Sustainable Building Guidelines For New Office BuildingS Guide Bogotá, Colombia
INTRODUCTION
This sustainable building review has been written as a guideline for placing and designing sustainable office buildings in Bogotá, Colombia. It consists of suggestions and proposals on how to incorporate sustainable features when new office buildings are designed. LOCATION AND WEATHER FACTORS1 Colombia is a country located in the northern part of South America over the Equator; this location gives the country a good advantage since solar radiation is vertical almost the entire year. Due to this fact, Colombia should have very high temperatures, however, there are other factors that also influence the weather, for instance topography, winds and humidity, creating a wide variety of climates. The varying altitudes in Columbia define the weather in the country. It has diverse climate zones that go from the warmest (that could be dry or humid) to the coldest, depending on the location, related to the sea level; the temperature decreases 1°C each 187 m that the altitude increases. Although there are no actual seasons, Colombia does experience two different periods, one of intense rain and the other of drought or slight rain. Bogotá is the capital of the country and is located in the center of Colombian territory at 2,650 meters above sea level. Because of this altitude, the range of the average temperature in Bogotá is between 7 °C and 18 °C. The rainy seasons are April‐May and September‐November; the driest months are from December to February and between July and August. POTENTIAL OF RENEWAL ENERGY2 Energy supply in Colombia, as in many other countries, is highly dependant on oil, however, due to its location, Colombia also has a great potential for alternative energy production. The primary source of energy production comes from hydroelectricity, as a result of the abundance of water found in different regions of the country. The second source is fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas. But the Colombia, as well as the rest of the world, will soon run out of reserves of these resources. Renewable sources of energy are those that produce energy in the form of electricity, propelling force, heat or fuel. In general, there are six possible sources for this energy
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http://www.todacolombia.com/geografia/radiacion.html http://www.mineducacion.gov.co/cvn/1665/article-117028.html
Peck & Sánchez, 1
production: solar, wind, biomass, hydropower, ocean, and geothermal; however, this guide will focus on those that can be used for a sustainable office building in Bogotá. Solar Energy: This source is from the solar radiation that reaches earth; the infrastructure that is needed to generate it is quiet and can be incorporated easily in the site. For example, solar panels may be used. Wind Energy: This kind of energy is safe and free; however, the unpredictable availability and speed of the wind makes it less reliable. Additionally, the windmills are noisy, it is not easy to integrate them with building façades, and they require a lot of space. Also, there is reason to believe they may harm birds. Geothermal Energy: Heat from the center of the earth is the source of this energy. It is generated by drilling into the earth and is used to produce electricity and/or heat. This is a little less feasible in an area with high population density such as Bogotá. Hydropower: Its source is the strength of water from rivers and lakes. Electricity is generated using hydraulic generators. This method is highly efficient and does not cause contamination. However, it is appropriate only in places with adequate topography and weather; Colombia has developed a ...
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