Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, February 26, 2019 —IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has signed a license and cooperation agreement with the Hanoi University of Architecture and the University of Architecture of Ho Chi Minh City to improve training capacity and build a new cadre of architects and engineers, helping them drive green building adoption in Vietnam.
With the fourth fastest construction growth rate in East Asia, 45 percent of Vietnamese is expected to live in cities by 2030. Buildings account for one third of the country’s total energy use. Further, Vietnam’s long, low-lying coastline makes it one of the top five countries most vulnerable to climate change. Against this backdrop, green buildings can serve as a sustainable solution to meet the country’s growing infrastructure needs and increase its resiliency to climate change.
However, one of the biggest hurdles to scaling up green buildings in developing countries is a lack of skilled professionals. In response, IFC launched the Green Building Market Transformation Program in 2012 to promote green building growth and design. As part of this program, IFC further developed a green building course aimed at university students.
“Although there have been several seminars and workshops, there are no well-rounded courses on green building for students in Vietnam. But, with IFC and Swiss government’s support, we are delighted to introduce this course to future architects and engineers in an internationally recognized format that offers a global perspective and a local context,” said Nguyen Cong Thinh, Vice Director for Science, Technology and Environment Department, Ministry of Construction.
IFC’s program, Designing for Greater Efficiency —a course to design bioclimatic and resource-efficient architecture—will take off in Vietnam with a training of trainers from February 26-28 in Ho Chi Minh City. Subsequently, pilot courses will be offered to around 40 students in close coordination with IFC experts. From green building standards, codes, and management to design evaluation tools, the program will cover a wide range of topics.
“We appreciate the Ministry of Construction and IFC’s support to introduce this new course. In recent times, we have integrated green building into the curriculum of nearly all faculties. However, this course will further help students to familiarize with green building modeling software and present ideas clearly and quantitatively to future clients,” said Dr. Le Van Thuong, Rector of University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City.
The course’s core content was developed by ETH Zurich, a premier Swiss University, under the guidance of a steering committee of instructors from Indonesia, Philippines, and Australia, among others. The program is likely to see 200 young architects with green building design skills joining the workforce each year, thereby driving the green building momentum in Vietnam.
“An IFC analysis sees a $3.4 trillion green buildings market by 2025 as emerging markets rapidly urbanize. In this context, Vietnam will need more skilled professionals who can enable better design decisions,” said Kyle Kelhofer, IFC Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR. “In alignment with the Ministry of Construction’s priorities, IFC’s timely course will better equip Vietnam’s young architects and engineers with key skills, enhancing their role as leaders in sustainable urbanization.”
In partnership with the Swiss Government, IFC has been working closely with the Ministry of Construction to develop and implement the Building Energy Efficiency Code, with the private sector to introduce EDGE - a voluntary green building certification over the past six years, and now with universities to build future capacity for Vietnam.
About IFC
IFC—a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in the toughest areas of the world. In fiscal year 2018, we delivered more than $23 billion in long-term financing for developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org
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