Successful first version of the Leadership Course for Sustainable Buildings in Latin America (CLESAL)

Boletín COSUDE

Successful first version of the Leadership Course for Sustainable Buildings in Latin America (CLESAL)

Noviembre 23, 2022

On September 9th, 2022, the first Leadership Course for Sustainable Buildings in Latin America was successfully completed (CLESAL). For 12 days, and after more than 60 hours of training, 32 participants from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil enjoyed more than 10 conference sessions at the Bogota and Cali headquarters of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Colombia. The participants visited 3 cities in Colombia with different tropical climates (Bogota, Manizales and Cali) as part of a unique experience of training, knowledge building, collaboration, and exchange on sustainable construction projects in Latin America.

This course is the first of its type in the region and is part of the CEELA project (Strengthening Capacities for Energy Efficiency in buildings in Latin America), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The CEELA project responds to the urgent need to establish commitments, and with them a concrete agenda, to help mitigate climate change by reducing emissions and energy consumption in the construction sector and to improve comfort in social housing and educational institutions.

The Leadership Course for Sustainable Buildings in Latin America responds to the urgent need to train professionals and build knowledge networks in the public and private sector who are willing to lead the development of energy efficiency projects in Latin America. The course has four modules: Adaptive Comfort, Energy Efficiency, Carbon Neutrality and Integrated Design, according to the 15 principles of design and construction of the CEELA project. The training modules were delivered by experts and academics from 9 countries in America and Europe, such as architects Diana Wiesner from Colombia, Yadhira Alvarez from Ecuador, Gabriela Carrillo from Mexico, and Sandra Barclay from Peru.

As part of the completion of the course, all participants committed to work in their countries, and with the entities they represent, to implement and develop sustainable construction projects in accordance with integral sustainability and efficiency parameters, following current national and international regulations, guaranteeing energy efficiency and user comfort criteria, and focusing on social inclusion and equity.

With the hope that this initiative will continue, it is anticipated that more editions of the Leadership Course for Sustainable Buildings in Latin America will be scheduled in the coming years.