Sustainability Report
Embodied carbon
Carbon emissions were calculated based on material quantities estimated from site photographs and project description (87 m² gross floor area, Bogotá). Emission factors sourced from ICE v3.0 and Ecoinvent 3.9. The existing reinforced concrete structure and original wall surfaces were conserved without intervention and excluded from the calculation. Materials assessed include: new in-situ terrazzo flooring across full area (~10.4 ton, factor 180 kg CO₂eq/ton — the dominant item); new glass block panels replacing original openings (~800 kg, factor 1.2 kg CO₂eq/kg); solid wood kitchen cabinetry (~1.2 m³); stainless steel kitchen countertop (~60 kg, factor 6.15 kg CO₂eq/kg); painted steel doors and frames in cobalt blue (~120 kg); fluted glass panels (~60 kg); white subway ceramic tile in bathrooms (~0.4 ton); partial wall painting (concrete walls left exposed); and MEP installations. Carbon capture estimated for solid timber elements only. No formal LCA software was used; calculations performed manually using ICE and Ecoinvent databases.
Operational Emissions / Energy
Operational carbon estimated for a permanently occupied apartment in Bogotá (87 m², stratum 4–5). Electricity consumption estimated at ~300 kWh/month (3,600 kWh/year), reflecting permanent residential occupancy including large-format refrigerator and standard appliances; Colombian grid emission factor 0.126 kg CO₂eq/kWh (UPME 2023). Gas natural estimated at ~18 m³/month (216 m³/year) for a 6-burner professional gas range and domestic hot water; factor 2.04 kg CO₂eq/m³ (UPME). No mechanical heating or cooling — Bogotá's temperate climate eliminates HVAC demand entirely. Total estimated: ~895 kg CO₂eq/year across 87 m²
Service and maintenance emissions
Service and maintenance emissions are exceptionally low by design. The project's strategy of minimal intervention and exposed existing materials eliminates entire maintenance categories: concrete walls require no painting, coating, or treatment; original glass block panels require no maintenance; in-situ terrazzo flooring requires only periodic polishing every 10–15 years with no material replacement. Solid wood kitchen cabinetry requires annual oiling only. Painted steel doors require touch-up repainting every 5–7 years (~0.02 kg CO₂eq/m²/year annualized). White ceramic subway tile requires occasional regrouting only. General building services estimated at 0.05 kg CO₂eq/m²/year. Total estimated: ~11 kg CO₂eq/year across 87 m² — the lowest maintenance footprint in the Cabida portfolio. No formal LCA software used; estimates based on ICE v3.0 and standard residential maintenance cycles.
Afterlife
Adaptive reuse is the conceptual spine of the project. Rather than concealing the building's history, the intervention embraces it: concrete walls, original glass block panels, and existing structural elements were left exposed and untouched, preserving the spatial identity of a mid-century Bogotá apartment while extending its useful life by several decades. The layout is open and non-prescriptive — the main living area, kitchen, and circulation flow without fixed partitions, allowing the space to accommodate different programs, household configurations, or even a live-work arrangement without structural modifications. The minimal number of new elements means future occupants inherit a blank canvas rather than a space locked into a specific aesthetic moment.
The project's minimal intervention strategy is its strongest circular economy argument. The cobalt blue steel door frames are bolted assemblies that can be dismantled, repainted, and reinstalled elsewhere. The solid wood kitchen cabinetry uses traditional joinery and can be disassembled and reused as freestanding furniture or in another renovation. The fluted glass panels are removable without material loss. The in-situ terrazzo floor and the exposed concrete walls — the two dominant material surfaces — are permanent, non-removable elements, but their permanence is precisely their circular virtue: they will never need to be replaced, never generate demolition waste, and will outlast any future renovation cycle. The existing glass block panels, conserved from the original construction, have already demonstrated a multi-decade lifespan and will continue to do so. In this project, the most sustainable element is what was not touched.