Colombia. Colombia has been recognized as the country with the best performance worldwide in terms of intention to certify sustainable construction EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) and the second in design certifications, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
EDGE allows to build and promote the construction of green buildings, with low energy and water consumption; but also, with low production of carbon footprint, at an affordable price, fast and easy to build.
Projects with these standards save up to 260,533 MWh per year of energy; up to 6,769,461 m3 per year of water and reduce up to 113,704tCO2 of carbon dioxide footprint.
"We are very happy with this recognition, because it shows that the construction sector in Colombia is committed to incorporating environmental sustainability practices. Currently, more than a year after implementing the EDGE Sustainable Certification, there are already 74 companies committed to obtaining it for 82 projects; 38 have already obtained the preliminary design and 6 already have the final construction certificate," said Martha Cecilia Moreno Mesa, manager of the Colombian Chamber of Construction (Camacol) Bogotá and Cundinamarca.
The process to obtain this innovation from the IFC begins by installing the EDGE software, which is licensed in almost 140 countries, and through which the most economical and at the same time green way to build is identified. Then, the minimum standard of reducing energy, water and energy incorporated in the materials by 20% must be respected and finally, it must be demonstrated that the building is sustainable in a quantifiable way.
"Colombia is the country with the largest area of projects with preliminary EDGE certification in the world, with 789,947 m2, the equivalent of 25% globally, surpassing in square meters countries such as Indonesia, South Africa and Vietnam, which have been implementing this measure for longer," added Moreno Mesa.
In Latin America, according to the IFC report, Colombia represents 69% of the total square meters in the process of EDGE certification, followed by Mexico (11%), Peru (8%), Argentina (5%) and Costa Rica (4%) respectively.
Within the framework of Expoconstrucción and Expodiseño 2019, on Friday, May 17 from 2:00 p.m. in Corferias, Camacol will hold a talk on productivity and sustainability where these construction standards that are booming and becoming a global trend within the sector will be deepened. What is built with EDGE not only reduces costs but mitigates climate change, generates social, environmental and economic profitability.
Expoconstrucción & Expodiseño, a fair that will take place from May 14 to 19 in Corferias, Bogotá.
