Buganvillas
Buganvillas is a new 18-unit residential complex in Ibarra. The project is ideally located only seven minutes from the city’s downtown. The one and two-story homes were carefully designed to fit into the local landscape, allowing residents to find “thier home in the wild.”
The homes will utilize resource-efficient design and technologies to save energy and water, lowering residents’ utility bills. Natural ventilation and reflective paint will lower the indoor temperature of the homes, eliminating the need for air conditioning and reducing energy use.
RELCO Construcciones, the developer of the project, is committed to developing buildings that highlight the beauty of cities, while using environmentally friendly materials. The company is using local materials in the construction of Buganvillas, benefitting Ecuador’s local economy and reducing the environmental impact of the transportation of materials to the project-site.
Buganvillas has received a preliminary EDGE certificate from GBCI.
Predicted Savings of EDGE Certification
27%
Energy Savings*
39%
Water Savings
34%
Less Embodied Energy in Materials
Technical Solutions
Energy
Reduced window-to-wall ratio, reflective paint for external walls, insulation of the roof, energy-saving lighting in internal and external spaces, and lighting controls for corridors and staircases.
Water
Dual-flush water closets and low-flow showerheads and faucets for kitchen sinks and washbasins.
Materials
Concrete filler slab for the floor, clay tiles on steel rafters and concrete filler slab for the roof, medium weight hollow concrete blocks for internal walls, and common brick with internal and external plaster for external walls.
*Part of the energy efficiency percentage may be associated with virtual energy for comfort depending on the presence of heating and cooling systems. Note that virtual energy does not contribute savings to utility bills.
EDGE is currently funded by the UK Government with original funding by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
Additional support has been provided by Austria, Canada, Denmark, ESMAP, EU, Finland, GEF, Hungary and Japan.