“Mr. Kheladze has taken many important initiatives for the Georgian architecture industry. We are ready and willing to support his initiatives.” – Davit Abuladze, Head of the Architect’s Union
“We talk about green living a lot, but today, we started to take actual concrete steps for the Green Industry in Georgia.” – Zaal Kheladze founder of the Bazaleti Green Engineering Center
The circular economy demands a reorganization in the industry to create appropriate business models. These models need to be more cost-effective than our previous business models. Today, developing green (sustainable architecture) and approaches is vital for countries around the world. Georgia is no different.
Sustainable architecture aims to minimize the negative impact of buildings on the environment through the efficient and moderate use of materials, energy and development space, as well as the ecosystem. Sustainable architecture is a design approach that takes into account energy and ecological conservation.
The Bazaleti Green Engineering Center, a local pioneer in the field, is actively encouraging others to follow its example. It is one of the few places where professionals in architecture and engineers can learn the latest solutions and approaches, and then put them into practice in their work for a more ‘green’ future in Georgia.
The center, which is 60 kilometers away from Tbilisi and occupies 1200 square metres on the shores of Lake Bazaleti combines a variety of functional spaces. The building is located in a beautiful and cozy environment. It follows sustainable architecture principles to protect nature. It is equipped with solar panels and uses the energy generated. The space can also be used for conferences and meetings to allow businesspeople to learn from the center’s experience in sustainable architecture and environmental protection.
Zaal Kheladze founded the Bazaleti Green Engineering Center. He tells us that the main motivation was the active development in Georgia of green technologies, which will in turn support the country’s circular economy.
Kheladze, his wife, and son have all been involved in the activities of the center, promoting the concept of green living and protecting the environment.
The Georgian Union of Architects held a special event on April 12 to recognize the center’s efforts and contribution in protecting the country’s ecosystem. They awarded the building a quality seal for adhering to and maintaining the principles of sustainability architecture.
Representatives of the Architects’ Union attended the event. Before the awards ceremony, both sides discussed important initiatives and future prospects for better results. They focused on a project that will encourage business representatives to join in establishing green architectural principles in their activities through a contest called ‘Green Wine Enterprise 2020’.
The contest, which aims to develop “green” wine production and reveal and strengthen the opportunities for running green, eco friendly businesses in Georgia, envisages local winemakers’ involvement, as winemaking is one of the oldest, most distinguished fields of Georgian economy.
The annual contest will gradually expand to include more and more areas. For example, healthcare facilities. Medical institutions use a lot of energy and it is important that they adopt an energy efficiency policy, and adhere to the principles of green design.
The competition includes a number of nominations. These include: Best Green Cellar Architecture Project of the year, Best Engineering Decision in the Wine Industry of the year, Installation of Best Green System in the Georgian Wine Industry of the year, Best Wasteless Winery in the Wine Industry of the year, Best Green Startup in the Wine Industry of the years, Best Green Management in the Wine Industry of the years, Green Operation of a Winery and Maintenance, Green Innovation in Winemaking and Green Suppliers.
Before the competition, the participating companies will be invited to attend seminars on green technologies. Jury members will also visit the participating companies to familiarize themselves with their operations. The jury will consist of specialists in green business as well as in agriculture and processing industries.
The competition will award green certification to businesses that demonstrate green approaches. The Green Business Institute will provide the materials for the competition to be used in the certification (green business registration).
During the April 12 meeting, the sides agreed to form a working group, consisting of members of Bazaleti’s Green Engineering Center, Architect’s Union and representatives of Georgia’s winemaking industry, to discuss and agree on the major issues of the contest, as well as to expand future opportunities for collaboration, in order to achieve a healthier and more green future for Georgia.
The award ceremony was held after the working meeting. Davit Abuladze the head of the Architect’s Union, presented the center with a quality mark for being eco-friendly and efficient.
“Today, I feel, is a day for’rebirth’ because in my center a new initiative and idea has emerged. This is very exciting,” Kheladze stated. “We often talk about green living but today, we started taking concrete steps to create a green industry in Georgia. It’s not surprising that we started with winemaking, given its importance to the country. I’m proud of the fact that this center has become a hub for initiating such projects. The Architects’ Union has recognized our 10 years of hard work by awarding us a prize for quality, a very exciting award. This is a sign of architectural excellence, giving us more responsibility which we take on proudly.”
Abuladze said, “We have been working with Mr. Kheladze for many years.” “He is the author of numerous important initiatives relating to the Georgian architecture industry. We are therefore ready to support him, as we know that his initiatives are aimed at a better future for our country and are always beneficial. We plan to expand our collaboration.
Abuladze continued, “Today we discussed an interesting idea for a contest in Georgia on green wine production, where we plan to join forces.” “Such contests encourage representatives from other fields to take part and follow the principles for sustainable architecture and green entrepreneurial, without which it is impossible to care for our resources.
“The Center itself and all of the technologies used were built in full compliance with sustainable architecture principles. This is why we appreciated their efforts and awarded them a quality mark for Sustainable Architecture. They deserve it!”
The Green Engineering Center is a new organization with many exciting plans. It is expected that it will expand its contribution to green architecture principles in Georgia to include more sectors in collaboration and partnership with partner organizations.
By Ana Dumbadze
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