Costa Rica. From the design and construction phases of the Costa Rica Convention Center (headquarters of RefriAméricas 2020), to its commissioning, the property was conceived to be sustainable. Thanks to this systematic and organized work, this building received LEED accreditation, whose acronym in English stands for: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
"Sustainability is one of the three strategic pillars of the management that we carry out every day from the ICT. For this reason, all the actions and projects we develop are planned and executed under green parameters. The Costa Rica Convention Center is an example of this, thanks to this the LEED certification was obtained, which fills us with pride and joy, "said Gustavo Alvarado, Director of Tourism Management of the ICT.
The recognition was granted by the Green Building Council of the United States (USGBC, for its acronym in English), which uses the LEED system, through which it evaluates various items to give certifications. Among the points analyzed are:
- Sustainable place: it seeks to minimize the impacts of the building on the soil and water, so construction in non-urban places is not recommended.
- Water efficiency: optimization of its consumption inside and outside the property.
- Energy and atmosphere: energy-efficient design and construction, efficient thermal and lighting installations, monitoring, use of renewable energies, among others.
- Materials and resources: the use of sustainable materials in their manufacture, transport and use is motivated, as well as the reduction of waste and recycling.
- Quality of the indoor environment: the improvement of indoor air quality, the use of natural light, the reduction of noise and the quality of exterior views are valued.
- Situation and relations with the community: the implementation of the building in already inhabited places, far from environmentally sensitive areas, close to existing infrastructures and green areas, is valued.
- Innovation in design.
CCCR receives gold category
Each category counts prerequisites and credits, the total sum of which results in 110 points. The minimum level corresponds to 40 points, the next level "silver" is 50 points, then followed by the "gold" level with 60 points and 80 or more points equal the "platinum" category. The Convention Center managed to reach the gold level, which is for life because it is awarded to the building and not to the operation.
"The Convention Center is very pleased to obtain the Leed Gold certification. As Grupo Heroica we are committed to sustainability and innovation as strategic pillars for the construction of a totally friendly construction with the environment, this recognition reaffirms the commitment to sustainability as a transversal axis of our tourism model, that has permeated in a positive way since the conception of the Convention Center" added Álvaro Rojas, General Manager of the Convention Center of Costa Rica
Some of the items that were taken into account for the Convention Center to gain accreditation were the following:
- Accessibility to the project by means of alternative transport.
- Infrastructure to encourage the use of bicycles to the project.
- Preferential spaces for efficient and low-emission vehicles in parking lots.
- Savings of 43% in water with the use of efficient accessories (toilets, sinks, urinals).
- 50% reduction in the use of drinking water for irrigation by reusing water from the treatment plant.
- Lighting and high efficiency air conditioning systems.
- Domes that increase the amount of natural light entering the project.
- Preference for the use of regional materials to reduce the carbon footprint of the project.
- Design of outdoor air recirculation systems, which minimizes CO2 concentrations for the comfort and health of the occupants.
- Installation of photovoltaic panels in process.
