the
country.

What is the GSAS/QSAS Framework?

GSAS/QSAS consists of several categories, criteria, and measurements that are
associated with environmental goals. See Fig.1.1 GSAS/QSAS Framework.

Goals (refer to Fig.1.1) define values to be achieved to lower the impact on the
environment. These goals were translated to what is known as the GSAS/QSAS
Categories that are key aspects affecting the overall building sustainability. The sets
of categories are further broken down to specific criteria that specify the intent and
are linked to measurements that are performance-driven and objective, if possible.

11

Measurements are further broken down into three components measurement
principles, measurement methods, and demonstration requirements.

Categories, criteria, and measurements are defined to be performance-based and
quantifiable, where possible. Prescriptive measurements are provided as
recommendations in Design Guidelines.

Aggregation method of the scoring weights is applied from the ground up and is used
in the system at the criterion, sub-category, and category level, which allows for the
flexibility of modifying an individual component without interfering with the entire
system.

Fig. 1.1 GSAS/QSAS Framework

12

How is the GSAS/QSAS Developed?

The development of GSAS/QSAS rating Schemes, Fig. 1.2, works on ground-up
approach, developing from scratch to allow for the seamless integration between the
countrys specific requirements and sustainable goals.

It started from the review of the existing 140+ building rating schemes around the
globe and narrowed down to the 40 whole building rating schemes.

Out of the 40, the methods of the 6 established rating schemes were selected, the
BREEAM from UK, the LEED from US, the GREEN GLOBES from Canada, the
CEPAS from Hong Kong, the CASBEE from Japan, and the International SBTOOL
were further analyzed.

Together with the review of the existing energy standards from other countries, the
GSAS/QSAS Energy Standard looked deeper into ASHRAE Energy Standard from
US and the CEN-ISO Energy Standards from the European Union. The CEN-ISO
framework was adopted where energy is assessed from four perspectives namely,
energy demand, energy delivery, primary energy and emissions.

The energy assessment methodology is composed of performance-based normative
calculation that follows the framework of the CEN-ISO standards, and NEN
standards. Currently, this performance-based normative calculation method and
energy performance rating approach is not used in other sustainable building rating
schemes. In most cases, a detailed energy simulation is used as the energy
assessment on which a score is based.

The normative calculation procedure introduced in GSAS/QSAS has distinctive
advantages: easiness, transparency, robustness, and reproducibility. The normative
calculation method based on the CEN-ISO standards is increasingly applied in EU
countries for building energy regulatory purposes and thus adopted in the
development of the GSAS/QSAS energy performance calculation toolkits.

The toolkits require only the minimum input parameters and are transparent with the
CEN-ISO calculation method. The energy toolkit calculates the outcomes for the
buildings energy consumption and CO2, NOx, and SOx emissions. Then
GSAS/QSAS system translates the calculated consumption and emission outcomes
into effective Energy Performance Coefficient values by utilizing reference values,
and assigns the appropriate criterion scores.

13

Fig. 1.2 GSAS/QSAS Rating Schemes Development

What are the GSAS/QSAS Elements?

GSAS/QSAS is divided into eight categories, each with a direct impact on
environmental stress mitigation. Each category measures a different aspect of the
projects environmental impact.

These categories are then broken down into specific criteria that measure and define
these individual issues. These issues range from a thorough review of water
consumption to an assessment of light quality.

Each criterion specifies a process for measuring individual aspects of the criterion's
environmental impact and supporting it with the required documentation. A score is
then awarded to each criterion based on the level of compliance.

14

What are the GSAS/QSAS Categories?

UC
URBAN CONNECTIVITY
BT = Building Typologies, SP = Sport, NH = Neighborhood, PK = Park BT SP NH PK
Goals
The parks and buildings planning shall
incorporate urban considerations

The neighborhood shall control its effect on the
urban environment with regard to existing
infrastructure and amenities

Environmental
Impacts
Climate Change
Fossil Fuel Depletion
Water Depletion
Materials Depletion
Land Use & Contamination
Water Pollution
Air Pollution
Human Comfort & Health
Mitigating Factors
Minimizing the load on the traffic/transportation
infrastructure

Developing efficient and user-friendly roads and
walkways

Controlling the amount of light emitting from and
noise produced by the project or development

Encouraging the use of public transportation and
developing in proximity to existing amenities

Encouraging the use of public transportation and
developing in proximity to existing infrastructure

15

Mitigating Factors
Reducing amount of wastewater and solid waste
leaving the site

Reducing contamination to sewer and waterways
Preventing any risks or pollution to water sources
Selecting sites with access to existing pedestrian
and bicycle networks

Encouraging site selection near existing urban
areas to ensure proximity to infrastructure

Reducing amount of wastewater and solid waste
leaving the site

Minimizing access to daylight or solar potential to
adjacent properties

16

S
SITE
Goals
The parks and buildings developments in relation
to the existing site conditions shall be controlled

The neighborhoods site shall control the
environmental impact of urban development

Environmental
Impacts
Climate Change
Water Depletion
Materials Depletion
Land Use & Contamination
Water Pollution
Air Pollution
Mitigating Factors
Selecting a site that has minimal ecological value
or is contaminated

Preserving natural water bodies and habitats that
exist on the site

Defining a landscaping plan that encourages the
use of native vegetation, reverses desertification
and prevents rainwater runoff

Creating pedestrian and bicycle pathways to
reduce travel and enhance mobility

Reducing the parking footprint to minimize
parking surfaces

Designing for mixed uses to reduce travel

17

Mitigating Factors
Developing safe public spaces and pathways
Creating public spaces to encourage social
interaction and promote physical and mental well-
being

Constructing QSAS rated buildings to ensure
sustainable practices at all scales of the
neighborhood

Controlling wind conditions and temperature
changes on the site and adjacent properties

Controlling temperature changes on the site and
adjacent properties

Selecting a site that has minimal noise exposure
Designing built and un-built surfaces to absorb the
least amount of heat

18

E
ENERGY
Goals
The neighborhoods, parks, and buildings
depletion of fossil energy over its service life shall
be controlled

Environmental
Impacts
Climate Change
Air Pollution
Mitigating Factors
Designing the building to lower its energy demand
Selecting efficient building systems
Selecting efficient mechanical systems
Lowering the demand on non-renewable sources
of energy thereby reducing harmful emissions and
depletion of fossil fuels

Minimizing the amount of harmful substances
produced by the energy delivery systems and
energy supply network

19

W
WATER
Goals
The buildings impact on the overall water
resource shall be controlled

The neighborhoods and parks impacts on the
overall water consumption and its associated
burden on municipal supply and treatment
systems shall be controlled

Environmental
Impacts
Water Depletion
Mitigating Factors
Specifying efficient plumbing fixtures
Creating a system for the collection and storage of
rainwater

On-site treatment of water for later use
Designing a landscaping plan that minimizes the
need for irrigation

20

M
MATERIALS
Goals
The impact of the buildings use of materials on
the environment shall be controlled

The neighborhoods ecological impact shall be
controlled with regard to factors associated with
material extraction, processing, manufacturing,
distribution, use/re-use and disposal for the
development of the infrastructure and the design
of buildings

The parks ecological impact shall be controlled
with regard to factors associated with material
extraction, processing, manufacturing,
distribution, use/re-use and disposal for the
development of the infrastructure, public spaces,
and shared facilities

Environmental
Impacts
Climate Change
Materials Depletion
Air Pollution
Mitigating Factors
Recycling and reusing materials, on and off site
Using local materials to reduce transportation
need

Recycling
Reusing materials off site
Using responsibly sourced materials
Designing for ease of disassembly and
reuse/recycling

21

IE
INDOOR ENVIRONMENT
Goals
The buildings indoor environment shall be
controlled

Environmental
Impacts
Air Pollution
Mitigating Factors
Monitoring air temperature and quality and
adjusting or calibrating as appropriate

Ensuring a sufficient level of illumination while
using an optimal combination of natural and
artificial lighting

Maximizing views to the exterior for all occupants
Maximizing the time period that the building can
utilize natural ventilation

Providing for occupant comfort by minimizing
glare

Controlling the amount of noise produced by or
transferred from the building interior and exterior

22

OE
OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT
Goals
The neighborhoods outdoor environmental
quality shall be controlled with regard to factors
such as thermal comfort and air quality, air
movement and acoustics

Environmental
Impacts
Climate Change
Mitigating Factors
Maximizing the amount of vegetation and solar
reflectiveness to reduce the impact of a heat
island effect

Protecting spaces in the neighborhood from
adverse wind conditions

Ensuring a sufficient level of air flow to allow for
the potential to naturally ventilate buildings

Minimizing the amount of noise produced within
the development

23

CE
CULTURAL & ECONOMIC VALUE
Goals
The buildings cultural and economic value shall
be maintained or enhanced

The neighborhood and park shall enhance cultural
values and boost national and local economies

Environmental
Impacts
Loss of cultural identity
Economic stagnancy or decline
Long term viability of the neighborhood
Mitigating Factors
Encouraging designs to align with cultural identity
and traditions

Designing for seamless integration into the
existing cultural fabric

Planning for the use of local materials and
workforce

Encouraging sustainable business partnerships
within the community

Constructing a diverse mix of housing typologies

24

MO
MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS
Goals
The parks and buildings management and
operations shall be defined

The neighborhoods systems and infrastructure
maintenance and operations plans shall be
defined

Environmental
Impacts
Climate Change
Water Depletion
Land Use and Contamination
Water Pollution
Air Pollution
Materials Depletion
Mitigating Factors
Creating a commissioning plan to meet all the
sustainable goals of the project

Providing leak detection systems
Providing leak detection and energy use sub-
metering systems

Providing facilities for the collection, storage, and
proper removal of solid wastes, organic wastes
and recyclables

Providing an intelligent building control system to
optimize building performance

Managing hospitality resources to reduce waste
and support sustainable food sources

25

Mitigating Factors
Providing automated control systems to optimize
performance of systems

Promote and educate users about the sustainable
initiatives of the project

Providing a beneficial legacy to the community
Promote and educate users about the sustainable
initiatives of the building

Creating a construction plan to mitigate the
negative effects of construction

Creating a management plan to meet all the
sustainable goals of the project

Providing monitoring and management of
wastewater facilities

26

What are the GSAS/QSAS Criteria?

