Colombia Green Building Council – Colombia GBC

Be Part of a Sustainable World

The Colombia Green Building Council is an Established Member of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), the largest international organization influencing the green building marketplace, representing a growing network of over 80 green building councils from all the regions of the world.

The Colombia Green Building Council (in Spanish the Consejo Colombiano de Construcción Sostenible) is an NGO that promotes through its network, the transformation of the country´s cities and its building industry towards sustainability.

The Colombia Green Building Council’s corporate members are committed to sustainable urbanism and greening the built environment. The organization has also forged meaningful research alliances with  universities across the country.

Our Contribution

The Colombia GBC priorities focus on three main areas:

• Strengthening knowledge about green building and generating innovative ideas to achieve more sustainable urban development.
• Supporting green building certification systems and the standardization of green building markets.
• Supporting government in the formulation of responsible production and consumption policies in relation to the built environment and green building.

The Colombia GBC promotes the use of any form of voluntary certification for sustainable buildings with international recognition. It also supports the creation of a sovereign building certification system developed by the Colombian government, with the support of the private sector and the academy, called Sello Ambiental Colombiano para las Edificaciones.

The Colombia GBC fosters the following values in all its processes: inclusion, transparency, integrity, ethical behavior and a multidisciplinary approach.

Questions? Contact us This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Why become a Member of the Colombia GBC

Being a member of the Colombia GBC gives you access to a vast network of people, companies and organizations. With this support, we are changing the construction industry towards sustainability, and achieving more balanced and equitable built environments.

Every member of the Colombia GBC will find opportunities of participation in equal conditions with the rest of the community, without any exception.

The Colombia GBC provides the following services to its members:

• Access to an international network of professionals and enterprises in the green building industry
• As a member of the Colombia GBC, your organization will be part of a global network that is driving the building industry into more sustainable practices, successfully mitigating the impact of the built environment on climate change, resource consumption and loss of biodiversity.
• If your organization is an educational institution or an NGO, you will find the Colombia GBC an important ally for your research and training initiatives.
• Access to useful information and firsthand tools.
• Access to updates, and information about conferences, seminars, training and other special events held or sponsored by the Colombia GBC. This information is sent through monthly newsletters, communications with business opportunities, and reports with information about special offers and discounts exclusive to members.
• Your organization will have the unique opportunity to participate in a professional international network and contribute to the sustainable-building movement in Colombia through active participation in our Strategic Committees.
• Promotion and Marketing for Your Organization: your membership gives you the privilege of using the Colombia GBC’s logo in all of its publications and paperwork, in accordance with the Colombia GBC Logo Use Guidelines for Members*.
  
• In addition, your company will have a place on our webpage, which will promote your business or institution not only to our large community of members but to everyone that visits the site. A place on this website will enable you to:
• Have an online reference of your membership and a link to you organization’s webpage.
• Highlight your green products, services and projects in our online Directory of Members.
  

* The Colombia GBC will provide logo artwork files. Only artwork files provided by the Colombia GBC may be used. Images captured from websites, publications, and other sources may not be used.

How to Join the Colombia GBC

To apply for a Colombia GBC membership, please contact us: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Note that a membership to Colombia GBC does not necessarily mean that the institution will approve, recommend or support all the products and services of your organization.

More on Green Building

Green building is the process of designing, building and operating integral construction projects, which create a positive impact for the community and the users of the building.

Green Buildings are a way of reducing the impact of the built environment on climate change, natural resources and biodiversity, aspects of special importance for a privileged and diverse country like Colombia.

Worldwide, the building sector is responsible for more than one third of total energy use and, in most countries, is the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions source. In addition to this, the construction industry has a huge impact on the environment because it uses a great amount of resources, especially non-renewable resources.

The built environment is responsible of about:

• 20% of world´s water consumption
• 25% of world´s timber consumption
• 30%-40% of world´s energy consumption
• 40%-50% of world´s raw material usage

What are the benefits of green building?

• Social benefits derived from a sustainable urban design.
• Adequate provision of public spaces and equipment.
• Priority to pedestrian mobility, public transport and alternative means of transport, such as the bicycle.
• A balanced mix of uses that favor urban dynamics. This means that the urban fabric supports the creation of areas that include housing, employment opportunities, culture, sports and community activities, reducing the need for commuting long distances.
• Green homes and especially affordable housing improve people’s quality of life. When families see utilities consumption -water, electricity and others- reduced, they have the possibility to attend other household needs.

Environmental Benefits of Green Building

Comparing a green building’s performance with a traditional one highlights important savings, which include:

• Energy consumption reductions (approximately 30%-50% )
• Water consumption reductions (approximately 40%)
• Reduction of CO2 emissions (approximately 35%)
• Reduction of construction debris generation and increased use of recycled and reused materials (about 70%)

In relation to the building interiors and the quality of the spaces, the following characteristics are observed:

• In educative institutions: Improvement of students’ performance during exams.
• In health centers: Reduction of the average time spent by patients in hospitalization.
• In offices: Increase of workers’ productivity driven by a raise of health standards in the working place and reduction of absent days.
• In commercial and industrial buildings: Growth of sales and a boost in production rates.

Economic Benefits of Sustainable Construction

Social responsibility of thousands of enterprises and public institutions around the world is now based on achieving sustainable operations. These operations are supported by green buildings, which have the following economic benefits:

• Reduction of operation costs
• Increase of real estate value
• Greater occupation rates and increased investment returns

Green Buildings aims to much more than just a reduction of the carbon footprint. It also enables the achievement of the social, environmental and economic benefits listed, as it helps governments meet their goals on public housing provision, employment generation and local economic enhancement.

Sources: Various reports from McGraw-Hill Construction, World Green Building Council, Green Building Alliance, U.S Green Building Council, E Capital and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.