Standardization News

ASTM and ICC host GSO Delegation at Greenbuild

GSO delegation members visit the Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, from left to right: Hilal Abdul Rasool Ali Al-Zadjali, director general of spatial studies and policies, Higher Council for Planning, Oman; Abdullah Al-Rebee, director of municipalities and housing, Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Saudi Arabia; Muna Jasim Al-Mutawa, AUS, construction projects and maintenance, Ministry of Works, Municipality and Urban Planning, Bahrain; Ahmad Al-Turki, general secretary, Saudi Building Code National Committee, Saudi Arabia; Yousef Othman Al-Feraiheedi, director, Environmental Monitoring and Information Program, High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh, Saudi Arabia; Mohammed Abdullah Al-Dablan, building materials standards specialist, GSO, Saudi Arabia; Tawfik I. Al-Jrayed, director of construction and building material department, Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, Saudi Arabia; and Muhammed Al Haj Hussein, CEO, Green Quality Testing Lab, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

ASTM International and the International Code Council hosted eight officials from GSO, the Standardization Organization of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, during Greenbuild 2015, Nov. 16-20 in Washington, D.C. GSO includes the national standards bodies of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

In addition to touring the exhibits at Greenbuild, which is the world's largest conference dedicated to sustainable construction, the delegation also:

  • Met with the Washington, D.C., Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs staff to review how green codes and standards are developed and enforced.
  • Visited the Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility, a laboratory house that produces as much energy as it consumes, at the U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
  • Toured the Home Innovation Research Labs located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
  • Heard presentations from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, the National Institute of Building Sciences and other organizations at ASTM International's Washington, D.C., office.
  • Met with International Code Council senior managers and participated in a presentation on ICC's sustainability codes and standards at its Washington, D.C., office.

The delegation activities were coordinated through the Standards and Codes for Sustainable Construction project, a three-year partnership between ICC and ASTM supported in part by the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration's Market Development Cooperator Program. The project supports the Gulf region's efforts related to energy efficiency, water conservation, materials management, building safety and overall economic growth.


Issue Month
January/February
Issue Year
2016