U
R
B
A
N

C
O
N
N
E
C
T
I
V
I
T
Y

CRITERION
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES
S
p
o
r
t
s

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s

P
a
r
k
s

C
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

C
o
r
e

&

S
h
e
l
l

S
i
n
g
l
e

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

G
r
o
u
p

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

S
c
h
o
o
l
s

H
o
t
e
l
s

M
o
s
q
u
e
s

L
i
g
h
t

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y

UC.1
Proximity to
Infrastructure

UC.1
Transportation
Load

UC.1
Load on Local
Traffic
Conditions

UC.2
Solid Waste
Load

UC.2
Proximity to
Existing
Neighborhoods

UC.2
Pedestrian
Pathways

UC.3
Wastewater
Load

UC.3
Proximity to
Amenities

UC.4
Solid Waste
Load

UC.4 Light Pollution
UC.5
Public
Transportation

27

UC.5 Noise Pollution
UC.6
Public
Transportation

UC.7
Sewer &
Waterway
Contamination

UC.7
Private
Transportation

UC.8
Sewer &
Waterway
Contamination

UC.8 Noise Pollution
UC.9 Light Pollution
UC.9
Shading of
Adjacent
Properties

UC.11
Proximity to
Infrastructure

UC.12 Accessibility
UC.12
Wastewater
Load

UC.13
Solid Waste
Load

UC.14
Parking
Footprint

28

S
I
T
E

CRITERION
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES
S
p
o
r
t
s

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s

P
a
r
k
s

C
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

C
o
r
e

&

S
h
e
l
l

S
i
n
g
l
e

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

G
r
o
u
p

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

S
c
h
o
o
l
s

H
o
t
e
l
s

M
o
s
q
u
e
s

L
i
g
h
t

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y

S.1
Ecological Value
of Land

S.1
Land
Preservation

S.2
Vegetation &
Shading

S.2
Water Body
Preservation

S.3 Desertification
S.3
Habitat
Preservation

S.4
Rainwater
Runoff

S.4
Landscape
Amenities

S.4 Vegetation
S.5 Mixed Use
S.5 Walkability
S.5 Desertification
S.6
Heat Island
Effect

S.6 Bikeability

29

S.6
Rainwater
Runoff

S.7
Adverse Wind
Conditions

S.7 Desertification
S.7
Heat Island
Effect

S.8
Acoustic
Conditions

S.8
Parking
Footprint

S.9 Mixed Use
S.10
Crime
Prevention

S.10
Parking
Footprint

S.11 Public Space
S.11 Shading
S.12
Acoustic
Conditions

S.12 Illumination
S.13
QSAS Rated
Buildings

S.13 Pathways
S.14
Crime
Prevention

30

E
N
E
R
G
Y

CRITERION
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES
S
p
o
r
t
s

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s

P
a
r
k
s

C
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

C
o
r
e

&

S
h
e
l
l

S
i
n
g
l
e

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

G
r
o
u
p

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

S
c
h
o
o
l
s

H
o
t
e
l
s

M
o
s
q
u
e
s

L
i
g
h
t

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y

E.1
Energy Demand
Performance

E.2
Energy Delivery
Performance

E.3
Fossil Fuel
Conservation

E.4 CO
2
Emissions
E.5
NO
X
, SO
X
, &
Particulate
Matter

31

W
A
T
E
R

CRITERION
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES
S
p
o
r
t
s

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s

P
a
r
k
s

C
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

C
o
r
e

&

S
h
e
l
l

S
i
n
g
l
e

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

G
r
o
u
p

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

S
c
h
o
o
l
s

H
o
t
e
l
s

M
o
s
q
u
e
s

L
i
g
h
t

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y

W.1
Water
Consumption

32

M
A
T
E
R
I
A
L
S

CRITERION
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES
S
p
o
r
t
s

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s

P
a
r
k
s

C
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

C
o
r
e

&

S
h
e
l
l

S
i
n
g
l
e

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

G
r
o
u
p

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

S
c
h
o
o
l
s

H
o
t
e
l
s

M
o
s
q
u
e
s

L
i
g
h
t

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y

M.1
Regional
Materials

M.2
Responsible
Sourcing of
Materials
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
M.3
Structure Reuse:
On-site

M.3 Materials Reuse
M.3
Recycled
Materials

M.4
Materials Reuse:
Off-site

M.4
Recycled
Materials

M.4 Materials Reuse
M.5
Recycled
Materials

M.5
Life Cycle
Assessment
(LCA)
N/A
M.6
Design for
Disassembly

M.7
Life Cycle
Assessment
(LCA)
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

33

I
N
D
O
O
R

E
N
V
I
R
O
N
M
E
N
T

CRITERION
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES
S
p
o
r
t
s

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s

P
a
r
k
s

C
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

C
o
r
e

&

S
h
e
l
l

S
i
n
g
l
e

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

G
r
o
u
p

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

S
c
h
o
o
l
s

H
o
t
e
l
s

M
o
s
q
u
e
s

L
i
g
h
t

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y

IE.1
Thermal
Comfort

IE.2
Low-Emitting
Materials

IE.3
Natural
Ventilation

IE.4
Mechanical
Ventilation

IE.5
Indoor Chemical
& Pollutant
Source Control

IE.6 Views
IE.7 Glare Control
IE.8
Illumination
Levels

IE.9 Acoustic Quality
IE.10 Daylight

34

O
U
T
D
O
O
R

E
N
V
I
R
O
N
M
E
N
T

CRITERION
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES
S
p
o
r
t
s

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s

P
a
r
k
s

C
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

C
o
r
e

&

S
h
e
l
l

S
i
n
g
l
e

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

G
r
o
u
p

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

S
c
h
o
o
l
s

H
o
t
e
l
s

M
o
s
q
u
e
s

L
i
g
h
t

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y

OE.1
Heat Island
Effect

OE.2
Adverse Wind
Conditions

OE.3 Air Flow
OE.4 Acoustic Quality

35

C
U
L
T
U
R
A
L

&

E
C
O
N
O
M
I
C

V
A
L
U
E

CRITERION
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES
S
p
o
r
t
s

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s

P
a
r
k
s

C
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

C
o
r
e

&

S
h
e
l
l

S
i
n
g
l
e

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

G
r
o
u
p

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

S
c
h
o
o
l
s

H
o
t
e
l
s

M
o
s
q
u
e
s

L
i
g
h
t

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y

CE.1
Heritage &
Cultural Identity

CE.2
Support of
National
Economy

CE.3
Housing
Diversity

CE.3
Green
Partnerships

36

M
A
N
A
G
E
M
E
N
T

&

O
P
E
R
A
T
I
O
N
S

CRITERION
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES
S
p
o
r
t
s

N
e
i
g
h
b
o
r
h
o
o
d
s

P
a
r
k
s

C
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

C
o
r
e

&

S
h
e
l
l

S
i
n
g
l
e

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

G
r
o
u
p

R
e
s
i
d
e
n
t
i
a
l

S
c
h
o
o
l
s

H
o
t
e
l
s

M
o
s
q
u
e
s

L
i
g
h
t

I
n
d
u
s
t
r
y

MO.1
Commissioning
Plan

MO.1
Construction
Plan

MO.2
Energy Use Sub-
metering

MO.2
Energy & Water
Use Sub-
metering

MO.2
Management
Plan

MO.2
Organic Waste
Management

MO.3 Leak Detection
MO.3
Wastewater
Management
Plan

MO.3
Recycling
Management

MO.4 Leak Detection
MO.4
Organic Waste
Management
Plan
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
MO.5
Recycling
Management
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

37

MO.5
Solid Waste
Management
Plan

MO.6
Intelligent
Building Control
System

MO.6
Automated
Control Systems

MO.7
Sustainability
Education and
Awareness Plan

MO.10
Hospitality
Management
Plan

MO.11 Building Legacy
MO.12
Sustainability
Awareness and
Education Plan

38

Part 2 Using GSAS/QSAS

What are the Different GSAS/QSAS Schemes?

The following are the fourteen (14) GSAS/QSAS schemes that a project can use in
assessing the design of the built-environment: Neighborhoods, Parks, Commercial,
Core and Shell, Residential (Single), Residential (Group), Schools, Hotels, Mosques,
Light Industry, Sports, Mixed Development, Mixed Use Buildings, and Bespoke.

There are also GSAS/QSAS schemes that a project can utilize for the assessment of
the construction process and facility operations. These are the Construction and
Operations.

Which GSAS/QSAS Scheme should the Project Team Use?

The basic steps below provide general guidance in selecting which GSAS/QSAS scheme
should be used for the project registering for GSAS/QSAS certification.
1. Determine what type of development needs to be assessed.
a. Community Master Plan Level
b. Groups of Buildings
c. Single Building
2. Determine which development process is being assessed in the project.
a. Assessment of the Building Design
b. Assessment of the Construction Process
c. Assessment of the Building Operations
3. Verify if the project falls within the scope of GSAS/QSAS schemes
a. Neighborhoods
b. Parks
c. Commercial
d. Core and Shell
e. Residential (Single)
f. Residential (Group)
g. Schools
h. Hotels
i. Mosques
j. Light Industry
k. Sports
l. Mixed Development
m. Mixed Use Buildings
n. Bespoke

39

o. Construction
p. Operations
4. Prepare a GSAS/QSAS Request for Proposal (RFP) intended to incorporate
sustainability strategies during the pre-design stages of development, to allow for the
development of comprehensive and integrated systems is similarly guided by the
above steps.
5. After reviewing the guide thoroughly, if the project team finds that it is not clear
which GSAS/QSAS rating scheme to use, contact GORD Technical Support by
sending your email to info@gord.qa for assistance or further clarification.

What is the Scope of the GSAS/QSAS Schemes?

Community master plan is deemed to be the design plans of a development in an
urban scale. The recommended GSAS/QSAS rating scheme for community master
plan would be the GSAS/QSAS Neighborhoods. See scope below of the
GSAS/QSAS Neighborhoods to verify if it is in line with your required project
certification.

Building plan is deemed to be the design plans of a development in a building scale.
All other GSAS/QSAS rating schemes except the GSAS/QSAS Neighborhoods and
GSAS/QSAS Parks can be applied for assessing a project developed on a building
scale. See scope of the various GSAS/QSAS rating schemes from below to verify
which typology best fits your required project certification.

