Colombia. The new national sustainable building policy will provide the roadmap for the evolution of the construction industry towards comprehensive sustainability.
"With the new national policy on sustainable buildings, Colombia recognizes sustainable construction as a meritorious best practice of support from the State and reaffirms the raison d'être of the Colombian Council for Sustainable Construction" Cristina Gamboa, Executive Director of the CCCS.
Last Friday, March 23, 2018, a new document of the National Council for Economic and Social Policy (CONPES) "National Policy on Sustainable Buildings" was approved. The Colombian Council for Sustainable Construction (CCCS) and its Members contributed to the formulation and consolidation of this important document through different working groups with the National Planning Department (DNP) and other actors from the public and private sector, with the aim of concretely implementing the concept of integral sustainability throughout the life cycle of buildings (planning, design, construction, operation, updating of the systems and end of use of the building).
"This policy of sustainable buildings will achieve an effective mitigation of the negative impacts of building activity on the environment, improve living conditions and generate employment and innovation opportunities," said Cristina Gamboa, Executive Director of the CCCS, an institution that celebrates in 2018 its first ten years of management and leadership in consolidating sustainable construction as a national trend.
The CCCS, its Members and their participation in CONPES
Throughout the CONPES document "Sustainable Buildings" the work and programs of the CCCS are recognized. It includes the LEED Program in Colombia, which involves under this successful certification system in sustainable construction more than 6 million square meters and +350 real estate projects of high performance and interior environmental quality. The certification system for real estate projects Referencial CASA Colombia is also promoted, as an instrument to impact residential use (including the VIS and VIP segment) with best sustainable construction practices. This last tool has a clear vision of the Colombian context, facilitates cost-efficient structuring and the measurement and verification of concrete indicators for new housing real estate projects in the country.
In the same way, this CONPES mentions the Building Efficiency Accelerator Program (BEA Program) for Bogotá, which under the technical leadership of the CCCS and in partnership with the World Resources Institute (WRI), advances in an Implementation Protocol of Resolution 549/15 ("Guide for saving in water and energy" of the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory). The BEA Bogotá Program will allow the capital to have an effective and accurate policy on the efficient use of water and energy and takes on great relevance as its replicability is feasible for all Colombian cities that have yet to promote compliance with the aforementioned regulations.
"The consolidation of this policy reaffirms the work and raison d'être of the CCCS, strengthens the management of the National Government in this matter and recognizes sustainable construction as the best meritorious practice of support from the State. At the same time, it proposes a privileged roadmap to build a country, inclusive, socially and environmentally responsible, prosperous, productive and competitive. In this new stage as a country, sustainable buildings are undoubtedly a viable alternative to improve the quality of life of Colombians, since healthy and environmentally friendly spaces will be ensured," added Gamboa.
The approval of this policy is given within the framework of compliance with the National Development Plan 2014-2018, the green growth strategy and the Colombian Low Carbon Development Strategy (ECDBC). It is also aligned with international commitments regarding the reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions by 20% as a result of the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and becomes a guideline for all actors in the construction chain. It is imperative that the evolution of this industry towards integral sustainability continues.
"The implementation of a national sustainable building policy is a priority taking into account that there is no unified strategy that consolidates actions at all stages of the life cycle of buildings, articulates initiatives related to the inclusion of sustainability criteria in the sector and monitors the results of the actions implemented in the policies," said the director of the National Planning Department (DNP), Luis Fernando Mejía.
Main aspects of CONPES "National policy on sustainable buildings"
- Sustainable development and the life cycle of buildings (planning, design, construction, operation, updating of systems and end of use of the building).
- Diagnosis of the public policy for sustainability, its implementation, institutional coordination and the current market for buildings with sustainability criteria.
- Design of strategies to implement public policy instruments for the inclusion of sustainability criteria in all uses and linked to the stages of the life cycle of buildings.
- Strategies to establish monitoring and control mechanisms for sustainable buildings.
- Guidelines for the development of incentive programs for the demand and supply of high-performance real estate projects.
- Give scope to the national housing policy for the effective implementation of sustainability criteria including the VIS and VIP segment, the certification systems in sustainable construction and their scope and methodologies.
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