Primera is pleased to announce that our BBVA Bancomer Centro Operativo project has been recognized with the 2016 Premio Nacional from the Instituto Mexicano del Edificio Inteligente y Sustenable (Mexican Institute of Intelligent and Sustainable Buildings). The award will be presented on November 28th, 2016 at the Alcázar del Castillo de Chapultepec, in Mexico City.

The new 130-meter tall, 154,000 square-meter facility is being recognized for not only providing security and comfort to its occupants, but also providing higher-quality conditions of life while respecting the environment and the visions of energy efficiency. The new Operations Center includes central computing for the bank’s operations, a call center, training center, and employee cafeteria in addition to auditorium spaces, a heliport, and seven levels of underground parking. This facility utilizes a 100% onsite water treatment facility and a variety of techniques to decrease the reliance on artificial lighting. The interior design of the building utilizes green outdoor spaces such as rooftop terraces to provide a healthy work environment for employees. This building was designed and constructed to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Primera provided commissioning and LEED consulting services on the SOM-designed project and was an integral member of the initial selection committee reviewing architectural teams in regards to the building design.

“Sustainability and environmental stewardship was important to us long before the official sustainability movement began,” explains Lourdes Gonzalez, Primera’s Senior Vice President who has been actively involved in this project for the past seven years. “To see our projects publicly recognized for their sustainability efforts is something we find incredibly rewarding. These types of buildings truly enhance our communities.”

Since 1994, the Mexican Institute of Intelligent and Sustainable Building has recognized one building each year with the IMEI National Award. It evaluates projects based on the building’s sustainability and energy efficiency, operation and maintenance, architecture and civil engineering, and more.