Project that comprise of various building typologies developed within one plot that
have a specific boundaries can be assessed and rated using the GSAS/QSAS Mixed
Development. The main buildings typology will be used as a reference and will be
assessed comprehensively based on the eight categories of GSAS/QSAS appropriate
scheme. Other buildings within the plot boundaries will be assessed using the
appropriate scheme. However, several inherited scores can be gained, which will
come from the main building typology assessment. The single final score will be
obtained by aggregating the cumulative scores attained from each building typology.
See scope of the GSAS/QSAS Mixed Development to verify if it is in line with your
required project certification.

A unique GSAS/QSAS rating scheme that assesses an area of an open spaces for the
enjoyment of the public and the preservation or enhancement of public space is the
GSAS/QSAS Parks. See scope of the GSAS/QSAS Parks to verify if it is in line with
your required project certification.

Projects that are outside the scope of the existing GSAS/QSAS Rating schemes can
be assessed using the GSAS/QSAS Bespoke. The GSAS/QSAS Bespoke criteria are

40

customized in order to rate a project and benchmarked it against another project with
similar functionality. Please call GORD for more information.

GSAS/QSAS Neighborhoods
The requirement for master plan certifications is that at least 70% of the buildings
need to be assessed and that energy and water categories must not get a negative
score in order for the project to achieve certification from GSAS/QSAS.

GSAS/QSAS Parks
GSAS/QSAS Parks is a GSAS/QSAS scheme intended to evaluate the design of
parks. It can be used to rate both new and existing parks of all types and sizes. Parks
ratable by GSAS/QSAS include any area of open space, either largely preserved in its
natural state or highly developed with landscaping, hardscapes, and/or recreational
and resting areas provided for the enjoyment of the public and preservation or
enhancement of public space.

GSAS/QSAS Parks shall be used to evaluate the park and its on-site amenities such
as landscape areas, walkways, and picnic spaces as well as any minor service
facilities including restrooms, storage sheds, or small information centers. Any major
facility such as recreation center, stadium, restaurant, or office should be individually
rated using the applicable typology within GSAS/QSAS Design (i.e. GSAS/QSAS
Sports, GSAS/QSAS Commercial, etc.). Additionally, GSAS/QSAS Parks
encourages synergies between the development of buildings and parks, where
appropriate. For example, a joint commissioning plan may be developed between a
park and a nearby or on-site building, and any collaborative efforts will be evaluated
and scored based on the appropriate submittals. Collaboration of shared resources are
also encouraged via offset of waste stream or recycled water use from both off-site
sources or from facilities located on-site.

GSAS/QSAS Parks shall rate only permanently installed equipment and normal use
or operations. Single peak events such as sporting competitions or concerts as well as
the equipment temporarily installed for these events should be excluded.

New Parks will be evaluated according to the design intent of their plan and a
provisional certificate will be issued if the project achieves at least a one (1) Star
rating. After the construction of the park, the project will undergo design verification
and a final certificate will be issued based on the results.

Existing parks will be evaluated based on the actual built-environment, including any
changes made through revitalization efforts.

41

Due to the varying uses of parks, such as picnicking, hiking, or biking, there are two
types of park users to take into consideration; active and passive. Refer to Parks
Assessment manual for descriptions. Because parks greatly vary in scale from small
residential neighborhood parks to large-scale civic plazas or nature conservancies,
GSAS/QSAS evaluates projects based on three different classifications. These
classifications are roughly categorized as small, medium, and large parks, and are
listed in Table2.1.

GSAS/QSAS
Park
Classification
Type
Radius of
Population
Served
Size Description
Small
Mini X < 400 m X < 4,000 m
2

Small public plots, serving a
residential cluster. Limited
facilities and services.
Neighborhood 400 800 m 4,000 < X < 40,000 m
2

Larger open spaces with
increased public facilities and
services. Used as recreational
and social focus.
Medium Community 800 4,800 m 40,000 < X < 200,000 m
2

Serves 2 or more
Neighborhoods and serves
broader purpose for
recreational needs, open
space preservation, and
cultural events.
Large
Large Urban Entire City X > 200,000 m
2

Preserves a unique landscape
in an urban environment and
provides large open spaces to
a diverse community.
Provides many public facilities
and services.
Regional Region X > 200,000 m
2

Preserves large tracts of open
space, generally well outside
of city limits. Provides many
public facilities and services,
though at a lower density
than large urban parks. More
natural, open space than
developed park facilities and
public spaces.

Table 2.1 Park Classification

42

GSAS/QSAS Commercial
GSAS/QSAS Commercial is a GSAS/QSAS scheme intended to evaluate the design
of commercial buildings. Included in commercial building types are spaces that serve
various functions such as offices, conference rooms, dining areas and kitchens,
foyers, retail spaces and ancillary areas.

For mixed use buildings, project will perform a complete assessment for each space
use. Each typology would be assessed through GSAS/QSAS design assessments.
For example, if the entire building space is used as 60% Commercial and 40%
Residential, the project will be assessed using both GSAS/QSAS Commercial and
GSAS/QSAS Residential rating schemes.

In the above sample (mixed use case), if the project earns a cumulative score of 1.38
points for Commercial and 2.15 points for Residential, then the single final score will
be calculated using the weighted average principle as follows:
(1.38 X 60% / 100) + (2.15 X 40% / 100)
= 1.69 points (round-off to 2 decimal places)
The project therefore achieves the level 4 certification and the mixed use building
will receive the 4-star certification in the GSAS/QSAS rating scheme. For more
details, refer to the GSAS/QSAS Scoring Mechanism in the succeeding section of this
Technical Guide.

GSAS/QSAS Core and Shell
A core and shell building is where the infill of the building is wholly or partly un-designed
and the owner/developer may not have control over the fit-out of certain spaces.
GSAS/QSAS recognizes that the final building design and the fit-out of tenant spaces can be
unknown for core and shell projects. Nevertheless, to comprehensively and accurately
evaluate a core and shell building, all criteria must be assessed. Thus, the owner/developer is
responsible for completing all criteria that are in GSAS/QSAS Core & Shell which includes
both designed and un-designed spaces. Al un-designed spaces must have a designated tenant
type in order to be evaluated with GSAS/QSAS Core & Shell. Examples of tenant types
include typical occupancies such as office, retail, restaurant, and sports.
For certain criteria in GSAS/QSAS Core & Shell, the measurement methodology will depend
on whether or not fit-out is part of the design package. Thus, spaces where tenant fit-out is
part of the design package, measurements will be calculated for all applicable spaces. For
spaces where tenant fit-out is not part of the design package, the owner/developer will
identify a certain minimum criterion level of compliance which will be mandated in future
tenant lease agreements. The tenant lease agreements mandate the specific criteria levels of
compliance based on targets set by the owner to meet a desired overall certification level or

43

star rating. The single final score for each criterion will be the aggregated scores attained by
each tenant at the time of tenants fit-out completion and before move in to show compliance.
For example if there are 10 tenants for the entire building and the mandated level of
compliance for a specific criterion with a weight of 1.15%, is minimum of Level 1 from a
scale of -1 to 3, the minimum score required for each tenant will be:
(1 x 1.15/100) = 0.0115 points.
Say each tenant achieves the following levels of compliance for that criterion: 1 tenant
achieved Level -1, 4 tenants achieved Level 2, and 5 tenants achieved Level 1 and each tenant
occupies 10% each of the total leasable area, the single final score for that criterion will be:
[(Level -1 compliance x 1 tenant x 10%/100) +
(Level 2 compliance x 4 tenants x 10%/100) +
(Level 1 compliance x 5 tenants x 10%/100)] x (1.15/100) = 0.0138 points
Therefore, the project passes the minimum required 0.0115 points and can use the value of
0.0138 points as the final score earned for that criterion. The overall cumulative score will
then be recalculated using the points attained for that criterion.
After construction of the core and shell building is complete, the project will undergo design
verification similar to GSAS/QSAS Commercial assessment. The core and shell will also
undergo the GSAS/QSAS Operations assessment as required.

GSAS/QSAS Residential (Single) and GSAS/QSAS Residential (Group)
GSAS/QSAS Residential (single) acknowledges the varying scales of residential projects,
from single-family detached homes to high-rise condominiums. To accommodate this range
of projects, GSAS/QSAS defines two residential types: Single and Group. Both Single and
Group residential types are assessed under the same GSAS/QSAS Residential system.
However, the assessment and scoring of each type may vary depending on the level of
applicability of each criterion. The flexibility of the rating scheme is important so that
residential projects can be appropriately assessed according to their environmental impact
while maintaining consistency.
For the purposes of GSAS/QSAS Residential, the two housing types are defined as follows:
SINGLE: An individual house, attached or detached, that is less than or equal to 4 stories.
GROUP: All other residential building types including:
A residential grouping of two or more houses attached or detached.
Any other residential projects such as multi-unit apartment, condominium building,
or group of buildings.

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Within the Residential Assessment System, some criteria are not assessed for Single housing
types. In general, this applies to criteria in which a single unit has a negligible environmental
impact. Further, for certain criteria, the project may inherit the score from its development.
In this case, the project is not assessed as an autonomous unit, but rather as part of the greater
development. The overall development would achieve a certain score that would be directly
applied to the individual unit.
The scope of a project, site limits and area of development considered for GSAS/QSAS
Residential are defined as follows:
Scope of Evaluation: GSAS/QSAS Residential will consider the property limits of
the site and the built environment on the site as the unit evaluation and measurement.
Site: Any specified area or piece of land submitted by a project for assessment.
Certain criteria may include adjacent areas of land as part of the evaluation process.
If more than one building is located on a site, each building will be evaluated
separately and will receive separate scores.
Development: A site and the built environment on the site designed as a single
construction project.

GSAS/QSAS Schools
GSAS/QSAS Schools is intended to evaluate the design of K-12 school buildings. Included
in school building types are spaces that serve various functions such as classrooms, libraries,
auditoriums, gymnasiums, cafeterias, kitchens and offices.

GSAS/QSAS Hotels
GSAS/QSAS Hotel is intended to evaluate the design of hotels, accommodations, and
barracks. Included in hospitality building types are spaces that serve various functions such
as guestrooms, lobbies, banquet halls, offices, conference rooms, dining areas and kitchens,
fitness centers, retail spaces and ancillary areas.

