Colombia. The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) has awarded LEED Gold certification to La Colina Park. This is an important milestone for Parque Arauco as it is the company's first shopping center to receive this type of certification.
This achievement is in addition to those achieved by Parque Arauco with the construction of the Arauco Quilicura in Chile, which was the first shopping center in the country to obtain LEED certification in 2015, and with the InOutlet Premium Lurín, which was the first shopping center in Peru to obtain LEED certification in 2017.
"We began to consider sustainable processes since we started the construction of Parque La Colina in 2014. For example, during construction, waste management companies were able to recycle 99% of the waste generated, such as metal scraps, plastics, cardboard, wood, paper, glass and organic waste," the official statement said.
In order to reduce the impact of extracting and processing new materials to build Parque La Colina, 32.4% of the budget was invested in materials with recycled content. In particular, steel was recycled to 100% after consumption, 4% of concrete was recycled before consumption, and both were certified by the supplier. Finally, during construction they focused on local purchases, and to increase the demand for materials and products extracted and / or produced in the region and reduce the environmental impact of transportation, 83% of the materials budgeted for the construction of La Colina Park were invested with local suppliers with contributions within 800 km of the project.
La Colina Park opened its doors in December 2016 and has taken advantage of the characteristics of sustainable construction, especially in terms of energy consumption and water saving. Regarding energy, they incorporated several strategies to save energy, including high-efficiency motors, high standards of thermal insulation, bioclimatic ventilation in common areas, LED lighting in all common areas, and equipment and light efficiency clauses in tenant manuals. To reduce drinking water needs, they incorporated several aspects to the mall, including the installation of water-saving faucets, toilets and urinals, landscaping that includes native and adaptable plants to reduce irrigation requirements, and a rainwater collection and treatment system so that the park can be irrigated with rainwater.
