Irotama del Lago, the first hotel in Colombia with EDGE Advanced certification

Under a delegated management contract, Arquitectura y Concreto took part in building the Irotama del Lago hotel tower, the latest project of the hotel complex, which has been in the Colombian market for more than 50 years.

With 192 rooms, one parking level, three levels of common areas and an event hall for 350 people, Irotama del Lago promises to be the biggest bet for the business segment in the city of Santa Marta, Magdalena.

Building this tower meant a step into the future, in which the hotel group left behind a construction scheme based on somewhat traditional designs to welcome a renewed, modern and exclusive design.

Irotama del Lago has top-quality finishes; an imposing lobby, a luxury restaurant and the building itself show that every space is a reinvention.

For 18 months, our team worked hand in hand with Campuzano Arquitectos to achieve not only the best construction and architectural quality, but also sustainable construction certification.

Achieving this certification means reaching efficiencies greater than 40% in all 3 categories, which was possible in two phases: an initial one from the design stage, where efficiency level projections were presented, and a second phase in which, after construction, compliance with those levels was ensured to achieve the energy and water savings set as goals.

Finally, after a few months of hotel operation, the certification was achieved once compliance with the energy, water and embodied-energy-in-materials savings was demonstrated (through an on-site audit).

The auditor's assessment and report confirm that both design and construction meet the standard, generating significant savings in consumption of:

• Energy, up to 53%

• Water, 46%

• Embodied energy in materials, up to 49%

These energy and water savings were possible thanks to small, strategic details such as:

• An efficient architectural design for the project that made it easier to configure the parameters needed for certification.

• All rooms have shading over the main window and are oriented to enjoy the sunset without discomfort from solar radiation, preventing heat from building up in the rooms and enabling efficient use of air conditioning.

• Glass with a suitable shading coefficient for the rooms and higher specifications for the common areas.

• The hallways that guests use to reach the elevators have natural ventilation.

• All interior and exterior lighting is high-efficiency. LED lighting is used in all areas of the building, except the technical rooms, where T5 or T6 lamps (equally efficient) are used.

• Boiler system with solar panels for water heating.

• Showers with water consumption of 5.07 liters per minute, a high efficiency that doesn't affect the guest experience.

• Faucets with consumption of 1.8 liters per minute in sinks throughout the hotel.

• Dual-flush toilets and single-flush urinals with a high efficiency of one liter per flush.

• Plastered facades finished in light-colored paint, another measure that improves the building's thermal comfort.

• Interior partitions in drywall and honeycomb brick, materials that benefit energy efficiency.

• Aluminum windows.

At Arquitectura y Concreto we worked hard to achieve the certification. However, special mention should be made of the entities, teams and people who supported the process to achieve the highest standards:

• Danilo Henry, Site Director, and his team.

• The Irotama complex, for its commitment to the environment.

• Bancolombia and architect David Domínguez, for their advice and support.

• Biviana Villegas and the Sustainability team.

Now that you know how much we can achieve as a team, click here and explore our track record in the Colombian market, with more than 30 years in the construction sector.