Colombia. The W Hotel Bogotá recently obtained the LEED CI (Commercial Interiors) Gold Category certification. The project located in the Santa Bárbara Business Center has 168 rooms distributed over 17 floors.
The hotel is operated by the Starwood chain and is characterized by design and construction strategies that benefit guests, workers and the community at large.
Among the main sustainability characteristics of this project are: energy performance, comfort of its occupants, location and transport, efficient use of water and waste management.
Energy performance
Energy consumption was reduced by 47.24% compared to baseline. Efficient luminaires including LED technology and occupancy sensors were installed in 75.67% of the hotel's spaces. 86.99% of the installed power in equipment corresponds to efficient appliances recognized under the American Energy Star standard, which guarantee a reduction in energy consumption.
Similarly, the ventilation and air conditioning control system was developed with a monitoring and regulation system that stabilizes the temperature according to the conditions of the environment.
Occupant comfort
To achieve greater thermal comfort of the hotel's occupants, 96.37% of the private spaces and 100% of the multi-occupant spaces offer users the possibility of independently controlling the temperature of the place.
Location and transport
The location and transport strategies implemented seek to reduce the use of private vehicles by promoting public and alternative transport as a better solution given the proximity of the hotel to bus stations and the wide number of routes that are reached from there. Likewise, carpooling strategies were implemented, allocating exclusive parking for this means of transport among hotel employees, and spaces for bicycles and showers to encourage its use.
Efficient use of water
The hotel has several measures of low consumption and water treatment that allow it to achieve a saving of 43.79% per year in drinking water consumption compared to the baseline. Beyond the installation of taps and sanitary equipment of low consumption, W hotel, has a system of treatment of soapy waters, which are reused for use of toilets, urinals and general maintenance.
Waste management
78.39% of the waste generated during the construction process of the W hotel was sent to a reuse and/or recycling agency, which allowed it to be diverted from landfills and incineration. In addition, as a complement to the recycling policy of the hotel operator, an exclusive space was allocated for the effective selection and storage of waste or recyclable materials generated in its operation.
Source: Colombian Council of Sustainable Construction.
