Colombia. The Eden Shopping Center received the LEED Platinum Certification, after its first year of operation, a recognition of a sustainable project that achieved 82 points out of a minimum of 79 needed.
"We are proud to receive this certification. Sustainability was a fundamental pillar for the development of the shopping center, in which innovation was integrated to generate a balance between the environmental, the social and the economic. Our brands have been fundamental in the process by being committed to the care and use of natural resources," said Iván Taboada, Marketing and Commercial Manager of El Edén.
In its almost 162,000 square meters of construction, El Edén manages to have significant savings in water consumption of 51% and in electricity of 32%. Likewise, the landscape recovery of the green area of the round of the Fucha River channel, in which more than 127 trees of native species adapted to allow biodiversity in the area were planted.
Recognition in five aspects:
The complex located southwest of Bogotá achieved this distinction after passing the evaluation and compliance of the following topics: sustainable sites, energy and atmosphere, water efficiency, materials and resources, indoor air quality and innovation and design.
Sustainable sites: the shopping center was designed to integrate the community and provide services that the neighborhoods of Castilla and Villa Alsace lacked, becoming an entertainment space for the sector. Additionally, the neighbors have at their disposal 900 spaces for free bicycle parking, special parking for non-CO2 vehicles and shared vehicles.
Water efficiency: Eden captures and manages more than 45% of the rainwater that reaches the property. With this resource, 100% of the discharges of the sanitary appliances and irrigation system are fed. In the period from January to July 2020, 100% rainwater was used for sanitary units, cleaning and irrigation days, in which a consumption saving of approximately 2,342,000 liters of drinking water was achieved.
Likewise, there is a wastewater treatment plant that guarantees the discharge of high quality water into the sewer and achieves an efficiency greater than 80% of removal of organic load and sediments
In this way, El Edén contributes and supports the vision to 2038 of the District, which seeks to turn the Fucha River into a recovered ecological water corridor, which connects and integrates the activities of its urban and productive environment.
Energy efficiency: the complex has the automation of the lighting system, that is; this fits the hours of greatest traffic of people in the mall.
The combination of the automated system and the maximum use of natural light have generated a saving of 32% compared to buildings with similar characteristics in the United States, that is; 9228 kw per year, which is enough to supply 2265 stratum 3 homes in Bogotá during the year.
Indoor air quality: to take care of people's health, the shopping center is the only one in the country that has a ventilation system with photocatalytic cell technology that emits radiofrequency rays that clean the air of polluting particles, bacteria and viruses, which ensures the quality of indoor air.
In addition, there are systems that guarantee thermal comfort within the complex, floors with floorscore certification, smoke-free environments with non-smoking signage less than 8 meters away. During the construction process, paints with a low content of Volcanic Organic Compounds (VOCs) were used.
Materials and resources: In the construction of this work, between 95%-97% of the materials used were reused and reusable, and only 5% of the waste generated in construction and demolition was sent to the landfill.
Since the beginning of the work, more than 250 m2 were contemplated for waste management in the operation of the complex (separation at source, classification and use), which has allowed that in the period from January to July 2020, El Edén took advantage of around 60% of the waste generated.
Additionally, with the organic load that occurred in the mall, 21.71 tons of fertilizer were acquired, which allowed 4.34 hectares of eroded soil to be intervened and 0.72 tons of CO2 emissions to be reduced.
For its part, Construcciones Planifica, the company executing the work, said: "as a company policy, all the projects we develop must have sustainability strategies, which translates into a great impact not only on the execution but also on the environment and society."