GSAS/QSAS Mosques
GSAS/QSAS Mosques is intended to evaluate the design of mosques. If the design for the
mosque includes separate buildings not intended for congregational prayers, such as a
residence for an Imam, only the building containing the congregational worship areas will be
assessed and rated under GSAS/QSAS Mosques. Other buildings within the development or
compound will be assessed separately under the appropriate GSAS/QSAS building typology.
In other building typologies, certain GSAS/QSAS criteria require multiple typical occupancy
areas to be measured, such as offices and reception areas for Commercial buildings. For

45

GSAS/QSAS Mosques, the only occupancy type considered for the purposes of assessment
are prayer halls.

GSAS/QSAS Light I ndustry
GSAS/QSAS Light Industry is intended to evaluate the design of light industrial facilities.
Light industrial buildings are facilities that use labor intensive operations primarily to produce
consumer goods. The intent is to produce final products for user consumption, not to
manufacture or produce equipment and products that are used in other manufacturing
processes. Light industrial facilities have a smaller environmental impact than heavy
industry. In addition to manufacturing and processing, light industrial facilities can include
distribution warehouses and storage facilities, cold storage facilities, and workshops.
Light industrial facilities include different types of spaces that have to be evaluated under the
GSAS/QSAS Light Industry rating scheme. The primary spaces to be measured are the
General Building, Office Areas, and Operational Areas. For each criterion, the measurements
may require one or more of these spaces to follow unique measurements or scoring standards.
General Building: Pertains to the entire building and does not require separate
measurements for any specific space.
Office Areas: Spaces that are dedicated to the support and administration of light
industrial facilities. These can include office spaces, meeting rooms, or staff support
areas.
Operational Areas: Spaces in which the industrial processes is carried out. These can
include spaces with industrial equipment, functional warehouse spaces, cold storage
spaces, delivery areas, waste, and storage areas.
GSAS/QSAS Light industry evaluates impacts associated with the building, not the industrial
process itself. Only industrial impacts that affect the building and site are included in the
assessment.

GSAS/QSAS Sports
GSAS/QSAS Sports is used to rate sports facilities of all types and sizes during multiple
phases design, construction, operations, and legacy use. Sports facilities include any
buildings or venues that are designed to host a sporting event support athletes/competitors,
support staff, and spectators. Spectators are the intended audience for the sporting event and
facility.
GSAS/QSAS Sports may contain varying standards for certain criteria depending on
operational considerations and whether the measurement is intended for peak or non-peak
usage. Peak usage is defined as the maximum event capacity of the facility. Non-peak usage
refers to periods when the facility is not hosting a major event. Additionally, the scheme rates
the project on its original design intent as well the facilitys intended legacy use.

46

While GSAS/QSAS Sports is being developed for initial use in Qatar, the rating scheme has
been evaluated for the transition from local to a global scale. Some criteria are developed to
be used in any climate and country, while others have reference baselines or standards
specific to Qatar. With updated reference baselines, the system has the capacity to rate sports
facilities worldwide.
The scheme measurements are based on the detailed evaluation of the building type,
functional components, operational considerations, and scale considerations. Measurements
and scoring ranges are determined according to this streamlined process in order to create an
unbiased rating scheme for any and all sports.
Sports Facility Typologies
Three major types of sports facilities have been identified as follows:
Outdoor/Enclosed Stadiums: These are primary outdoor facilities, including an
enclosed or retractable roof facility. These spaces/facilities are not fully
conditioned and part or all of the facility is exposed to the elements. They range
in size from small to very large. Examples include beach volleyball stadiums,
soccer stadiums, and track and field stadiums.
Indoor Arenas: Completely enclosed fully conditioned and separated from the
exterior. These facilities can range in size from very small to very large.
Examples include swimming facilities, basketball arenas, or gymnastics arenas.
Outdoor Courses: These facilities are completely outside and exposed to the
elements. While there can be support and ancillary spaces that are enclosed, the
competition venues themselves are exposed to the elements. They can take up a
large site area with additional enclosures as part of the facility. Examples include
rowing courses, ski hills, and equestrian facility.

GSAS/QSAS Mixed Development
Mixed development projects are defined in GSAS/QSAS as projects under single
owner.

It intends to evaluate the design of the entire development comprising of multiple
buildings with varying typologies and to perform complete assessment for each
building type within the project. The main intention of the project is to obtain a
single certificate for the entire development.

Each typology would be assessed through GSAS/QSAS design assessments. For
example, if a project is consists of 60% Commercial and 40% Residential, it will be
assessed using both GSAS/QSAS Commercial and GSAS/QSAS Residential rating
schemes.

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In the above sample (mixed development case), if the project earns a cumulative
score of 1.38 points for Commercial and 2.15 points for Residential, then the single
final score would be:
(1.38 X 60% / 100) + (2.15 X 40% / 100)
The project therefore achieves the level 4 certification and the entire development
will receive the 4-star certification in the GSAS/QSAS Rating scheme. For more
details, refer to the GSAS/QSAS Scoring Mechanism in the succeeding section of this
Technical Guide.

At least ninety percent (90%) of all buildings in the mixed development must be
assessed in order to be certified. Urban Connectivity, specific Site criteria, Cultural
and Economic Value, and Management & Operations categories can be inherited;
using the scores achieved from the assessed most comprehensive building typology.

The main intention of the project is to obtain a single certificate for the entire
development. If required, individual building typologies assessed may get their
respective certification along with the single certificate.
If in case buildings are typical within the development, then a proto type can be
chosen to evaluate the QSAS Criteria. The prototype will be chosen based on worst
case conditions for the criteria requirements and assessed accordingly. The other
typical buildings will inherit the score of the assessed prototype.

GSAS/QSAS Mixed Use Buildings
For mixed use buildings, project will perform a complete assessment for each space
use.

Each typology would be assessed through GSAS/QSAS design assessments. For
example, if the entire building space is used as 60% Commercial and 40%
Residential, the project will be assessed using both GSAS/QSAS Commercial and
GSAS/QSAS Residential rating schemes.

In the above sample (mixed use case), if the project earns a cumulative score of 1.38
points for Commercial and 2.15 points for Residential, then the single final score will
be:
(1.38 X 60% / 100) + (2.15 X 40% / 100)

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The project therefore achieves the level 4 certification and the mixed use building
will receive the 4-star certification in the GSAS/QSAS rating scheme.

For more details, refer to the GSAS/QSAS Scoring Mechanism in the succeeding
section of this Technical Guide.

GSAS/QSAS Bespoke
GSAS/QSAS Bespoke is a GSAS/QSAS scheme intended to evaluate the design of
buildings that are not covered by existing GSAS/QSAS schemes.

Although these buildings can be evaluated using the same process and share the same
fundamental measurement principles with an existing scheme, there are differences
among these building types that are addressed with slightly different evaluations.

These differences include the applicability of criteria, the types of measurements
required within a particular criterion and specific reference values or scoring
thresholds.

The GSAS/QSAS Bespoke evaluates these special functioned building types with the
same assessment system, but does highlight the differences between the building
types when required.

Criteria of this scheme will be adjusted or fine-tuned to reflect the specific nature of
the project based on one of the existing aforementioned schemes.

GSAS/QSAS Construction
The GSAS/QSAS Construction is a GSAS/QSAS scheme intended to evaluate the
environmental impact of the construction process for a building and is not relevant to
any of the design schemes. It can be pursued separately by the project developers,
owners, authorities or contractor.

GSAS/QSAS Construction evaluates the aspects of the construction process that have
a lasting environmental impact, performs measurements related to normative
standards and accepted practices, and considers what impacts the project can mitigate.

The GSAS/QSAS Construction evaluates a building over the course of the
construction process.

A project receives its certification following the completion of the construction
activities. .

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GSAS/QSAS Operations
The GSAS/QSAS Operations is a scheme intended to evaluate the environmental
impact of a newly occupied or an existing building in operation.

The GSAS/QSAS Operations verifies the original design intent, evaluates changes
made through renovations or additions, and considers what impacts the project can
mitigate.

GSAS/QSAS Operations can be used to evaluate Commercial, Residential, and
School buildings. Although all three types of buildings can be evaluated using the
same process and share the same fundamental measurement principles, there are
differences among the three building types that are addressed with slightly different
evaluations.

These differences include the applicability of criteria, the types of measurements
required within a particular criterion and specific reference values or scoring
thresholds.

Projects that can be rated using the GSAS/QSAS Operations include existing
buildings that have been rated for GSAS/QSAS design assessment, existing buildings
that have not been previously rated, and projects that have undergone renovations
affecting less than 50% of the building area.

If a project undergoes renovations that affect more than 50% of the building area, the
project would be assessed through GSAS/QSAS design assessments.

GSAS/QSAS Operations is an ongoing process that can evaluate a building over the
course of its lifetime.

A building is evaluated over the course of a 12 month period prior to submitting the
necessary documentation for assessment.

While certain measurements are taken for different times of the year and for varying
durations, the 12 month period prior to certification is when a building is considered
to be under evaluation.

For the initial certification under GSAS/QSAS Operations, projects should select the
12 month evaluation period based on when the building is under normal operations.

The selection of the 12 month period is particularly important for new buildings in
which the first several months of operations may involve varying adjustments or
refinements to the building systems.

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After the initial certification, buildings are recertified every 5 years.

The process and the evaluation procedure is the same each time a building is certified
with the exception that if a project undergoes renovations in the 5 years between
recertification, renovation specific criteria would be added.
What are the GSAS/QSAS Suites?

GSAS/QSAS Suites are comprised of Manuals Suite, Tools Suite, and PMS Suite.
Manuals Suite is a collection of set of manuals, guidelines, and energy documents
designed to facilitate the certification of the projects. Tools Suite is a collection of
calculators and toolkits designed to evaluate the performance of the projects and
compute the criterion score. PMS Suite is an online Project Management system
designed to facilitate the online submissions and assessment of the projects.

The suite contains information required to guide the sustainability assessment process
for each project including a set of criteria and measurements as well as
recommendations to be used as guidance. Access to this suite is exclusive to active
members only and is downloadable from the GSAS/QSAS Project Management
System (PMS) portal at www.qsas.org. How to become an active member is
explained in Part 4 of this Guide.

