sought.

In the fortnight of February, a delegation from the Regional Hub Lima-COSUDE visited the Aldea Tulum showcase, located in the city of Tulum, state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. This project was chosen to implement the principles of Energy Efficiency and Adaptive Comfort (EEAC) for three main reasons: (i) it has secured financing, as it is part of the third implementation phase of the Aldea Tulum development, carried out by the developer CADU Inmobiliaria; (ii) it is a Social Housing typology building, so it benefits economically disadvantaged people; and (iii) it is located in a warm sub-humid climate zone.

The visits to the first ready for operation flats of the Aldea Tulum showcase facilities were an ideal space for the installation of the monitoring equipment, that will help to corroborate the proper functioning of the facilities in compliance with the CEELA principles.

Anton Hilber, SDC Director in Lima, and Rafael Millán, Regional Programme Officer and responsible for the CEELA project on behalf of the SDC, visited this building of the developer CADU Inmobiliaria to check its status. At the end of the tour, specialists from the Laboratorio de Entornos Sostenibles (Sustainable Environments Laboratory – LES) of the Architecture Faculty of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico – FA UNAM) trained the unit owners in the operation and follow-up of the monitoring of their flats, so that they can quantitatively and qualitatively measure improvements in energy performance and adaptive comfort. Once this process is completed, conclusions, lessons learned, and recommendations will be shared with the community.

On Saturday 18th, a second visit was made to Aldea Tulum to install the first of the current measuring devices. These devices allow, through a mobile phone app, to remotely monitor the air conditioning electricity consumption.

On Monday, February 20th, as part of these activities to strengthen sustainable construction, the CEELA project visited the Centro de Estudios de Ciencia y Tecnología(Science and Technology Studies Center – CECyTE), the educational institution in Tulum that hosts the largest number of secondary and high school students in the area, with approximately 1,400 students.

During the tour, the opportunities offered by the Recommendation Guide for the Application of Energy Efficiency and Environmental Comfort Criteria in New Educational Institutions for Hot Dry and Hot Humid Climates in the construction of classrooms in the state of Quintana Roo and in CECyTE were defined with the institution rector.

These activities are part of the CEELA project’s objectives to strengthen energy efficiency and adaptive comfort in buildings in the region.

The monitoring results in Aldea Tulum, which are expected by the end of June, will provide the technical evidence that will allow the incorporation of Energy Efficiency and Adaptive Control (EEAC) principles in more houses located in hot areas of Mexico, which will be a clear comfort benefit for social housing.

You can learn more about the Aldea Tulum Showcase here.

Source: CEELA Project

Further information:
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Brochure CEELA Project (Span)
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