Green Building South of the Border
Latin America has only established two LEED certified buildings so far but due to progressive trends it appears that this number will grow. In 2004, Mexico established its own Green Building Council called MexicoGBC. This is the first in Latin America. “Mexico’s building and construction industry is just waking up and realizing that we are big players,” says Cesar Ulises Previno, MexicoGBC president. “We have a lot of potential to make a difference.” Now, the government is showing interest and the MexicoGBC is creating their own LEED program called SICES that will be specific to the countries climate, available materials, and other related conditions. Among the most critical aspects are site management, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selections and interior air quality
In reaction to this momentum, architecture firms in the U.S. are quickly jumping on the wagon and making their mark south of the border. Among these is San Francisco based firm KMD Architects who are designing a new sustainable HQ for the Cinepolis cinema chain in Morelia, Mexico. A quote taken from a Business Week article on Mexico’s Green Building:
Some companies decide to build green because they want to set a precedent, says KMD principal Carlos Fernandez del Valle. This was the case with Cinepolis’s 162,000-square-foot headquarters. Occupying just 10 percent of a hillside site, four low-rise buildings will feature rooftop gardens, daylighting through low-emissivity glass, and ventilation from windows that open onto interior courtyards. KMD estimates that operating costs will be 30 percent lower than comparable-size buildings in Mexico.
A rise in energy costs is something that resonates with us worldwide. Energy alone makes it clear that sustainable development not only reverses our impact on climate change but has great economic benefits as well.
Mexican and Latin American architecture is an art we have been learning from for decades. It need not go unsaid that they inherently incorporate many sustainable practices such as using local materials like the naturally insulating adobe, they cool and hydrate their spaces through water fountains, etc. These ancient practices in recent years have been freshly dubbed as sustainable practices as if they are something new, but they aren’t. “There’s a lot of intrinsic knowledge in the design features of Mexican architecture and construction,” Previno observes. “We need to rescue those good values.” In this way, it is almost easier to design for sustainable development where these practices are already in place and the cost and maintenance for these related crafts are normally factored in.
Image source: KMD Architects
