By: Jimmy Langman
SANTIAGO,
Chile — The Chilean capital of Santiago is now home to innovative new
architecture projects that are helping the country solve its energy challenges.
Called
Latin America¹s economic tiger for its high economic growth rates, Chile's
vibrant economy has meant rising energy consumption. Chile is projected to need
twice as much energy by 2025.
One
way Chile tackles that challenge is by re-thinking its buildings. About a third
of the world¹s energy is consumed in buildings for heating, cooling, cooking,
lighting and appliances. Architects here are moving away from
highly-inefficient structures; instead, dozens of buildings that use energy
efficient designs are now being built.
A
green-building prototype for both Chile and Latin America is the Transoceanica
building in Santiago¹s Vitacura neighborhood. It¹s the first building ever in
Chile to achieve the LEED gold certification by the international Green
Building Council. Finished in late 2010, the building consumes just one-fourth
of the energy demanded by a traditional building its size.
The
incredible energy efficiency of the Transoceanica building stems in great
measure from passive, energy efficient design solutions, which lowers cooling
costs, the largest factor in commercial energy use in Santiago.
Another
key contributor to efficiency: a geothermal pump draws water from a 75-foot
deep well below ground to cool the building.
Chile¹s
Ministry of Housing and Urbanization is also doing its part by building 10
model energy efficient buildings to house its own offices around the country.
The government is also developing green building standards, and has launched a
certification system for residential housing, all pointing the way toward a
more eco-friendly future.
Source: Globalpost