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Figure 2.1

The downloadable files, Fig. 2.1above, contain the following documents:
Request for Proposal (RFP) Preparation a guide to facilitate the preparation of an
RFP and Project Brief in the pre-design stages of development.
GSAS/QSAS RFP Preparation
GSAS/QSAS RFP Preparation: Sports
Assessments & Guidelines the Assessment manuals include a set of criteria and
measurements used to assess the sustainability performance for the design,
construction and operations of buildings in the region. The Guidelines are a series of
recommendations to be used as guidance for realizing sustainable buildings.
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Neighborhoods
GSAS/QSAS Design Guidelines: Neighborhoods
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Parks
GSAS/QSAS Design Guidelines: Parks
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Commercial
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Core & Shell
GSAS/QSAS Design Guidelines: Commercial/Core & Shell
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Residential
GSAS/QSAS Design Guidelines: Residential
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Schools

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GSAS/QSAS Design Guidelines: Schools
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Mosques
GSAS/QSAS Design Guidelines: Mosques
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Hotels
GSAS/QSAS Design Guidelines: Hotels
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Light Industry
GSAS/QSAS Design Guidelines: Light Industry
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment: Sports
GSAS/QSAS Design Guidelines: Sports
GSAS/QSAS Construction Assessment: Sports
GSAS/QSAS Construction Guidelines: Sports
GSAS/QSAS Operations Assessment: Sports
GSAS/QSAS Operations Guidelines: Sports
GSAS/QSAS Construction Assessment
GSAS/QSAS Construction Guidelines
GSAS/QSAS Operations Assessment: New/Existing Buildings
GSAS/QSAS Operations Guidelines: New/Existing Buildings
Energy Documents master documents for the application and implementation of the
CEN/ISO energy performance standard and all its related standards to all buildings in
the country. The Building Energy Application is a guide for using the CEN standards
with localized normative references of energy performance and regulation code for
the region. The Building Energy Guidelines is a series of guidelines for designers to
improve building energy performance in the region.
Building Energy Application
Building Energy Guidelines
Toolkits the toolkits are computational systems that are provided to facilitate the
evaluation of a projects performance under the assessment system. The toolkits
compute the final project score and certification level for the project using each
criterion score entered by the user.
GSAS/QSAS Design Toolkits
GSAS/QSAS Construction Toolkits
GSAS/QSAS Operations Toolkits
GSAS/QSAS Neighborhood Toolkits
GSAS/QSAS Sports Toolkits
Calculators the calculators are normative measures provided for many criteria to
evaluate the projects performance under the assessment system. The calculators
must be downloaded and completed for the appropriate criteria in order to fulfill the
assessment requirements.
Urban Connectivity Category Calculators
Site Category Calculators

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Energy Category Calculators
Water Category Calculators
Materials Category Calculators
Indoor Environment Category Calculators
Cultural and Economic Value Category Calculators

Why there is a GSAS/QSAS Amendment?
The GSAS/QSAS Amendment document is intended to provide updates and
modifications to the most recent publication of GSAS/QSAS documents and
calculators. This amendment contains the latest updates and modifications to the
previous editions of the GSAS/QSAS rating schemes.

Each update is listed by its criterion name, overview, location, and description. The
location lists the document(s) and/or calculator(s) where the modification can be
found.

In cases where modification applies to more than one document, the document name
is provided in addition to the corresponding page number.

The amendment can be found under the Resources tab in the GSAS/QSAS PMS
portal at www.qsas.org/#downloads.

Figure 2.2

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What is the GSAS/QSAS Scoring Mechanism?

GSAS/QSAS rates the projects level of compliance for each criterion using the scale
of:
-1 to 3 (e.g. for W.1 criterion, Water Consumption)
0 to 3 (e.g. for UC.1 criterion, Load on Local Traffic Conditions)
-1, 0, and 3 (e.g. for UC.5 criterion, Noise Pollution)
-1 and 3 (e.g. for IE.8 criterion, Illumination Levels)
0 and 3 (e.g. for MO.1 criterion, Commissioning Plan)
These scales have no decimal places, only whole numbers (-1, 0, 1, 2, and 3).

The projects performance for each criterion gets a score based on the achieved level
of compliance.

Each criterion has its corresponding weights in the assessment which when multiplied
with the level of compliance obtained by the project from the full scale of -1 to 3
will provide the score in points for that criterion. It is in this scoring point that
decimal places are allowed up to two decimal places.

For example in W.1 criterion which usually carries 16% weight (depending on the
assessment schemes or typologies) in the overall assessment, if a project after
submitting the calculators achieved a level 2 compliance (scale of 2), the criterion
will then receive a score which is equivalent to level 2 compliance multiplied by the
criterion weight of 16% equals 0.32 points.
W.1 Criterion Score
= Level 2 Compliance x Criterion Weight in Percentage / 100
= 2 x 16 / 100
= 0.32 points (rounded off to two decimal places)
The single final score (X) for the project is the cumulative score of all the assessed
criteria. This cumulative score will earn the project the equivalent star rating per
GSAS/QSAS Certification Levels, Table 2.2.

A sample scoring table and scoring bar chart for commercial typology is shown in
Table 2.2 and Fig. 2.3, respectively. The table and chart indicate the maximum
attainable score, summarized per category for the commercial typology. Likewise,
the anticipated score by the assessor (QSAS-PM) and the achieved score of the
project as given by GSAS Trust are indicated for comparison.

55

Category
Max. Attainable
Score
Anticipated Score Achieved Score
Urban Connectivity [UC] 0.24 0.12 0.11
Site [S] 0.27 0.08 0.03
Energy [E] 0.72 0.19 0.19
Water [W] 0.48 0.32 0.32
Materials [M] 0.24 -0.04 -0.07
Indoor Environment [IE] 0.42 0.16 0.12
Cultural & Economic Value [CE] 0.39 0.21 0.04
Management & Operations [MO] 0.24 0.16 0.16
Cumulative Score 3.00 1.20 0.90
Certification Level Anticipated/Achieved

Table 2.2 GSAS/QSAS Sample Scoring Table for Commercial Typology

Fig. 2.3 GSAS/QSAS Sample Scoring Bar Chart for Commercial Typology

-0.10-0.050.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75
Management & Operations (MO)
Cultural & Economic Value (CE)
Indoor Environment (IE)
Materials (M)
Water (W)
Energy (E)
Site (S)
Urban Connectivity (UC)
Scores
Q
S
A
S

C
A
T
E
G
O
R
I
E
S

Max. Attainable Score Anticipated Score Achieved Score

56

There are 6 certification levels in GSAS/QSAS. Level 1 being the minimum a project
can achieve for passing the GSAS/QSAS assessment and Level 6 being the maximum
for achieving the highest score in the GSAS/QSAS assessment, Table 2.3.

GSAS/QSAS
Certification Levels
Cumulative Score (X) QSAS Star Rating ()
1 0.00 X 0.50
2 0.50 < X 1.00
3 1.00 < X 1.50
4 1.50 < X 2.00
5 2.00 < X 2.50
6 2.50 < X 3.00
Table 2.3 GSAS/QSAS Certification Levels

Each level has an equivalent range of cumulative scores, which translates to star
rating for the project.

For example, after completing the scores for each criterion and the project was able to
achieve a cumulative score of 1.68 points, the project therefore achieves the level 4
certification. Project will then be certified to have achieved the 4-star certification in
the GSAS/QSAS rating scheme.

For achieving the certification level, the project will then be certified accordingly.

However, the project that obtains a negative cumulative score (or less than 0) means
that the project failed the GSAS/QSAS assessment and therefore certification will be
denied.

There are some projects which is composed of various building typologies that an
aggregation of the scores is necessary to obtain the single final score (X) for the entire
project.

An example is a project being assessed using the Mixed Development scheme
wherein the development owned by a single owner is comprised of varying building
typologies that require complete assessment for each building type.

Another example is a project being assessed using the Mixed Use Buildings scheme
wherein the building with mixed use, i.e. residential and commercial spaces that
require complete assessment using the relevant typology.

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The single final score (X) for the entire project will be an aggregation of the scores
achieved for each assessment.

For example, in a development of 10,000 m2 gross built-up area of 6,000 m2
Commercial and 4,000 m2 Residential, the project will then be assessed using both
GSAS/QSAS Commercial and GSAS/QSAS Residential rating schemes.

After assessment, for example the Commercial building has achieved a cumulative
score of 1.38 points and the Residential building has achieved a cumulative score of
2.15 points, the calculated single final score (X) for the entire development will be
calculated using the weighted average principle as follows:
[(6,000/10,000) x 1.38] + [(4,000/10,000) x 2.15]
= 1.688 points 1.69 points (round-off)
Therefore, the project has earned an aggregated score of 1.69 points which is the
single final score (X) for the entire development.

The entire development will then be certified to have achieved the 4-star certification
in the GSAS/QSAS rating scheme.

Similarly for Mixed Use Buildings, the same scoring methodology will be applied to
achieve the single final score for the entire building with mixed use.

Aggregation of the cumulative scores for each building based on built-up area is an
allowed scoring mechanism in GSAS/QSAS to determine the single final score (X)
for the project. For more details, please send your queries to info@qsas.org.

How is the GSAS/QSAS Criterion Measured?

The aim for all GSAS/QSAS criteria and their associated measurements is to be
performance-based and quantifiable on the full scale of -1 to 3, depending on the
criterions level of impact.

This implies that every criterion should be measured in terms of a predicted outcome
of the proposed design, such as predicted load in an impact category for the
environment, the depletion rate of fossil energy, the consumption of potable water, or
the addition to the overall cultural value of the urban environment.

Using negative points allows criteria with greater impact to be emphasized and to
achieve a higher level of building performance.

58

In GSAS/QSAS, a minus one (-1) is a measure of not acceptable, and 0 is a
threshold for acceptable or is used in the case that the requirement is not
applicable.

The compliance levels 1, 2, and 3 are levels of gradual improvements and 3 being the
maximum.

What is the GSAS/QSAS Submittal Process?

The submittal process consists of the evaluation and completion of all criteria for the
design phase.

Conventional drawing standards shall be used including a north arrow and scale bar.

During the submittal preparation, GSAS/QSAS-PM may employ typology-based or
discipline-based GSAS/QSAS certified professionals, e.g. GSAS/QSAS-HOTEL
TM
or
GSAS/QSAS-MECHL
TM
to aid the evaluation of specific criteria.

When the appropriate documentation for all criteria has been uploaded and the entire
design phase is complete, the GSAS/QSAS-PM can submit all of the criteria
documentation to GSAS Trust for review.

There are two types of submission that GSAS/QSAS is allowing for the project, the
online submission and the manual submission.

In the online submission, the project uploads the submittals and uses the toolkits
online to assess the score for each criterion.

In the manual submission, the project is allowed to submit manually the documents,
only when required to do so by GORD.

