Latin America. In this region there are more than 4,000 LEED projects and more than 1,700 active LEED professionals working to transform buildings, cities and communities into places that improve the standard of living of all people.
The U.S. Sustainable Building Council recognized eight 2020 Leadership Award winners whose work in Latin America puts them at the forefront of green building. These leaders have made significant strides in the design and construction of green buildings, innovative waste management solutions, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.
Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario
It is a campus project of the Institute of Mexican Culture, a government group. Located in Texcoco, the campus includes a library, museum, theater, and classrooms that are all LEED Gold and performance tracking through Arc. The project was conceived with the purpose of obtaining LEED certification. With a program in place for waste collection, separation, and sorting, as well as the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products, these practices contributed to its LEED certification. The facilities team then used their certification to advocate for the completion of an individual water bottle contract and the installation of water purifiers. The multi-purpose campus is located in a vulnerable area and provides culture, art, and classes to at-risk residents.
Roble Group
It certified its portfolio of LEED v4.1 projects at the Gold level using Arc in 2019. The commercial real estate group owns a number of shopping malls and office buildings in Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. The company began seeking certification through Arc for five projects and certified all five on the same day, nearly a year later. They have now publicly committed to achieving LEED certification across their entire portfolio of office buildings.
The headquarters of MP Service
It was awarded LEED Platinum in December 2019. The building is located in El Salvador, home to a rapidly growing community of LEED projects and professionals. An engineering firm, MP Service, seized the renovation of its headquarters as an opportunity to make the building more sustainable. Initially aiming to achieve LEED certification, the team used Arc to track performance and the data revealed new ways to improve, leading the project to achieve the highest level of certification.
Currently, national laws prevent buildings from seeking 100% renewable energy, and the company hopes its headquarters will become a model for inspiring policy changes, showing how buildings can harness renewable energy without competing with the interests of energy distribution companies.
Pepsi World Trade Center
Located in the heart of Mexico City, it receives about four million visitors a year. It includes the Pepsi Center, a concert hall, and the Expo Center, a conference room, and holds most of the country's events each year. The work of a committed owner and facilities team has earned the project three LEED certifications. The Exhibition Center was initially certified as LEED Gold in 2013 and in 2019 was recertified at the Platinum level.
The Pepsi Center achieved LEED Platinum in 2020. Improvements have significantly reduced energy consumption, while a hydraulic system creates more efficient bathroom facilities. It is located close to the bus and light rail systems, making it easily accessible by public transport. The facility sorts and separates waste, ensuring that scraps of paper, cardboard, aluminum, plastic and metal items are taken to recycling or donation centers.
Central America Square
It is Nicaragua's first LEED-certified project and achieved this milestone in 2020 using the LEED v4 rating system for Building Design and Construction under Core and Shell. Green building is an emerging practice in the country, but the project team committed to learning how LEED could be a roadmap to creating a healthy and sustainable space. Yugoslav owner Cuculiza took his team to Panama to learn how to implement LEED for the project. Cuculiza graduated from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Executive Energy Leadership Program, and her class was the first to tour her LEED Platinum building with net zero. Since then, he has increased solar capacity through his renewable energy company, Cuman Energy. Plaza Centroamérica's certification serves as a symbol of what the country's construction and construction industry can achieve through hard work, determination and commitment to a more sustainable future.
Prologis
This company believes that a solid ESG strategy is just good business and has been part of their approach from the beginning. In 2019, Prologis, along with seven of its funds, earned Green Stars, gresb's highest ESG performance recognition, known for its rigorous evaluation of the sustainability performance of real estate companies and funds. It leads America and Asia as number one in the 2019 GRESB ranking and FIBRA Prologis, Prologis' REIT in Mexico, ranked number one in 2018. At the end of 2019, Prologis owned 29 LEED-certified spaces in Mexico.
Raul Berarducci
He is a silent leader in the green building community. When Lendlease split into Lendlease and Bovis, Berarducci was responsible for securing Bovis' future in Mexico. He chose to make LEED and sustainability a fundamental part of his business. He advocated for the creation of a Sustainability Environmental Management System for employees to track and monitor a project's progress towards LEED or to provide information on sustainability performance.
Berarducci has made measurement, verification and certification a fundamental part of the way Bovis manages projects. He believes it is his responsibility to be a vocal advocate for social and environmental sustainability and has lent his support to the creation of a new green building council in Mexico, SUMe. It uses its platform to promote LEED and promote conversations about improving building practices, standards, and policies.
Torre Mayor
It earned LEED Gold in 2013, demonstrating that existing buildings can be upgraded to meet high sustainability standards. In 2018, the project became the first in Latin America to recertify through Arc using the LEED v4 rating system for Operations and Management: Existing Buildings. The use of LEED in the project was a critical part of building momentum for green building and LEED practices in Mexico.
Located in Mexico City, which regularly faces shortages of drinking water, the tower serves thousands of visitors every day. Its water treatment plant provides 100% of its water service, reducing the need for drinking water. The building can accommodate water outages throughout the city and can be self-sufficient during periods of water scarcity of up to four days.
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