Inter-American Development Bank IDB Retrofit

Almeida França was responsible for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) headquarters' reconfiguration and expansion, located in the North Embassy Sector, in Brasília, DF - Brazil. The facilities consist of a three-story building with 2,709 m² of office space, including a one-story block with a multi-purpose conference room. The total renovation area was of approximately 3,200 m², including outdoor areas.

The retrofit happened with: the electromechanical installations and internal layout reconfiguration of the space, expansion work on the first floor aiming for bigger workstations' areas, and accessibility.

The internal renovation of the building aimed at the implementation of the panoramic concept, with the update of the interiors and use of new furniture. There was also the modernization of the data and voice networks infrastructure, electrical, telephone, hydro-sanitary installations, environment sound, fire alarm detection, fire fighting, air conditioning and exhaust, and special installations - CCTV and automation.

The internal and external environments are accessible, following the National Plan of the Rights of the Person with Disabilities. The floors have been converted into open space, with workstations and support services for meetings, document printing and video conferencing. The total capacity was increased from 135 to about 150 employees; hence a new floor was built over the conference room.

To adapt the evacuation and protection conditions in the event of fire and panic, a new emergency ladder was also made, in addition to minor technical adjustments. Externally, new parking spaces were created, made possible through adjustments in the front garden area.
Electromechanical systems were redesigned to accommodate the open space configuration by centralizing the building management services and systems.

The construction system strictly followed all applicable local laws as well as the recommendations of the International Building Code (IBC), the National Electrical Code (NEC), of the Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) and the guidelines of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

We emphasize that the work was executed with the building in full operation. In order to do so, temporary structures were used in containers that could house part of the Bank's staff, while adjustments were made in the internal areas.

The retrofit provided the IDB with the LEED NC (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) - an internationally-recognized sustainable building certification system awarded by the United States Green Building Council (USGC). In order to obtain the certification, sustainable solutions were implemented in the execution of the project and during the whole construction process, resulting in an energy efficient construction with the implementation of water saving measures.