Unveiling the Secrets os Sustainable Building
Spotlight - Wed, 02/24/2016 - 15:49

Unveiling the Secrets os Sustainable Building

The shadow of the 1985 earthquake lingered in the minds of the architects of the Mexican skyline
Wed, 02/24/2016 - 15:49
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The shadow of the 1985 earthquake lingered in the minds of the architects of the Mexican skyline and at that time the thought of building a skyscraper was little more than a fantasy. According to Felipe Flores, Director of Operations at Torre Mayor, this perception quickly faded when Reichmann International Co. decided to develop Torre Mayor, marking a breakthrough in the history of Mexico City. “The building contributed to corporate and commercial activities, thus returning life to Paseo de la Reforma, the main limb of the business district of Mexico City,” he boasts. The completion of Torre Mayor convinced the construction industry of the possibility of developing high quality constructions with deep sustainability principles at their core. “Moreover, Torre Mayor was designed in 1997, a time when there were no green certifications, but it was quickly certified as a green building due to the advanced technology installed in the tower.”

One of the achievements of Torre Mayor that developers should emulate is its EBOM certification. This is an award given only to buildings that are at full operation and, when Torre Mayor sought this recognition, it enlisted an expert consultant on the subject. “It was necessary to hire a technical advisor in order to create an internal committee in Torre Mayor to help us tackle the five factors required for the LEED certification.” Some of the main issues include energy efficiency and cultural behaviour, and the latter entailed modifying the way in which the tower operates and adopting a sustainable mind set. “We work with each company in the tower to educate them and promote principles in favour of sustainability,” he adds.

A crucial piece of the puzzle is water, and Torre Mayor was able to significantly reduce its water consumption. “We achieved this by revising all of our bathroom features, which resulted in an additional 25% of water savings,” he explains. This was not enough for the tower’s ambitious developers, as they decided to incorporate a wastewater treatment plant that will recycle all water used daily. “This will make the tower a zero discharge building. Once again, we demonstrate the possibility of investing in green actions that align with our business model.” This thirst for innovation will help Torre Mayor maintain its position at the forefront of the building industry. “There are no secrets in what we do at Torre Mayor, and we are open to sharing all of our information in order to promote a more sustainable approach to developing and operating buildings,” Flores admits.

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