Study plan

The Master's Degree Program in Sustainable Projects and Construction was designed for people interested in reducing the different impacts that the design and construction of our habitat have on the environment, by formulating diagnoses, identifying critical problems and proposing comprehensive solutions that consider the physical, economic and social contexts.

It is estimated that by the year 2030, in Mexico's 80 urban areas, some 10 million housing units will be built, along with 415 million square meters of productive area for the jobs that will be created.

While this demand represents opportunities for this sector of the economy, the different socio-environmental impacts that can be expected from this level of construction will be irreversible and highly detrimental if mitigation measures are not taken in the short term.

In order to deal with these challenges, ITESO, through its Department of Habitat and Urban Development, has developed its graduate programs in Sustainability. The aim is to form professionals who can develop interdisciplinary responses to the growing environmental and social deterioration in urban spaces at the local, national and global levels.

The Master's Degree Program in Sustainable Projects and Construction was designed for people interested in reducing the different impacts that the design and construction of our habitat have on the environment, by formulating diagnoses, identifying critical problems and proposing comprehensive solutions that consider the physical, economic and social contexts.

OBJECTIVES

Overall objective:

To form specialists who can address the different socio-environmental issues that arise in the act of building, by means of a systemic and thorough analysis of the dimensions of sustainability, making it possible to identify, develop and implement construction systems that succeed in reducing the environmental impact of human habitat.

Specific objectives:

This program focuses on:

·         Forming professionals with awareness of human beings' enormous impact on the environment and with the ability to generate spaces that, from a sustainability perspective, can contribute to improving the quality of life and correcting the conditions of inequity in our society.

·         Equipping our graduates with the knowledge, instruments and tools, both diagnostic and analytical, to design and build a sustainable habitat.

·         Developing lines of research at the graduate level that will expand and enhance knowledge related to sustainability and the built environment.

ADVISORY SUPPORT SYSTEM

·      The advisory support system seeks to build bridges between students' research, innovation and development interests and each particular graduate program's Lines of Generation and Application of Knowledge, as well as their interrelation with the university's other graduate programs.

·      This person-centered advisory support system gives priority to collective production scenarios. It promotes interaction between students and advisors with the intention of creating collaborative learning spaces where the dissonance that comes from constructive criticism will favor a reflective process and the collective construction of knowledge.

·      The academic support is conceived as a system that integrates the different dimensions of formation (individual, social and historical) in each of the program's curricular periods. Peer and individual support processes are also possible.

CURRICULAR STRUCTURE

The graduate program is designed with a flexible structure so that students can choose the courses that meet their formation needs and interests within a framework that leads to the attainment of the defined objectives, the development of the final project, and the fulfillment of the program's graduate profile.

The program's curricular structure consists of five fundamental courses, two elective courses and five courses from the RD&I area.

COURSES:

The Study Plan is made up of three curricular areas: the Fundamental Area; the Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) Area; and the Elective Area.

FUNDAMENTAL AREA

The courses in this area define the program's disciplinary field and identity. This area includes the courses that are fundamental to the Lines of Generation and Application of Knowledge (LGAKs).

Critical Debates on Sustainability

This course is an academic space for the multidimensional and interdisciplinary examination of different realities, paradigms and issues related to the crisis of civilization, its structural causes, the deterioration of ecosystem services and human well-being. The aim is to lay the conceptual and analytical groundwork for the interdisciplinary formation of professionals who can integrate the sustainability perspective into the organization and implementation of projects related to different professional fields.

·         Camacho, V., Ruiz, A., (2012). Marco conceptual y clasificación de los servicios ecosistémicos. Revista Bio Ciencias Vol. 1 Núm 4. http://biociencias.uan.edu.mx/publicaciones/02-04/biociencias4-1.pdf

·         Cordero, D., Moreno, A., Kosmus, M., (2008). Manual para el desarrollo de mecanismos de pago/compensación por servicios ambientales. Equipo Regional de Competencia y Programa GESOREN, GTZ-Ecuador. http://www.oea.org/DSD/PES/course2/documentos/Manual_PSA_GTZ.pdf

·         DOF, (2014). ACUERDO por el que se emiten las Reglas de Operación del Programa Nacional Forestal 2015. December 28,  2014. http://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5377547&fecha=28/12/2014

·         Sarukhán, J., Whyte., A., (editors) (2005). Ecosystems and human well-being. Synthesis. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. http://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.356.aspx.pdf

Energy Management

Students gain in-depth knowledge of energy transformation cycles in order to carry out construction and product development projects that reduce the environmental, economic and social impacts related to energy use. Energy transformation is one of the key components of any ecosystem, and it has an impact not only on the availability of natural resources and the processes that depend on them, but also on man-made processes and products.

·         ASHRAE (2004). Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings, ASHRAE, Atlanta.

