Bogotá Mall Parque La Colina Has Earned LEED Gold Certification

Last month, the Washington-based Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) officially awarded its LEED “gold” certification to Parque La Colina, a large mall in northern Bogotá.

The popular shopping center opened last year and is owned by the Chilean firm Parque Arauco S.A., which took sustainability into account during the planning and construction phase of the project. The company says that it spent nearly one-third of the building budget on materials containing recycled content and that it prioritized locally sourced construction materials, with 83% being “invested with local suppliers with inputs from within 800 kilometers of the project.”

To save energy, the building has incorporated LED lighting, high-efficiency motors, and “bioclimatic ventilation.” To reduce water usage, the builders installed efficient toilets and faucets. The green park areas outside also include rainwater collection systems to water native plants that are accustomed to the area’s precipitation levels.

LEED certification, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely recognized global standard for green buildings. There are four levels of certification based upon the overall rating assigned by technical experts during their inspection based upon everything from energy use and air quality to water management and other aspects with environmental effects. Gold is the second-highest standard on the scale. It ranks behind only the “platinum” standard and ahead of both “certified” (the lowest level) and “silver.”

“The process is designed to inspire project teams to seek innovative solutions that support public health and our environment, while saving building owners money over a project’s life cycle,” according to the certifying authorities.

Parque La Colina is the first mall owned by Parque Arauco to receive gold certification. The company’s Arauco Quilicura mall in Chile and InOutlet Prmeium Lurín mall in Peru have both received silver certification.

In all, Parque La Colina is home to at least 199 stores, including locations of H&M, Falabella, Crate & Barrel, and Zara. Cinemark, one of the largest cinema chains in Colombia, also has a theater within the 15,000-square-meter shopping center.

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