MEP Engineering Award of Excellence: Torre Glorieta Insurgentes, Mexico City
Yoram Cimet
Projects Director
CIMET Arquitectos, Mexico City
An MEP Strategy That Reduces Electrical and Water Consumption
The semicircular Glorieta Insurgentes Tower’s innovative MEP strategy has resulted in substantial reductions in electrical and water consumption. Mechanical HVAC engineering uses VRF technology that subdivides into individual systems at each level. This frees space on the rooftop for solar panels that contribute 5 percent of the building’s energy requirement. Energy distribution has been resolved by subdividing the building into two parts, consisting of the core and tenant spaces. Having electrical transformers at both the basement and rooftop levels, electrical wiring for the core was installed from the bottom up, while wiring for the tenant spaces was installed from the top down, reducing the total amount required.
A combination of energy-saving efforts begins with a lighting and shading control system that is totally automated with occupancy sensors; daylight harvesting and automatic dimming schedules factor in orientation and climate conditions to calculate the optimal settings. Plumbing features that reduce water usage include a wastewater treatment plant, rainwater harvesting and treatment, efficient fixtures, and waterless urinals. The pumping system is divided into low and high pressure, utilizing vertical pumps that save 95 percent energy compared to a standard base building energy model. All MEP and other devices are connected to an advanced central BMS system, making it an optimally operated smart building.
