The air conditioning project of the Auditorium Building and the Technology Center of the new campus of the Santiago de Cali University was chosen as a finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025, which reward excellence in engineering solutions for thermal comfort, energy efficiency and sustainability in Latin America.
By CALA AWARDS
Secar Ingenieros S.A. carried out the installation in December 2024, thanks to the support of the consultancy Consultoría y Diseño en Climatización S.A.S. The commissioning system comprises a cooling plant of 440 tons of cold water (Tr), fed by R1234ze refrigerant, operating in a variable primary circuit, which facilitates more effective control of energy use.
Among the most outstanding teams are:
Carrier 30KAV-ZE0900A and 30KAV-ZE0600A are capacitor models that offer an energy efficiency (EER) of 11.46 BTU/Wh.
Taco SKS3013D pumps, equipped with a 25 HP motor and top quality efficiency.
Tecam, model 3ADE, control devices designed to distribute air in the auditorium with a MERV13 filtration level and an air purification system by photocatalysis.
Active cooling beams of the Price ACBL24 model, used in the Technology Centre, accompanied by temperature control modules of the Taco LMD model.
According to the executing company, the project went through a strict commission process, in which the technical characteristics and assembly of each component were confirmed. In this phase, training was carried out with the manufacturers, ensuring the correct operation of the equipment and systems.
In terms of energy efficiency, the system includes compressors with frequency inverter and autonomous feel technology in the pumping circuit, which simplifies the regulation of cold production and water flow according to the heat load. In addition, the commissioning of hydraulic kits in the indoor units contributes to reducing the low Delta T index, while the control system allows operation to be maintained at ideal efficiency levels.
