LatamHaus: Passivhaus Designer Course impact

LatamHaus, in partnership with ILAPH, Arquiambiente and  Castano y Asociados, delivered such a fantastic time during the Passive House Designer Course. LatamHaus supported some participants with 80% scholarships. Our biggest aim is to develop capacity-building activities and support net-Zero and carbon-neutral projects aligned with the UK Government’s national and international goals.

We recognise that one of the most important factors for this kind of project is setting the seed for change on the right people. That is why we at LatamHaus decided to support academics, professionals, and policymakers on their carer development as Passivhaus designers. We are confident these people will have a broad impact on their communities and countries. Shortly after the finishing course, a participant shared the way it has already impacted him and their institution opening and opened international research collaboration opportunities:

“I started an international collaboration to develop a net-Zero residential tower pilot project in my city. The skills and abilities I learned in this course will help us achieve our university goals. The support from the LatamHaus network made this possible and would like to continue working with Lancaster University in this and future projects.” — Academic participant

Other participants also shared how they see the impact that these new skills and abilities will have an impact on their day to day life and communities:

“As a specialist in restoration and rehabilitation at a building and urban levels, this course has been beneficial to approach the Passivhaus methodology into heritage buildings. In a broad context, I see the potential at the local, national and international level to develop projects and establish interdisciplinary collaborations. It was interesting to see the experiences in Europe and Latin  American countries where this methodology has already been applied.” — Academic participant

“I believe that this course will have a very significant impact on my professional work, but above all on the academic. I am pushing for the Faculty of Architecture at the ‘National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)’ continue to deepen the teaching of sustainability and energy efficiency.

In the short term, I mainly see  that the knowledge applied in a future project to develop a digital course called ‘Construction with Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort (EECT).’ The skills I gained at the Passive House Designer course are invaluable for the EECT project. I am also more confident to start international collaborations with people and organisation with shared objectives.” — Professional and academic participant

It is incredible to see how the participants expect the course to impact their communities and those surrounding them. LatamHaus impact is beyond academia, as the participants plan to share the knowledge with younger generations and apply their new skills to future projects.

“As a professional, the Passivhaus Designer Course will help me to become more competitive as I will be able to offer more products for our customers. My projects will seek to improve the quality of life and making resource-efficient decisions. In the short, medium and long terms, these concrete actions will help reduce the impacts of climate change by lowering the CO₂ emissions on the built environment.

As a lecturer, I will be able to give up-to-date lectures informed by excellent research about sustainable architecture and healthy indoor environments to our undergraduate and postgraduate students” — Professional and academic participant

We are so thrilled to see that the LatamHaus activities had the desired impact and how the project planted much-needed change to start the change. Our next activity is some interactive workshops on which we will have the opportunity to explore the Passivhaus in the Latin American context. We will have key speakers from the Passive House Institute and the Latin American Passivhaus Institute. Everyone is welcome to attend these free events; if you are interested, please register here.