Below we review the different existing certifications for sustainable buildings that are implemented in much of the Latin American territory. LEED largely dominates the private sector.
by Duván Chaverra Agudelo
The Latin American landscape within the building sector, both vertical and horizontal, has been changing over the years in terms of construction trends.
Every day many more constructions with state-of-the-art technology are observed, and at the same time, we see how other existing buildings are executing important renovations that aim to generate value to the property, and to make it much more efficient and comfortable for those who visit or inhabit it.
For example, the commercial and industrial building sector is one of the most energy consuming, which is why managers or managers of the operations of this type of construction are looking for technological alternatives to improve energy consumption, make the property safer and turn it into a sustainable space.
Precisely, the word sustainability has been key in recent years, since the concern to build a sustainable building or renovate one built under this guideline continues to grow. As indicated by Pilar Medina, director of institutional management of the Colombian Council of Sustainable Construction, sustainability in terms of construction seeks aspects such as durability, specification and energy consumption, specification and consumption of materials, water conservation, recycling and / or reuse, changes in habits of people and communities.
Colombia, for example, is betting on sustainability and this trend is growing enormously, as well as the interest of professionals to update themselves on the subject.
Since March 2010, the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development, the Colombian Council for Sustainable Construction and Icontec has been working on the so-called Colombian Environmental Seal for Sustainable Buildings (SAC-ES) which will focus on analyzing and recognizing aspects such as compliance with current legislation, environmental requirements, location, water, energy, air, selection of construction materials, handling and reduction in waste generation, social requirements, economic requirements, service life, delivery.
Currently the SAC-ES is in the process of approval as is the case of the version for the design of non-residential buildings, but since 2011 it has already advanced some aspects. For the coming years it is expected that this seal will be much more implemented by buildings in Colombia and become a successful option in the face of the international certifications that are currently implemented in the country.
LEED Certification
For example, this Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification was created in 1993 by the United State Green Building Council (USGBC), focuses on recognizing building performance and features versions for new and existing construction, operation and maintenance, commercial envelope and core interiors. There is also an additional certification for larger-scale developments known as "Neigborhood Development".
The latest USGBC report indicates that there are 59,211 certified, registered and LEED neighborhood development projects worldwide covering 10.6 billion square meters.
The United States has 45,745 LEED commercial projects. A country where commercial buildings account for 38% of all CO2 emissions, 73% of U.S. electricity consumption, 13.6% of all drinking water, or 15 billion gallons per year.
According to the USGBC, sustainable buildings consume less energy and fewer resources: "LEED projects recover more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills, and this figure is expected to reach 540 million tons by 2030."
Internationally, Canada, India, China, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil lead the list of countries with the highest number of projects outside the United States. Canadians currently have 4,375 projects, India follows with 1,586, China has 1,282 certifications, the UNITED Arab Emirates 816 and Brazil has 717 LEED certified constructions.
By certification range in Commercial facilities, the LEED Platinum Category has 1,281 projects, the Gold Category 7,686, the Silver Category 6,243 and the Certified Category 3,825.
Other international certifications
In addition to LEED, there are other types of certifying seals in the world that also offer support to buildings that implement sustainable actions.
- The Breeam: created by the Building Research Establishment of the United Kingdom, in 1990, it became that year the first certifying seal after the Protoclo of Kyoto. The Breeam sets the standard for best practices in sustainable building design, construction and operation and has become one of the most comprehensive and recognized measures of a building's environmental performance.
It seeks to encourage designers, clients and others to undertake low-carbon initiatives and incentivises the execution of low-impact designs, minimizing the energy demand created by a building before considering energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies.
- The Green Star: based on both LEED and Breeam, it is another of the best known international certifications within the sector. It was created by the Australian Council for Sustainable Construction. It is focused on the design and construction of sustainable buildings and communities.
Green Star has become a global ranking system for all types of projects, from apartment buildings to schools, university buildings, hospitals, offices, shopping malls and industrial facilities.
- Casbee: created in 2002 by the Japan Council for Sustainable Construction, is the Comprehensive Assessment System for the Environmental Efficiency of Buildings (Casbee, acronym in English) that certifies new and existing construction, housing, urban areas, buildings, among others.
- ISO 14000 Certification: born in 1996 as an international environmental management standard, this standard focuses on any organization that seeks to reduce impacts on the environment and comply with the corresponding legislation. That is, unlike the certifications mentioned above, this one not only applies to constructions, but also to all kinds of activities
Some of the benefits offered by this certification are the following:
- Reduction of waste, and therefore, avoid unnecessary costs.
- Reduction of energy and material consumption.
- The amount of documentation required is significantly reduced.
- Promotion of environmental sustainability.
- Improves the corporate image before customers and regulatory authorities.
Based on the above, it is clear that government entities, as well as a group of important private entities are betting on sustainability and have worked towards achieving that goal. To this end, the work of updating and training all professionals must continue to be active participants in these initiatives that are increasingly demanded by users and that in the process make an enormous contribution to the environment and the planet in general.
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