There are instances that a project may require to upload large capacity files
(exceeding 5MB for each criterion) that online submission will not permit, hence the
need for manual submission.

In most cases, project will utilize the online submission for project certification.

If in case the project will undergo full manual submission, the project will still have
to register online only to get a project ID number that will be uniquely identified for
the project.

59

All the documents in the manual submission process will then have to refer to the
unique project ID number that was registered online.

Documents that will require manual submission will have to be saved in a CD and
send to GORD with proper transmittal stating the purpose and reason for the manual
submission.

How to Improve the GSAS/QSAS Score for the Project?

There are sets of references and recommendations provided in GSAS/QSAS that
could help achieve a better performance in GSAS/QSAS assessments.

The GSAS/QSAS Design Guideline is a collection of references and strategies that a
project may consider in this aspect.

GSAS/QSAS Design Guideline is a document that continuously evolves to include
timely and relevant sustainable strategies that could help mitigate the negative effects
of the project in the country.

Not only that this manual is created to improve the GSAS/QSAS scores but it also
serves as an informative material to be used as a guidance for realizing sustainable
buildings in the country.

It is intended to be used in conjunction with GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment
manuals.

The objective of the design guidelines is to provide recommendations and guidance
for the effective implementation of the sustainable goals of each criterion within the
GSAS/QSAS Design Assessments.

The guidelines are intended to supplement the GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment in
facilitating the design of a sustainable built environment that minimizes ecological
impact while addressing the regional needs and environmental conditions specific to
the country.

Each criterion in the GSAS/QSAS Design Assessment has an associated guideline
that provides designers with descriptive information for consideration to help attain
the specific credit.

These suggestions are in the form of recommended methods, strategies and
technologies.

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Individual projects should consider and assess the potential advantages and benefits
of the recommended design guidelines in relationship to the specific goals,
requirements and conditions of the project.

The design guidelines take advantage of the combined best practices and
recommendations provided by multiple established rating schemes while integrating
these best practices with the specific ecological conditions, sustainable objectives and
goals of the country.

The guidelines are not meant to provide specific or explicit instruction on how to
design a sustainable built environment, but rather to provide guidance and
recommendation on how to approach the design issues within each criterion to meet
the sustainable goals of the GSAS/QSAS Design Assessments.

Construction Guidelines and Operations Guidelines, similar to the Design Guidelines
are intended to be used in conjunction with GSAS/QSAS Construction and
Operations manuals.

Supplementing the Construction and Operations Assessments, the Construction and
Operations Guidelines facilitate the execution and operations of a sustainable built
environment that minimizes ecological impact while addressing the regional needs
and environmental conditions specific to the country.

61

Part 3 Applying for Projects Certifications

What is the Policy for GSAS/QSAS Project Certifications?

Mandatory compliance to the following GSAS/QSAS policies for project certifications is a
pre-requisite for certification:
1. The assessed energy performance (Energy Category) of the project must not be
negative.
2. The assessed water performance (Water Category) of the project must not be
negative.
3. Seventy percent (70%) of the net built-up area in the Neighborhood Assessment must
be certified. Net built-up area excludes car park built-up area. Remaining 30% of the
net built-up area may consist of small auxiliary buildings and building typologies not
covered in GSAS/QSAS assessment, such as substations, guardhouses, pump stations,
treatment plants, stores, etc.
4. Ninety percent (90%) of the net built-up area in the Mixed Development Assessment
must be certified. Net built-up area excludes car park built-up area. Remaining 10%
of the net built-up area may consist of small auxiliary buildings and building
typologies not covered in GSAS/QSAS assessment, such as substations, guardhouses,
pump stations, treatment plants, stores, etc.
Please contact GORD for more details and for the latest updates to GSAS/QSAS
Certification Policies.

What are the GSAS/QSAS Stages of Assessment?

GSAS/QSAS assessments certify the project in three phases. The first certification assesses
the projects designs. The second certification assesses the projects construction process.
The third certification assesses the facilities operations.
a. Design
In design certification, the project will receive a Letter of Conformance (LOC) upon
completion of Preliminary Verification indicating the achieved GSAS/QSAS star
rating of the design documents that are for construction. A final GSAS/QSAS
certificate will only be issued upon completion of construction indicating the final
GSAS/QSAS star rating achieved by the projects designs. The Design Phase
certification assesses the projects design deliverables from concept stage up to the
projects handover stage (permit to operate). In the design phase certification, the
project will undergo the assessment process in seven phases, Submission in Progress,

62

Preliminary Review, Preliminary Verification, Preliminary Certification, Final
Review, Final Verification, and the Final Certification.
Submission in Progress In this phase the GSAS/QSAS-PM registers the project and
assigns criteria to team members, and the team members submit documentation for
Preliminary Review. It is at this phase that the project team prepares all necessary
submittals to support the data inputted in the GSAS/QSAS calculators and the
assessed scores for each criterion by the project team. It is also in this phase that the
project team uploads the general submittals in the project information tab. The
general submittals consist of basic architectural drawings, sketches, narratives, etc.
which describes the overview of the project. This will help the certifier understand
the brief, scope, boundaries, and limitations of the project. Usually during the project
registration, the GSAS/QSAS-PM is required to upload the projects 3D image. If it
was not done before, the project team can still upload the 3D image in the project
information tab.
Preliminary Review After all criteria are marked complete by the project team, the
GSAS/QSAS-PM can submit for Preliminary Review. In this phase, the Certifying
Body reviews all criteria and assigns each the status of Approve or Resubmit
with an associated criterion score. The project team will complete any criteria
marked Resubmit and address all the comments of GSAS Trust. After these
criteria have been marked complete, the GSAS/QSAS-PM can submit for Final
Review. The GSAS/QSAS-PM ensures the submitted documents are complete and
the information contained in the supporting documentation (drawings, specifications,
calculations, reports, or bill of quantities) are highlighted by the project team. For
example, the wall area take-offs inputted in the Energy calculator must be supported
with the corresponding design documents, in this case could be the mark-up design
drawings with area measurements. Another example, the lighting fixtures lumens
inputted in the Light Pollution calculator must be supported with performance
specifications or catalogue cut-sheets highlighting the lumens for the specified
lighting fixtures.
Preliminary Verification During preliminary verification, GSAS Trust reviews all
resubmitted criteria and assigns the project an overall score. For any requirements
not adequately met during Preliminary Verification, the credit for that criterion will
be revoked and the score will be recalculated.
Preliminary Certification Upon GSAS Trusts completion of Preliminary
Verification and final project score assignment, the project enters the preliminary
certification phase. It is at this phase that the project will either receive the letter of
conformance (LOC) to GSAS/QSAS stating the achieved score and star rating for the
project or the certification is denied for failing to meet the GSAS/QSAS baseline.

63

Construction Inspection
To ensure compliance with the applied QSAS certification, it is GORDs objective to
facilitate construction inspections during the construction period of the project.
Upon receiving Letter of Conformance (LOC) from GORD, the responsibility of the
inspection rests on the QSAS certified Green Professional. It is his/ her responsibility
to submit relevant data after the construction is complete to proceed towards the final
certification phase.
During the construction process, there will be organized and random visits conducted
by the GORD which can be facilitated by the registered GSAS/QSAS CGP. The goal
of this is to verify the authenticity of the data provided at design stages as well as to
ensure that the sustainability performance goal of the project is adequately met as per
the initial GSAS/QSAS Star rating (Letter of Conformance).
Routine visits: Will serve as GSAS/QSAS Audit where the compliance requirements
are checked by GSAS Trust prior to issuing the final certificate.
Random visits: Will be conducted by GORD for sampling purposes.
Roles and responsibilities
Role of QSAS CGP Site inspection and data gathering to demonstrate
compliance with QSAS Preliminary review documents. Sufficiently
demonstrate evidence such as site inspection report, photographs, bills etc.
which should be submitted to GORD.
Role of certifying body Conduct random and routine visits at various stages
of construction. The schedule of visits will be as noted in Appendix B.
For projects with many phases, site visits will be scheduled depending on the
project phasing or master program and will be treated as case by case bases.
Role of the contractor Extend assistance and support to the responsible
QSAS CGP for data gathering and site inspection procedures.
Fees & Schedule of Visits
Please refer to Appendix B for more information about fees and schedule of visits for
different types of projects.
Note: In case of unsatisfactory submittals, site visit will not be signed off and
additional visits shall be charged.
Sign off Documents and Forms
Please refer to Appendix C.

64

Final Submission After construction is complete, projects will resubmit certain
requirements to ensure the initial criteria submittals are consistent with the final built
environment. All criteria labeled Must Resubmit will require new file submissions
to be completed by the GSAS/QSAS PM. The project will also have to submit
documents that may have changed after the issuance of the letter of conformance.
Final Review During Final Review, GSAS Trust reviews all resubmitted criteria
and assigns the project an overall score. For any requirements not adequately met
during Final Review, the credit for that criterion will be revoked and the score will be
recalculated.
Final Certification Upon GSAS Trusts completion of Final Review and final
project score assignment, the project enters the Final Certification phase. If the
project team feels a criterion score was awarded incorrectly, the team can appeal
through the appeal process. A fee is charged for per criterion. It is at this phase that
the project will either receive the final GSAS/QSAS certificate stating the achieved
score and star rating for the constructed project or the certification is denied for
failing to meet the GSAS/QSAS baseline.
b. Construction
The Construction Process certification assesses the environmental impact of the
construction process for a building. In the Construction Process certification, the
assessor evaluates the aspects of the construction process that have a lasting
environmental impact, performs measurements related to normative standards and
accepted practices, and considers what impacts the project can mitigate. This
certification is not related to Design certification as it assess the practices of
contractors performing the construction activities.
c. Operations
The Building Operations certification assesses the environmental impact of a new or
existing building in operation. In the Building Operations certification, the assessor
verifies the original design intent, evaluates changes made through renovations or
additions, and considers what impacts the project can mitigate.

65

What is the Process Flow for GSAS/QSAS Project Certification?

Fig.3.1 GSAS/QSAS Project Certification Process Flow Chart

66

How is the Project Certified?

GSAS/QSAS project certification provides six levels of certification to measure the
projects impact. Each level of certification corresponds to a star rating from a
minimum of 1-star up to maximum of 6-stars.

Each level of certification or star rating achieved by the project has corresponding
range of cumulative scores, Fig. 3.2. A project that obtains a cumulative score below
0 means it does not meet the baseline and will be therefore be denied with
GSAS/QSAS certification.

