Estudo de caso: a importância de sistemas de certificação AQUA-HQE e LEED para a economia de água em edificações

Abstract

Drought affects different areas around the world. Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area suffered, between 2014 and 2016, with the worst water crisis of the last eighty ears. Beside the climate conditions, this crisis can also be related to the consumption habits of the population, that, until that moment, did not give the real importance to this problem. In this situation, the research intends to identify forms to reduce the water consumption in buildings, by solutions adopted in regions with urban concentration. For that, were selected urban centers that passed, or are passing through water crisis compared to the one in the city of Sao Paulo, to analyse the actions developed and the applicability on the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo city. The study cases are in the following countries: Australia, Spain, United States of America and Mexico. Australia passed through a long and difficult period of water supply. Solutions in cities such as Sydney and Adelaide were observed. In Spain, the focus of the study was the city of Barcelona, also with the metropolitan area. The capital of Catalonia passed through a small period, if compared to the other regions, of severe water crisis. New York and California are the regions analysed in the United States. In Mexico, the capital Mexico City was selected because of the chronic situation of water supply. To highlight the importance of actions to reduce the water consumption in buildings, interviews also were conducted, based in theoretical reference, with the managers of AQUA-HQE and LEED certifications. Beside the interviews, this research presents a multiple case study of two certified buildings located in the city of Sao Paulo. With this study, is expected to observe the reduction in water consumption from the solutions adopted in constructions and to verify the importance of environmental performance certification systems. The results showed that certifications can help reduce water consumption and establish a relation between architecture and sustainability.