Sustainable infrastructure
Sustainable infrastructure
The Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL) is recognized as the most important higher education institution in northern Mexico and one of the largest in Latin America, taking into account its student population and infrastructure.
Currently, the UANL is made up of 26 faculties and 29 preparatory schools located on seven university campuses and 80 schools located in 36 of the 51 municipalities that make up the state of Nuevo León.
In the Monterrey Metropolitan Area there are five university campuses: Ciudad Universitaria, Ciencias de la Salud, Mederos, Ciencias Agropecuarias and Cadereyta and there are two more in the municipalities of Sabinas Hidalgo and Linares.
37,994,120 m2 total area occupied by the seven campuses that make up the UANL
37,452,407 m2 total water absorption area
1,083,426 m2 built area
1,080,407 m2 area occupied by planted vegetation
36,372,000 m2 area occupied by forest vegetation
541,713 m2 total area on first floor
98.5% open space ratio
164 m2 open space area per capita
Due to the geographic location of the state of Nuevo León, most of the university campuses and facilities that make up the UANL are located in climatic regions considered arid and semi-arid, with an average rainfall of 650 mm per year and an average temperature of 25ºC, with maximum temperatures exceeding 40ºC and minimum temperatures of 0ºC or even lower.
For several years, the UANL has promoted an institutional policy on sustainable infrastructure aimed at designing, constructing and operating buildings, facilities and spaces under principles of environmental, economic and social sustainability, seeking to reduce environmental impact, optimize the use of natural resources and promote an environment that favors the well-being of the university community.
These types of buildings guarantee compliance with strict energy efficiency and sustainability standards, since they not only reduce energy and water consumption, but also promote a healthier environment for members of the university community.
In this way, UANL continues to advance towards a sustainable infrastructure model that not only responds to current needs, but also anticipates future challenges. With these efforts, we reaffirm our commitment to be leaders in sustainability, in addition to providing an environment that inspires future generations.
Among the actions carried out to achieve greater energy efficiency on university campuses and facilities, the following stand out:
- Installation of high energy efficiency lighting equipment.
- Replacing conventional air conditioning equipment with highly energy-efficient equipment.
- Promote self-generation of energy using renewable sources.
- Installation of motion detectors in living rooms and offices.
- Improve the thermal insulation of the infrastructure
- Take advantage of ventilation and natural light to reduce energy consumption.
- Installation of low energy consumption LED screens.
- Installation of water-saving equipment in service areas in administrative and educational buildings.
- Design and installation of green roofs.
- Installation of waste management and recycling systems.
- Increase the rainwater retention surface.
- Use solar thermal plants to heat water.
- Development of green areas and sustainable gardens, which also contribute to increasing local biodiversity and community well-being, among others.
100 % of UANL buildings have one or more highly energy efficient equipment
The construction of all this infrastructure and equipment has required a great technical and economic institutional effort, but it has allowed 100% of the UANL buildings to currently use high-efficiency air conditioning and lighting equipment, water-saving equipment and adequate waste management systems, which generates significant economic and energy savings, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions derived from the academic activities that are carried out daily on the UANL campuses and facilities.
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