In Mexico, and in many other countries around the world, it’s becoming increasingly important to have trusted third-party providers to evaluate the sustainability level of building projects.
Internationally, building certification options have grown substantially, even though only a few certifications are well-known within the industry. Making the case for green building certification systems and specifying the indicators of green building is of critical importance.
In July, students at the Universidad del Medio Ambiente (UMA) will participate in a 120-hour course where they will develop the skills and work methodologies needed to certify the construction of the UMA campus using EDGE. Students will receive a general overview of the indicators of a sustainable building and gain the tools needed to lead project teams in achieving EDGE certification.
EDGE, an innovation of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is a green building certification system focused on making buildings more resource-efficient. A fast and easy-to-use mass market transformation tool, EDGE empowers developers and builders to quickly identify the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy use, water use and embodied energy in materials.
At the start of the program, students will take the EDGE Technical Workshop, administered by GBCI, which will help them understand the EDGE standard, use the software application and navigate the EDGE certification process. During this section of the course, students will explore the responsibilities of the project team, learn calculation methodologies and discover resources available to project teams to sell and implement EDGE certification.
After successful completion of the EDGE Technical Workshop, course participants will be given campus facilities documentation. Students will then be tasked to evaluate, catalog and process these materials to generate the support needed during the EDGE post-construction audit, thus certifying the campus. At the end of this program, students will take the EDGE Exam to obtain their EDGE Expert international credential.
In addition, students will explore the most renowned international certifications that are applied in the Mexican market, including LEED, SITES, WELL and the Living Building Challenge, covering definition and requirements; the certification process, teams involved in both design and work; the levels, scope and content of each certification system; and examples of success cases in said systems.
The blended modality of the course, offered partially in person and partially online, allows participants from other countries to take this course. The facilitators are Arq. David Domínguez Muñoz, Urb. Gilda Plazas, and Arq. José María Nava.