Colombia. The awards of the International Federation of Real Estate Professions -Fiabci- for Real Estate Excellence were presented and a work of the hotel sector took the highest award. This is the Grand Hyatt, whose representatives received recognition in Cartagena, during the World Congress of young members of the federation.
In the act that closed the 20th edition of the contest, the contribution to the urban development of Bogotá of this mega-project of 371 rooms, 77,400 square meters built, 65 meters high and an investment of 600,000 million pesos was highlighted.
The firm Construcciones Planificas managed the work, and was in charge of the local designer of the architecture, interior design and its development. In addition, architects with experience in projects of this level in terms of design participated, such as Goettsch Partners, based in Chicago, which made the main architecture, while Construcciones Planificas was in charge of the premises and the firm Echeverría Edwards did the interior design.
According to the Fiabci minutes, "the elliptical tower with reflective glass façade is designed in a sustainable way to promote the relationship with the environment. Two central atriums allow fresh air to move naturally through the different levels; in addition, it allows the entry of natural light."
Another novelty is that "the hot air is extracted from the building by means of fans located on the perimeter of the upper skylight minimizing the general consumption of electrical energy. Likewise, the façade materials were carefully selected to withstand Bogotá's climate and achieved a 19 percent reduction in energy use."
It is also noteworthy that the project is processing the US LEED certification at the silver level, which is delivered for meeting all the conditions of respect for the environment.
