Following the revocation of Resolution RES-DS-84-2020, which extended the height limit for buildings to 100 meters, the debate about how tall buildings in Guatemala can be without compromising air safety has been brought back to the table.

The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) [for its acronym in Spanish] established height limits for buildings located in areas near La Aurora International Airport (AILA) [for its acronym in Spanish], particularly in Zone 11 of Guatemala City, as a preventive measure while an updated technical study is being conducted to support this regulation. A technical committee determined that allowing taller structures, without clear criteria, could reduce the space for visual maneuvers by aircraft and affect pilots' approach routes.

Despite this, authorities, developers, and urban planners agreed at a forum organized by Guatevisión for Guatemala Moving Forward -where a central question was addressed: how tall can residential buildings grow?—that vertical construction, even of more than 40 stories, is viable in the country, provided that it is based on technical studies, territorial planning, and an appropriate location.

Fernando Suriano, Deputy Minister of Transportation, believes that vertical housing is essential for urban development, especially in light of mobility issues. In his opinion, concentrating the population in areas with nearby services reduces long commutes and alleviates traffic. However, he stressed that the DGAC's priority will continue to be operational safety: “Anyone who flies to Guatemala can be sure that we operate in a safe environment,” he said.

From the construction sector, Juan Pablo Estrada, president of the National Association of Home Builders (Anacovi) [for its acronym in Spanish], assured that constructing buildings over 40 stories tall is feasible and that the determining factor is location. He explained that Guatemala City already has established areas with services, businesses, schools, and employment, where it is more efficient to grow upward rather than expand the urban sprawl.

“Guatemala City is quite large and has many densely populated areas where all services are located. These areas also need to grow upwards so that the people who live there do not have to start building housing that makes the urban sprawl even wider,” he said.

Estrada pointed out that many of these areas are outside the airport's direct influence, and that even within that zone it is possible to build, provided that technical support is available. “No one wants an unsafe airport, and that is an issue that the sector takes very seriously,” he stressed.

He added that aeronautical technology has progressed significantly in recent years and that AILA has incorporated new operational criteria that allow for better coexistence between air infrastructure and urban development. In his opinion, this is a key moment to define clear and permanent rules, similar to those of the capital's Land Use Plan (POT) [for its acronym in Spanish].

“Eventually, we may have a map that defines where we are going to invest in land, where there is a certain level of demand and vertical housing can be built, so that we know exactly what the maximum height is that can be built on that property, so as not to have false expectations,” he said.

Where could it be built?

According to Estrada, buildings taller than 40 stories could still be built in zone 11, and the further away, the better. He also explained that the airport's zone of influence extends between three and four kilometers from the central runway, and beyond four kilometers, the permitted height can be gradually increased by 5%.

“The advantage is that the topography of Guatemala City is not flat like a pool table; we have significant variations in elevation. There are spots in the main areas where this can be done, such as on the sides of the airport, but the further we get from the airport, the more we start to see 40-story buildings,” he said.

Luis Dávila, a researcher at the Observatory for Cities at the University of Isthmus (Unis), agreed that the viability of this type of project depends on comprehensive planning. He explained that layers of information such as topography, air safety, density, land use, and proximity to jobs and services must be superimposed.

“Es allí donde se pueden crear nodos de densidad, pero eso debe planificarse en conjunto: sector privado, sector público, gobiernos locales, gobierno central y academia”, señaló. A su juicio, la ciudad es un espacio compartido y requiere consensos claros, donde la seguridad sea uno de los pilares fundamentales.

“That is where density nodes can be created, but this must be planned jointly: private sector, public sector, local governments, central government, and The Academy,” he said. In his view, the city is a shared space and requires clear consensus, where security is one of the fundamental pillars.