Fig.3.2 GSAS/QSAS Certification Levels

67

How to Register a Project?

Registering a project online for GSAS/QSAS certification is an easy process. Just
follow the simple 10-steps below for guidance. You must be a registered
GSAS/QSAS Service Provider to be able to access this privilege. See the Corporate
Membership section in Part 4 of this Technical Guide for guidance on how to become
a GSAS/QSAS Service Provider.

1. Open your web browser and go to www.qsas.org.
2. From the GSAS/QSAS portal click the Register menu on the left hand view
of the portal.
3. Click the Project Registration link and login with your username and
password.
4. Start filling in the details of your project and click the Submit button.
5. Send an email to info@qsas.org to coordinate the total built up area of your
project based on your DC1 municipality submittal (approved site plan with
detailed area statement).
6. Upon submission of the required documents from item 5, you will then
receive a project application form and invoice from GORD.
7. Fill-up the form and send it back to GORD together with your payment.
8. After clearance of your payment, you will receive an email notification that
your project account has been activated and is now available for your access
by logging in to www.qsas.org.
9. Be sure to download and read first the Getting Started guide to familiarize
yourself with the GSAS/QSAS web process.
10. You may now start submitting your project documents online for assessment
and for any technical query use the Support menu to create a ticket or contact
us.

Registering the project allows the GSAS/QSAS-PM to establish contact with GSAS
Trust.

The project receives a project identification number, and the GSAS/QSAS-PM can
then allow access to the project team, including GSAS/QSAS Certified Professionals
and other professional consultants.

GSAS Trust provides a directory of active GSAS/QSAS Certified Professionals to aid
in the certification process of the project.

The GSAS/QSAS-PM can assign criteria responsibilities to a project team member.

At the time of activation of the project account, information on GSAS/QSAS
materials and tools are accessible online. These and further instructions will be
available on the GSAS/QSAS website at www.qsas.org.

68

GSAS/QSAS Portal at www.qsas.org

What is the GSAS/QSAS Certification Fee Structure?

For project registration, Project registration fee and 50% certification fee will be
required to be paid to GORD, along with GSAS/QSAS Project Certification
Application for submission. Refer to Appendix B for Registration and Certification
Fee Structures.

Contact GORD for the latest fee structure and to obtain a quote prior to submitting
any application for certification. Do not submit payment without an invoice from
GORD. All fees are subject to change and refunds are not available. Please refer to
Appendix B for more information about applicable fees.

69

Part 4 Requirements to Register a Project for Certification

What Type of Individual Certification is required to manage a Project
for Certification?

GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM

To manage a project for certification, the GSAS/QSAS Project Manager must be a
GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
.

GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
means GSAS/QSAS-Certified Green Professional. This
scheme is the starting certification for candidates who wish to apply for all other
certifications schemes in the future, e.g. GSAS/QSAS-HOTEL
TM
, GSAS/QSAS-
ARCHI
TM
, etc.

This title is conferred to those candidates who have earned the GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM

certifications full requirements and by demonstrating a well-rounded understanding
and knowledge of the GSAS/QSAS project management through participation in the
GSAS/QSAS 3-day training workshop and passing the GSAS/QSAS exam.

The GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
proctored, open-book examination is designed to tests a
candidates knowledge of all GSAS/QSAS criteria in order to prepare the candidate
for managing a GSAS/QSAS project from registration to certification. Information
about candidates for testing and their examination results are considered confidential.

Upon passing the exam, the candidate is given a GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
certificate
which entitles the holder to exercise the rights and privileges of a GSAS/QSAS-
Certified Green Professional as provided for in the GORD Academy Policies and
Manuals.

The GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
certificant is given free membership for the first year,
starting from the date that the certificant has earned the title. Renewal of annual
membership for the succeeding year requires payment of QR500 annual fee and a
valid GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
certificate. GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
certificate is renewable
every three (3) years. See Renewal Requirements for GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM

Certificates below for details.

By participating in the GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
certification program, each person who
earns and maintains this certification agrees to be listed on GORD Academys public
website. Only those individuals who are bonafide GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
will be listed
on the site. The GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
membership is renewable every year.

70

Renewal Requirements of GSAS/QSAS-CGP Certificates
Each GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
certificant is required to renew his/her certification every
3 years by enrolling in the GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
refresher courses called (CGP-
Update). The course gives a certificant the chance to update his/her knowledge based
on the latest addenda to GSAS/QSAS manuals, toolkits, and online PMS.
The renewal period starts at the end of the 3-year cycle beginning from the date that
the certificant has earned his/her certification.

Individuals who fail to submit evidence of the required attendance to GSAS/QSAS
refresher courses before the certifications validity period expires; the certificant will
be considered non-renewing and should immediately cease using the specific
certification titles after their names. The names of non-renewing certificant will be
removed from the list of GSAS/QSAS certified professionals on GORD Academys
public website.

To be reinstated, non-renewing certificant must submit the renewal fee of QR 500
and evidence of the required attendance to GSAS/QSAS refresher courses.
Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the
Academys Certification Committee.

Who Signs-Off the Assessed Criterion?

Each criterion is required to be signed-off by the relevant discipline that provides the
technical information during project submittals, e.g. Urban Planners, Architects, Civil
Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Acoustic Engineers,
Ecologists, Environmental Engineers, Transport Planners, Commissioning Authority,
Quantity Surveyors, Specification Writers, etc.

What type of Corporate Membership is required to register a Project
for Certification?

Service Provider
The only corporate membership that is privileged to conduct project assessment and
certification is through Service Provider membership. The corporate must have at
least one bonafide GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
working full-time with the company to be
granted membership.

71

The Service Provider membership is renewable every year. The company must
ensure that the certificate and individual membership of its GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
are
valid. There are three services that a Service Provider can apply for membership;
Typologies, Neighborhoods and Parks, and Sports. Each has equivalent annual fees.
The Service Provider may apply for all types of services or combinations of each type
service.

Refer to Appendix B for Service Provider membership fees.

72

Part 5 GORD Centers of Excellence

What is GSAS Trust?

The center is responsible for the development of sustainable building standards, and
certifications for developments during the design, construction, and operation phases, and
all other future certification schemes.

What is GORD Academy?

The center is responsible for offering memberships, training and development programs,
which are designed to meet the educational needs of the professionals and practitioners
working in the construction industry.

What is GORD Institute?

The center runs scientific research programs in partnerships with local and international
organizations, from both academic and applied research perspectives. The aim is to
advance knowledge and investigate new approaches to enhance sustainability in the built
environment.

What is GORD Consult?

The center provides comprehensive support and consulting services in issues related to
designing innovative sustainable developments that successfully meet developers,
operators and regulatory needs.

What is GORD Ventures?

The center is responsible for promoting GSAS/QSAS in other territories outside Qatar
and commercializing GORD Institute patents.

Need More Information?

For more details on the Centers of Excellence, see the latest policies and guidelines from
GORD website at www.gord.qa.

73

Appendices
Appendix A GSAS/QSAS Schemes Matrix

GSAS/QSAS SCHEMES
R
E
Q
U
E
S
T

F
O
R

P
R
O
P
O
S
A
L

(
R
F
P
)

D
E
S
I
G
N

A
S
S
E
S
S
M
E
N
T

C
O
N
S
T
R
U
C
T
I
O
N

A
S
S
E
S
S
M
E
N
T

(
T
B
A
)

O
P
E
R
A
T
I
O
N
S

A
S
S
E
S
S
M
E
N
T

(
T
B
A
)

Neighborhoods Development (ND)

Parks Development (PD)

Mixed Development (MD) /
Mixed Use Buildings (MU)

Commercial (C)

Core and Shell (CS)

Residential, Single (RS)

Residential, Group (RG)

Schools (S)

Hotels (H)

Light Industry (LI)

Mosques (M)

Sports (S)
Bespoke (B)

74

Appendix B Fee Structures

(I) Design Certification Fees

For project registration, Project registration fee and 50% certification fee will be
required to be paid to GORD, along with the duly filled GSAS/QSAS Project
Certification Application form and project area statement.

GORD should be contacted to obtain a quote prior to submitting any application
for certification. Do not submit payment unless you have received an invoice.

All fees are subject to change and refunds are not available.

(A) Single Building Projects

PROJECT
REGISTRATION
QR 500

PROJECT SIZE

<5,000 m
Gross BUA

5,000 m to
< 20,000 m Gross BUA

20,000 m to
<50,000 m
Gross BUA

50,000 m
Gross BUA
PROJECT
CERTIFICATION FEE
QR 3,500 QR 15,000 QR 45,000 QR 75,000
APPEALS
QR 500 per criteria (Refunded if in favor of the project team)

(B) Neighborhood Project* and Parks (excluding individual buildings
certification fee within the neighborhood & park)

PROJECT
REGISTRATION
QR 2,000 QR 2,000
PROJECT TYPE Neighborhood Parks
PROJECT
CERTIFICATION FEE
QR 0.075 per m
2
of plot area QR 0.050 per m
2
of plot area
APPEALS QR 1,000 per criteria (Refunded if in favor of the project team)

* Mandatory that 70% of the built up area in the Neighborhood should attain GSAS/QSAS Building Typology
certification to receive the final project certification under GSAS/QSAS Neighborhood. The 30% excluded
buildings may consist of typologies that are not covered by GSAS/QSAS Schemes and small auxiliary buildings,
e.g. substations and utility areas, storage rooms, guardrooms, etc.

Note: Registration based on repetitive buildings. For more information, contact GORD.