·         ASHRAE (2009). Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings: 2008 Supplement, ASHRAE, Atlanta.

·         BROWN, Guy (1999). La energía de la vida, Crítica, Barcelona.

·         DANGEL, Ulrich (2010). Sustainable Architecture in Vorarlberg: Energy Concepts and Construction Systems, Birkhäuser, Basel.

·         GODFREY, Boyle (2012). Renewable Energy: Power for a Sustainable Future, Oxford University, England.

·         JORDAN, Sally (2008). Energy and Light, Open University, Milton Keynes.

·         MORENO, Tanya et al. (2012). Eficiencia Energética, Terracota, México.

·         MORILLON, David et al. (2012). Energía para el edificio sustentable, Terracota, Mexico.

·         NOM-008-ENER-2001, Eficiencia energética en edificaciones, envolventes de edificios no residenciales, Diario Oficial, Mexico, Wednesday, April 25, 2001.

·         NOM-020-ENER-2011, Eficiencia energética en edificaciones- Envolvente De edificios para uso habitacional, Diario Oficial, Mexico, Tuesday, August 9, 2011.

·         OCDE (2007). Energy Security and Climate Policy: Assessing Interactions, Paris.

·         USGBC (2008). LEED 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovations, U.S. Green Building Council, USA.

Land Resource Management

This course looks at land resource issues such as erosion, flooding, overuse and deforestation, from a variety of perspectives. There is the ecological perspective, which looks at land as a key element of System Earth and gives insight into the relationships between society and the environment. There is the physical perspective that examines the properties, formation, evolution and composition of land, with an eye to long-term utilization. And there is the perspective that considers land resources as a source of construction material and the foundation for buildings. This systemic vision sheds light on the relationship between human beings and their physical, social, political and environmental surroundings, facilitating interdisciplinary thinking and the proposal of comprehensive interventions.

·         John Randolph (2012). Environmental Land Use Planning and Management. Second Edition. Island Press, USA. 456 p. ISBN: 9781597267304

·         Alex Vedder (2015). Environmental Land Use Planning and Management. ML Books International. 246 p.  ISBN-13: 978-1632393135 ISBN-10: 1632393131

Sustainable Building Materials and Systems

Sustainability is a component of complex thinking that goes into decision-making that must always strike a balance. The field of construction today offers a wide range of sustainable construction materials and systems, but it is important to identify and consider their characteristics, environmental impact, life cycle, health implications, and above all, how they are implemented in the building. In this course students learn to assess and select the most appropriate building materials and systems from the perspective of sustainability.

·         Azqueta, Diego (et al.), (2007), Introducción a la economía ambiental, (2nd ed.) Madrid, Spain: McGraw-Hill, XXVI, 499PP

·         Bell, Victoria Ballard, (2006) Materials for Design, New York, USA, Princeton Architectural Press, Vol 1 and 2.

·         Berge, BjÞrn, (2009). The Ecology of Building Materials. (2da. Ed.) Oxford, England: Architectural Press, Elsevier. http://ecobooks.greenharmonyhome.com/wp-content/uploads/ecobooks/Ecology_of_Building_Materials_Second_Edition.pdf

·         Brownell, Bleine (ed) (2010) Transmaterial: A Catalog of Materials that Redefine Our Physical Environment, New York, USA: Princeton Architectural Press, Vol 1, 2 and 3.

·         CCA (2014), Guía sobre productos para la edificación sustentable en América del Norte, Comisión para la Cooperación Ambiental, Montreal, Canada, 20 pp.

·         Pacheco Torgal, Fernando and Jalali, Said, (2011). Eco-efficient Construction and Building Materials, (1ra Ed.) London, England. Springer Verlag. https://archive.org/details/Fernando_Pacheco_Torgal_Said_Jalali_Eco-efficient_Construction_and_Building_Mate

·         Peters, Sascha, (2011) Material Revolution. Sustainable and Multi-Purpose Materials for Design and Architecture, Basel, Switzerland: Birkhäuser.

·         Orsato, Renato J. (2009). Sustainability Strategies, Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan.

·         UNEP,(2012), Application of the Sustainability Assessment of Technologies Methodology: Guidance Manual, (1^st ed.), 161 pp. http://www.unep.org/ietc/Portals/136/Publications/Waste%20Management/IETC_SAT%20Manual_Full%20Doc_for%20web_Nov.2012.pdf

·         Viñuales, Graciela María (coordinator) (2001), Arquitecturas de Tierra en Iberoamérica, (2nd ed.), Argentina: Habiterra y Proterra.

Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Systems

This course offers tools and knowledge that enable students to draw on different alternatives for designing, building and rehabilitating urban infrastructure, in order to reduce its impact on the territory.

