Sustainable construction projects seek energy savings of up to 90% in homes. However, there is no regulation that stimulates green certifications for design and construction decisions.
“The climate crisis forces us to restore harmony between human life and nature. In the country we have solar, wind and hydraulic potential among others, enough to produce energy. Solutions based on nature are key tools in green construction¨, explains engineer Leandro Mercedes.
¨Although an increase in cost of over 2% is calculated, there are several important benefits. To the extent that users see reduced maintenance costs, electricity bills, higher indoor environment quality and environmental protection, they will tend to choose green buildings; this entails an increase in surplus value”, added Mercedes.
In 2020, C02 emissions in the country grew by 3.69%, compared to 2019, and the per capita emission increased by 2.62 tons per inhabitant, which represented a paradigm shift for new residential projects governed by law 687 and the legal framework of the technical regulation system for engineering, architecture and related branches.
“The concept has spread throughout the world, but there are no local regulations. That’s why being sustainable is a direction or focus of your work. The importance of green building certifications is something that will continue to trend and will change the course of real estate development in the country”, points out the specialist who is responsible for the first residential proposal with green certification in the country, a work that save up to 36% on the energy consumption of each apartment.
Green constructions are developed with sustainable materials, responsible for the environment, that is, they are or can be recycled, do not contain toxic elements and in their life cycle they present a reduction in the use of resources.
“The use of these materials has several advantages, since being extracted in a sustainable way, they mitigate the contamination of water, air and soil; which results in a much smaller ecological impact,” says Mercedes, who currently has projects in Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, La Terrenas and Samaná.
According to the civil engineer, responsible for the first company in the country to have an Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiency (EDGE) certification, green projects have a much smaller carbon footprint.
“Electric lighting can cause high degrees of heat, while the generation of heat with natural lighting is almost zero if properly controlled; in addition to minimizing the amount of artificial light. In the same way, good insulation and ventilation management represents significant savings in energy expenditure for air conditioning”; she emphasized.
Another simple solution that is applied is the installation of aerators in the taps, incorporating air into the water jet, which reduces consumption by up to 40%, points out the specialist.
“The percentage of construction and demolition waste used in the country is less than 8%. Therefore, although there are not necessarily conditions for zero waste, there is much that can be done. In our projects we reuse and recycle all kinds of materials from rubble, ceramics… to pieces of pipes that are given away or sold to whoever needs them”; points out Mercedes, who also has the LEED GA certification granted by the US Green Building Council (USGC) to professionals specialized in the area.
For the civil engineer, due to its carbon footprint, sustainable development in the construction industry is one of the most relevant points for 2030, both for investors as well as for designers, developers and builders.
“Some standards that are applied in the construction industry are the LEED, EDGE or SITES certification system and the creation of certified sustainable buildings is one of the most interesting investment opportunities of the next decade,” he said.
The focus, according to Mercedes, is focused on achieving a kind of communion between construction and the environment. It is based on the principles of circular waste management, the use of renewable energies and support for environmental, social and economic diversity.