75

(C) Sports Project

PROJECT
REGISTRATION
QR 500
PROJECT SIZE <10,000 spectators
( small size)
10,000 - 50,000 spectators
( Medium size)
> 50,000 Spectators
( Large size)
PROJECT
CERTIFICATION FEE
$ 2,000 $ 5,000 $ 10,000
APPEALS QR 500 per criteria (Refunded if in favor of the project team)

(D) Typical Buildings (For Buildings within One Development)

PROJECT
REGISTRATION
QR 2,000
DESCRIPTION
(a)
PROTOTYPE
(b)
INITIAL GROUP OF TYPICAL
BUILDINGS
(c)
SUBSEQUENT GROUP OF
TYPICAL BUILDINGS
Each building For the first 25 buildings For more than 25 buildings
PROJECT
CERTIFICATION FEE
Fee as per Table (A)
Single building
50% reduction in
certification fee per building
75% reduction in
certification fee per building
for additional buildings
TOTAL FEE
E g: Sample fee
calculation for 85
typical buildings
a + b +c
Prototype fee for (1 no.) + 50% discount in fee per building for (25) buildings + 75%
discount in fee per building for the remaining (59) buildings


(E) Mixed Use Developments*

PROJECT
REGISTRATION
QR 2,000

Each Mixed use typology within the
development

PROJECT
CERTIFICATION FEE
PER REGISTERED
UNIQUE BUILDING
Fee as per Table (A) Single building and
Table (D) if applicable
Final fee is the sum of all fees for
individual typologies and typical buildings
( if applicable) within the mixed use
development

* Mandatory that 90% of the built up area in the project should attain GSAS/QSAS Building
Typology certification to receive the final project certification under GSAS/QSAS Mixed Use. The
10% excluded buildings may consist of typologies that are not covered by GSAS/QSAS Schemes and
small auxiliary buildings, e.g. substations and utility areas, storage rooms, guardrooms, etc.

76

Note: Registration based on repetitive buildings. For more information, contact GORD.

(II) Construction Inspection Fees

No. Type and built up area No. Of visits Description
Rate per
visit
1. Single residential 5,000m
2
3 Routine QR 1,000
2. Other building typologies 20,000m
2
3 Routine QR 5,000
3. Other building typologies > 20,000m
2
4 3 Routine + 1 Random QR 10,000

4. Mixed development*
5 visits for
major
typology
4 Routine + 1 random QR 10,000

Other Building typologies within the
development 20,000 m
2
**
As Item no.2

Each building typology within the
development >20,000 m
2

As Item no.3

5. Neighborhood*
6 visits for
master plan
(for each
phase or
concurrent
phases )
4 routine +2 random QR 15,000

Building typologies within the
neighborhood 20,000 m
2

As Item no.2

Building typologies within the
neighborhood >20,000 m
2

As Item no.3

Note: In case of unsatisfactory submittals, site visit will not be signed off and additional visits shall be
charged.

*Contact GORD for more information about inspection requirements.

**Other buildings typologies within the development may include a single building or group of
buildings of which the total built up area is 20,000 m
2
. In such case, inspection of the group of
buildings can be scheduled under one visit. This is only if they are under construction concurrently;
i.e. in the same phase.

77

(III) Construction Process Certification Fees (TBA)

(IV) Operations Certifications Fees: (TBA)

(A) Building Operations Fees: (TBA)

(B) Energy Performance Label (EPL) Fees: (TBA)

(C) Water Performance Label (WPL) Fees: (TBA)

(V) Service Provider Membership Fees *

(A) Building Typologies = QR 15,000 per year

(B) Neighborhoods = QR 10,000 per year

(C) Sports = QR 5,000 per year (Qatari Registered Company)

(D) Sports = QR 10,000 per year (Non-Qatari Registered Company)

* Note: Service Provider Membership Fees structure will be changed in 2013 as new project
management system will be deployed with more flexible costing models for projects
registration.

78

Appendix C Sign Off Documents and Forms (TBA)

79

Appendix D References

The references used in GSAS/QSAS are as follows:
Qatar Construction Specifications - 2010. Section 7 Green Construction. Ministry of
Environment.
CEN-ISO Energy Standards for Normative Calculation Method.
ASHRAE Standard 55 2004. Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human
Occupancy.
ASHRAE Standard 62.1 2004. Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality.
ASHRAE Standard 90.1 2004. Energy Standard for Buildings except Low-Rise
Residential Buildings.
ASHRAE Guideline 0 - 2005. The Commissioning Process.
ASHRAE Applications Handbook.
ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook.
ARI Standard 885. Procedure for Estimating Occupied Space Sound Levels in the
Application of Air Terminals and Air Outlets.
US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Traffic Noise Prediction Model.
IESNA Standards for Lighting Systems
IESNA Lighting Handbook, 9
th
Edition.
IESNA RP-5-99. Recommended Practice of Daylighting
IESNA RP-33-99. Lighting for Exterior Environments.
BS 8233:1999. Sound Insulation and Noise Reduction in Buildings. Code of Practice.
BS 5930:1999. Code of Practice for Site Investigations.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Water-Efficient Landscaping: Preventing
Pollution & Using Resources Wisely.
CIBSE Lighting Guide 10. Daylighting and Window Design.
CIBSE AM10. Natural Ventilation in Non Domestic Buildings.
Green Seal Environmental Standard for Paints and Coatings, 2
nd
Edition - 2008. Green
Seal, Inc.
GSAS/QSAS Cultural Guidelines.

80

ISO 1996-1 Acoustics. Description, measurement and assessment of environmental noise
Part 1: Basic quantities and assessment procedures
ISO 1996-2 Acoustics. Description, measurement and assessment of environmental noise
Part 2: Determination of environmental noise levels
ISO 1996-3 Acoustics. Description and measurement of environmental noise Part 3:
Application to noise limits.

81

Glossary of GSAS/QSAS Lexicon

For clarity, the terminologies used in this Technical Guide are defined as follows:
APPEAL. The process in the GSAS/QSAS certification where the project can appeal the
score given by GSAS Trust.
ASSESSMENT, CONSTRUCTION. A GSAS/QSAS rating scheme for assessing the
construction process employed in the project.
ASSESSMENT, DESIGN. A GSAS/QSAS rating scheme for assessing the design of
the project from concept stage up to project completion.
ASSESSMENT, OPERATIONS. A GSAS/QSAS rating scheme for assessing the
facility operations.
ASSESSOR. A competent professional who is certified to evaluate the project
compliance, document the required submittals, and score the criterion.
BEST PRACTICE. A technique or methodology that has been accepted in the
construction industry to reliably lead to a desired result.
BUILDING TYPOLOGIES. Different types of buildings that are covered in the
GSAS/QSAS rating schemes.
BUILT-ENVIRONMENT. Structures and infrastructures built by humans to provide
the setting for human activity.
CATEGORY. A set of issues that define the broad impacts and address ways in which a
project can mitigate the negative environmental effects.
CERTIFICATION. The process of labeling a projects compliance with GSAS/QSAS
schemes.
CERTIFICATION, FINAL. The stage in the GSAS/QSAS certification process where
the project undergoes final verification, as the basis for GSAS Trusts issuance of the
final certificate.
CERTIFICATION, LEVEL OF. The 6 qualifying levels of certification that a project
may achieve ranging from 1-Star to 6-Star.
CERTIFIER. A competent professional who is trained and qualified to certify the
design assessment, construction assessment, and/or operations assessment of the project.
CODE, INTERNATIONAL. The code recognized internationally and practiced in the
State of Qatar.
CODE, LOCAL. The governing code within the State of Qatar.

82

CRITERION. Individual issues in the category that outlines the mitigation and
measurement principles and compliance to submittal requirements and scoring levels.
CRITERION, SHARED. Criterion in GSAS/QSAS rating schemes that are assessed for
the entire development and the achieved score can be inherited by the other buildings in
the assessed development.
CRITERION, UNIQUE. Criterion in GSAS/QSAS rating schemes that are individually
assessed for each building.
DESIGN GUIDELINES. GSAS/QSAS manual consisting of recommendation to be
used as guidance for realizing sustainable buildings in the country, in association with the
other GSAS/QSAS reference documents.
GREEN BUILDING. The practice of creating a sustainable built environment and using
processes that minimizes ecological impact while addressing the specific regional needs
and local environment.
LETTER OF CONFORMANCE. A letter issued by GSAS Trust to the project for
conforming to the preliminary requirements of the GSAS/QSAS certification.
MANAGER, CERTIFIER. A component GSAS/QSAS professional who holds a Level
5 qualification in GSAS/QSAS and can manage the GSAS/QSAS certification process.
MANAGER, GSAS/QSAS PROJECT. A competent professional who can manage the
GSAS/QSAS assessment process and holds a valid GSAS/QSAS-CGP
TM
and
memberships.
MIXED DEVELOPMENT. Describes the major building typologies within the
development.
MIXED USE. Describes the major occupancy use of a building or set of buildings for
more than one purpose.
NEIGHBORHOODS. A GSAS/QSAS scheme that covers the assessment of
Neighborhoods.
PRELIMINARY VERIFICATION. A stage in the GSAS/QSAS certification process
where the project undergoes preliminary verification, as the basis for GSAS Trusts
issuance of the letter of conformance.
REGULATIONS. Implementing sets of rules or guidelines in the construction industry
by the government of Qatar.
RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES. The benefits afforded to GSAS/QSAS members.
SCHEME, FULL. A concept of assessment in the GSAS/QSAS schemes that assesses
the projects compliance to the entire GSAS/QSAS criteria.

83

SCORE, AGGREGATE. The weighted average score of the project comprised of
multiple buildings.
SCORE, CUMULATIVE. The single final score achieve by the project that serves as
the basis for the star rating or level of compliance to GSAS/QSAS certification.
SCORE, INHERITED. The score that is assessed for the criterion and passed as
inherited score for the same criterion for other buildings in the same development.
SCORE, POINT. The unit of measurement for scores.
SCORE, WEIGHT. A weighing factor assigned for each criterion that when multiplied
to the level of compliance that a project achieved, will score points for that criterion.
SPORTS. A GSAS/QSAS scheme for assessing sports facilities.
STANDARDS, INTERNATIONAL. Normative standards recognized internationally.
STANDARDS, LOCAL. Normative standards in the State of Qatar.
SUBMISSION, FINAL. Final stage in the GSAS/QSAS certification process where the
project prepares for the submittals of the final documents after construction is complete.
SUBMISSION, IN-PROGRESS. Initial stage in the GSAS/QSAS certification process
where the project undergoes preparation of submittals for project certification.
SUBMISSION, MANUAL. Manual process of submitting documents in the
GSAS/QSAS certification process that utilized submittal toolkits and CD copy of the
projects electronic files.
SUBMISSION, ONLINE. Web-based uploading of the submittals in the GSAS/QSAS
certification process that utilized the GSAS/QSAS online project management suite.
SUITE, MANUALS. Sets of manuals comprising of GSAS/QSAS assessments,
guidelines, applications, and request for proposals.
SUITE, PMS. Sets of resources available online in the management of project
certification.
SUITE, TOOLS. Sets of supporting calculators and toolkits in the GSAS/QSAS
certification process.

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