Green Building design and construction in Baja California.
Green Building design and construction in Baja California.
Home / Green Building / First Green Commercial Building at Baja
A remarkable example of engineering, education and Green Building
This seven-story luxury condominium project is built to the highest sustainable building standards and makes extensive use of Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs). What was once just an idea to utilize environmentally friendly construction techniques to engineer La Concha Pearl, a 7-story beachfront tower offering 33 luxurious residences on one of the most pristine beaches in La Paz is now a reality. The build team first set an objective to qualify for a US-based LEED certification. Then they registered the project with the US Green Building Council, targeting the “Gold” standard. This is the first project to be registered in BCS and won’t be certified until 3 to 4 months after completion
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To pull this off, the developers knew they would have to radically change the way they approached the project, recognizing early on that they would have to team up with a company that was dedicated to utilizing new technologies and processes and who most importantly, possessed the capability to implement the efficiencies this project was aiming to achieve. That’s when NewTek was contacted, to make this project a green reality. NewTek provided a smarter alternative on building materials offering benefits such as seismic strength exceeding Zone 4 earthquake design, the ability to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, and climate comfort – all part of the cast-in-place Quad-Lock ICF “insulated concrete form” system.
This energy-efficient concrete/polystyrene combination, pioneered and promoted by NewTek in Mexico, provides superior insulation, strength, and interior acoustics. The Quad-Lock system, also provides an estimated 60-75% reduction in cooling load. ICF’s allow great flexibility, quick installation with reduced material handling, and far less wasted fuel required to deliver heavy concrete block over long distances to development sites.
Home / Green Building / First Green Commercial Building at Baja
A remarkable example of engineering, education and Green Building
This seven-story luxury condominium project is built to the highest sustainable building standards and makes extensive use of Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs). What was once just an idea to utilize environmentally friendly construction techniques to engineer La Concha Pearl, a 7-story beachfront tower offering 33 luxurious residences on one of the most pristine beaches in La Paz is now a reality. The build team first set an objective to qualify for a US-based LEED certification. Then they registered the project with the US Green Building Council, targeting the “Gold” standard. This is the first project to be registered in BCS and won’t be certified until 3 to 4 months after completion.
Visit our Gallery for more NTC-Quad-Lock images!
To pull this off, the developers knew they would have to radically change the way they approached the project, recognizing early on that they would have to team up with a company that was dedicated to utilizing new technologies and processes and who most importantly, possessed the capability to implement the efficiencies this project was aiming to achieve. That’s when NewTek was contacted, to make this project a green reality. NewTek provided a smarter alternative on building materials offering benefits such as seismic strength exceeding Zone 4 earthquake design, the ability to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, and climate comfort – all part of the cast-in-place Quad-Lock ICF “insulated concrete form” system.
This energy-efficient concrete/polystyrene combination, pioneered and promoted by NewTek in Mexico, provides superior insulation, strength, and interior acoustics. The Quad-Lock system, also provides an estimated 60-75% reduction in cooling load. ICF’s allow great flexibility, quick installation with reduced material handling, and far less wasted fuel required to deliver heavy concrete block over long distances to development sites.
In addition to the super-insulated walls, the building uses an innovative cooling system. Instead of the typical 150- ton air conditioning system, it uses a half-sized 70-ton system coupled to evaporative coolers. An ice-maker comes on in the off – peak hours, which shifts 30% of the cooling load to the nights, further reducing utility bills by staying off the peak billing period. The windows use E2-coated glass with thermal breaks, which dissipate up to 40% more heat than conventional dual-pane windows. Solar panels provide year-round heating for the spa and pools and power the perimeter lighting.
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Brought to you in cooperation with KiZa Associates.
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
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June 30th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
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August 25th, 2009 at 2:30 am
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August 25th, 2009 at 2:41 am
[...] First Green Commercial Building at Baja A remarkable example of engineering, education and Green Building This… [...]