·         Germán Correa y Patricio Rozas, 2006, Desarrollo urbano e inversiones en infraestructura: elementos para la toma de decisiones, Comisión Económica para América Latina (CEPAL)

·         Galvan, F. and Santín, L, 2012, Asociacionismo Intermunicipal. Estrategias para el desarrollo sustentable del territorio y de los servicios públicos en México. Arlequin

·         Vymazal, Jan, 2011, Plants Used in Constructed Wetlands with Horizontal Subsurface Flow: A Review. Journal of Hydrobiology. Springer Netherlands. Vol. 674, Num. 1, p133-156.

·         Bazant S. Jan, 2010, Desarrollo Urbano sustentable, Limusa.

RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION (RD&I) AREA

The purpose of this area is to advise and support students as they define, develop, write and present the final project that will earn them their master's degree. Students attend collective tutoring sessions and receive individual support from their advisors within the framework of the RD&I courses.

RD&I I

At this level students identify a social problem or need that lends itself to solution from the sustainability perspective; they define its scope and relevance, and formulate it in terms of a development and innovation project, applied research, or a case study

RD&I II

At this level students identify and apply different methodologies, techniques and tools to approach the problem and select and justify the appropriate methodology for their degree project.

RD&I III

At this stage, students produce and generate the data needed for their degree project. They organize and systematize their data for subsequent analysis and synthesis.

RD&I IV y V

At this stage, students analyze and synthesize the information gathered in their fieldwork in order to generate alternative solutions to the identified problems or needs. They develop the capacity for dialogue among different disciplines in order to propose an appropriate solution that addresses the complexity of the issue and considers the path toward sustainability. They formalize their proposal as an applied research project, a development or innovation project, or a case study.

ELECTIVE AREA

This area allows students to engage in a dialogue with other currents of knowledge beyond the confines of their academic discipline, in order to generate knowledge and solve problems related to their project and object of study. Students must earn at least 16 credits; with the orientation of their advisor they choose two courses offered by other ITESO graduate programs, or by other collaborating universities.

Electives designed specifically for this master's degree program:

Structural Design with Alternative Materials

In this course, students characterize materials according to their mechanical properties, and study design procedures along with the corresponding regulatory framework, considering primarily regional materials with minimal processing. They develop criteria for creating and designing the geometrical aspects of a construction system based on a safe, economical and sustainable structure that meets the requirements of portability and a positive impact on the surrounding environment. To achieve this, they do a numerical analysis with specialized software, and consider both qualitative and quantitative factors, based on experimental procedures that have been validated by current building codes and regulations for each material. With this knowledge, they can propose the geometry, and evaluate, develop and rehabilitate structures made with materials other than those used conventionally in the construction industry.

·         Hall Matthew R., 2012, Modern Earth Buildings: Materials, Engineering, Constructions and Applications, Woodhead Publishing Series in Energy

·         Martínez Barrera, Gonzalo and others, 2015, Materiales sustentables y reciclados en la construcción, OmniaScience,

·         Minke, Gernot, 2012, Building with Bamboo. Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture, Birkhauser

Workshop for Professional Integration in Sustainability

Students will participate in a workshop where they examine a specific case study in order to develop a methodological process for conducting professional-level applied research by taking a transdisciplinary approach to real situations, cases and projects involving territorial and urban issues.

The proposed working methodology calls for interaction with the territory, its actors, and the social, economic and envirnmental dynamics involved, in order to identify territorial issues and propose comprehensive responses on the basis of dialogue among different disciplines and a sustainable approach.

·         Fernández Güell, J. M., 2012, Planificación estratégica de ciudades, Reverte´

·         Ordóñez-Matamoros,  Gonzalo (Dir.), 2013, Manual de análisis y diseño de políticas públicas, Universidad Externado de Colombia

·         Bardach, Eugene, 2013, Los ocho pasos para el análisis de políticas públicas: un manual para la práctica, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE)

Courses you can take from other programs:

• Social Project Evaluation
• Product Development
• Theory and Analysis of Public Policies
• Government Management and Public Policies
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Strategy in Emerging Economies

OBTAINING THE MASTER'S DEGREE

In order to obtain their master's degree, students in the program must first earn all of the prescribed credits. To get a passing grade in the last Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) course, students must have concluded their degree project (DP) in its entirety and fulfilled the corresponding requirements.

DP Modalities

The master's degree program has defined three modalities for the Degree Project (DP):

1.         Case study

2.         Development or Innovation Project for Professional Application

3.         Applied Research Project

Registry in the General Office of Professions No. 568504.

Recognition of Official Validity of Studies by the Ministry of Public Education (SEP, in its initials in Spanish) as set forth in ministerial agreement No. 15018, published in the Official Journal of the Federation on November 29, 1976. Classroom modality.