agenda Infrastructure 2010: The changes continue
Urban Land Institute recently organized its networking and business breakfasts in Guadalajara and in Mexico City. The focus at both events was on topics such as sustainability, infrastructure, and good practices in architecture, with experts from both Mexico and the US in attendance. Jalisco, Fabián Monsalve of the company Baker & Mckenzie in Zapopan, and María Magdalena Ruiz, Secretary of the Environment and Ecology for the City of Guadalajara. José Piccioto focused on sustainable development or building requiring a series of new action plans, all directed at generating answers regarding energy consumption. Meanwhile, Carlos Errejón listed various points to take into account in this respect, for example, he spoke of how new property models must adapt to schemes like green mortgages, energy and water saving, and energy and thermal efficiency. “We need to work on these points, but more than anything else, on social assistance housing. The housing model in recent years has dispersed and expanded lot use without adequate services, which increases infrastructure costs; the Federal Government on the one hand, has promoted DUIS (Desarrollos Urbanos Integrados Sustentables) (Integrated Sustainable Urban Developments), but with the limitation of high costs.” For Fabián Monsalve of the legal department at Baker & McKenzie, work needs to be done proper consulting focusing on legislation for property development, taking into account standards like NOM_008-ENER-200, which addresses sustainable use of energy and, of course, the development of ecological programs. He noted the efforts made by the State in applied eco-technologies and that Jalisco is the number one region in the development of a sustainable building model. The Secretary of the Environment and Ecology for Guadalajara, María Magdalena Ruiz, spoke of the value that developers must give to the environment. “The environment and urban planning must go hand in hand to achieve
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real and viable developments in the future, in addition to respecting waste management, the ecology, and biodiversity. Developers must work with an ecologist, or environmentalist, in addition to an engineer, architect, and urban planner,” the functionary concluded.
The importance of architecture in sustainable development
Juan Diego Pérez-Vargas of the company KMD Architects, Aidan Hughes of the company ARUP in San Francisco, and Francisco Martín del Campo of Grupo ARQUITECTOMA participated in the panel. Pérez-Vargas spoke of the importance of aerodynamic designs, that these are not just architectonic whims rather they should be based on wind technology. “Air spaces need to be incorporated for thermal benefit and natural light needs to be properly managed to create effective internal energy saving environments”, the executive for KMD Architects emphasized. Aidan Hughes, expressed that the idea of building and making developments that impact the environment less is real and there are factors that support this trend, like for example the efforts made by companies to obtain Carbon Bonds and to carry out the tasks necessary to achieve real energy savings and more efficient properties. Lastly, Francisco Martín del Campo of Grupo ARQUITECTOMA believes it a mistake that the perspective of the developer in terms of environmental impact and its related costs, be an economic limitation to be applied to the subsequent maintenance of the property.
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Maureen McAvey of the Urban Land Institute in Washington attended the breakfast and meeting with member of the ULI in Mexico City. She commented on the importance of the topic of infrastructure as a priority for the ULI. “Infrastructure is key for economic development and for real estate, at both the local and international levels. The development of efficient transportation systems, bridges, and even the management of natural resources, must be priorities for governments”, said McAvey. The panel on infrastructure at this event was attended by Nicolás Mariscal of the company MARHNOS, who acted as moderator, Paul Freudenthaler of the company Macquarie Capital Mexico, Alonso Quintana of ICA, and José Manuel Fortes of MARHNOS. Paul emphasized to those present at the breakfast that having an office and chapter of the ULI in Mexico is very important, as in the past, these types of events had only been held at the US office. “I congratulate the Urban Land Institute of Mexico, because without doubt it has put together a good network of contacts”, the Director for Macquaire in Mexico commented. In addition, he expressed that the company was founded in 1969 and in 1985 obtained a banking license, and in 1996 began to manage funds. He said that coming into Mexico and having such a competitive market, has led them to work hard to rise to the top in the country. He said that over the last 15 years they have become an important partner in the public sector in other nations, so they expect to do the same in Mexico. He says that to achieve the objectives in the country, they will work with international investors, multilateral agencies, and with insurance companies. Alonso Quintana of ICA spoke about the progress made on the National Infrastructure Plan and listed the following: One, that the country has advanced 40% in highways, two, that the infrastructure has progressed and been ordered, and three, the development of private airports and railways needs to continue. Regarding highways, under the Public-Private scheme, work has been done on the routes from Irapuato to La piedad, Querétaro – Irapuato, and Nuevo Necaxa – Tihuatlán. In conclusion, he said that there has been much progress and creativity. José Manuel Fortes of MARHNOS commented that despite starting work on the industrial development and medium housing development for business units they hold, they have been involved in infrastructure projects. “We have been working on environmental and route projects, and buildings under PPS project schemes, and also municipal infrastructure projects. We are currently working on projects such as the Palin – Escuintla Highway in Guatemala, the Treatment Plant in Tangamanga and PTAR North in San Luis Potosí, the Reynosa – Anzaldúas International Bridge in Tamaulipas, the Courthouse in Oaxaca, and various Wastewater Treatment Plants”, José Manuel Fortes said. Lastly, he mentioned the following challenges they are facing at the regional level: one, lack of project structure; two, adequate regulatory framework; three, public works and acquisition laws; and four, ending the politicization of projects. n