05 - Martín Comas - Arquitectura Regenerativa
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[00:00:00]

James: Hello and welcome to Marketing Passive House, the podcast where we hear from architects, designers, builders, suppliers, owners, and other experts in the passive house and high performance building space. We'll be talking about what's working and what's needed when it comes to marketing buildings that meet or aspire to the passive house standard. I'm your host, James Turner, today I'm joined by Martín Comas, founder and architect at Arquitectura Regenerativa in Uruguay. Martín, welcome to the show.

Martín: Hi. Hello. Thanks for having me. I'm, in Spanish Martín  Comas,  Arquitectura Regenerativa , and I'm also a dreamer. I like to, to keep that in mind because I'm not only an architect, but I love to push the limits. So, I'm always thinking about that [00:01:00] and that's why I, I say I'm a dreamer also.

James: I love it. You should update your LinkedIn to say Dreamer and architect. So that, and also thank you for the beautiful correct pronunciation. I, I didn't attempt regenerativa but. Just a note to say that it sounds so fabulously beautiful in Spanish, more than just regenerative.

Martín: Yeah. In English too. Regenerative, it's okay.

James: True. It's a beautiful idea. Anyways, and it come, it feels it. It feels right in the word. Before we get like really into it, and for people who are just meeting you for the first time, could you share a little bit about what you do and how you started on your passive house journey?

Martín: Yeah, for sure. Five or six years ago, before 2020, I think

Martín: I was looking, on internet, basically [00:02:00] what was happening in the world. About, building and con construction and architecture, because in Uruguay it was, it was not having anything new. And I, I thought to myself, something's, some something's going is, it's happening in the world, but we keep doing always the same.

Martín: So, and I found, , a lot of, , how do I, how do you say, , energy codes and LEED all these people and organizations that were talking about this. And I, I remember, I, I, I was like fascinated because I didn't know anything about that and I, I, I took like two months to, to study almost all of them. Because it was a lot, and I didn't know, where to go. So now, fast forward six years, I, I am very, [00:03:00] very confident that I, I took the right path because passive house for me is the, like, the essential one.

Martín: Okay. It's, it's, it goes to the basics, it goes to, all the way.

Martín: To, to the best. And, the organization, it's not tied to anything or to anybody. So it's like, for me, once you start to look at all the different options, then you, you get this, that this organization is, connected with this, I don't know, something or with that one, or with that this country or with, and passive houses.

Martín: It's like they're on their own. And I, I, I like that. I, I am okay with that. And I, I think it's the, it's one of the reasons that is, it's, it's the best one. So I'm very, I'm very glad I took that path. And in five or five years ago, or four, I think five, yeah. So far because times go so [00:04:00] fast. It was beginning the passive house Latin America.

Martín: So we, the develop, the Instituto Latino Americano passive house, passive house, Latin American Institute.

James: Wonderful.

Martín: I am like the referent here in Uruguay. Of that institution. And, but I, I'm not like, and some Argentinian guys and one from Chile, they were like the beginnings, the, the, the, the, the ones who were pushing that and I, I connected with them at that time.

Martín: And since then, we are pushing to connect people and to share what, what are the possibilities about passive house with different, people here locally in, in different countries in Latin America. We are already connected to more than 19 countries in Latin America.

James: Wow.

Martín: So it's, it's been a great, growth.

Martín: And it's different than other places because in Latin America, there we are, we are [00:05:00] like very few people in different countries about talking about passive house. So it's, it was an interesting option to, to get this, institution that connects all these Latin American, passive house builders or architects.

James: Right.

Martín: for example, I am from, and I am the only one here.

Martín: So far, so I, I, I kept, I, I am in, WhatsApp, eh group, eh, with the Argentinians because I'm the only one in Uruguay. So that is the, the, and I know already the people from Chile and Colombia. And because this, all of this, because of the Institution Institute of Latin America also. So we are like joining forces, but eh, from our countries.

Martín: Okay.

James: Right.

Martín: three years, three or four years ago, I, I began to build a Casa AYA, which is a straw bale, carbon negative and [00:06:00] almost passive house. House because, eh, we didn't made it to the, make it to the blower door, obviously, eh, but still it's a carbon negative home. It was, do we, did it. Faster than common buildings.

Martín: And we did it cheaper and we did it, almost passive house, so for Uruguay. It's a very, it's an incredible house and that, that is what I, what I have been doing last years. And this year I evolved to, like buy a construction, but eh. How do you call it? Not wet, but dry, eh, with dry material. So, we, we use wood frame, we use, wood chips.

Martín: We use, I don't know, whatever I have, but, eh, all, eh, dry. We don't want, wet construction.

James: Right.

Martín: that is what I have been doing, eh, and I think, we can talk about whatever you, you think .

James: [00:07:00] Yeah. I'm intrigued about the dry versus wet construction. but I also just wanted to, to note how, I love that this idea, this passive house idea, it's kind of like open source and is a reason for you to connect with these other architects. Like it gives you like a common ground kind of with people in Argentina, for example, you can say like, you know, we're doing our own things in our own countries, but look, we're, we both think this is. way forward. And I think that's really important, and especially the fact that it, you're still aiming at passive house. Even if you don't get certification, even if you don't get all the way, it's, this sort of like ideal target I think. I think that's really interesting. So.

Martín: We, we are like, I, I believe the, that connection with [00:08:00] other architects, it, it's, fundamental because as, as I am from a small country very far away, okay? So if I am alone, I. It's very difficult for to share ideas, to share concepts, to share knowledge about, I don't know, PHPP or, or whatever. It's not the same to speak with somebody in Germany Okay.

Martín: In the institute, or send them a me an email that it's okay, but who knows? It's different to have strengths or people, you know, you can travel. They, they come to my country. I go to their country. I, I know them. We, we, we know each other, so it's different. So. It's like we are so, so and luck. And luckily, I'm, as I told you, I'm the only one here, but I, it's not, it's not okay with me.

Martín: I, I, I, I would love to be more, but

James: Hmm.

Martín: I don't know what architects are doing. They, they are all doing the same. Okay. And I, I, I keep, trying to, to talk with people here, but nobody listens. [00:09:00] It, it's for me more. More difficult to talk to architects than to talk to clients. Okay. Because they, they have like, Hmm, what is this?

Martín: This is so strange. Oh, this is, I don't want this. Oh, I, I always been doing this way. Okay. Or, or building this way, or,

James: Right.

Martín: okay, so, but it's difficult. So it's I am very open to share everything.

James: Mm-hmm.

Martín: because I believe in people in our region, eh, more local people, it's, it's better to understand everything because I don't know any, everything. I, I studied the passive house, but I, I still have some doubts and I, I, I don't build passive houses all the time, so

James: Right.

Martín: like, at the beginning, I, I try to, but I, I have to learn a lot.

Martín: So in that, path, to connect with other architects that are in the same path. [00:10:00] We all learn from each other. Okay.

James: Hmm. Yeah, that, well, that was answers one of the questions that was on my mind is who were, is the hardest person to convince, or to, to, to talk to? So it's architects who are already entrenched, in fixed, in their way of thinking more than clients where you can talk maybe more just about like what it will be like to live in this house. Is that true?

Martín: Yes, the, the, the problem with architects is, for me, I think they, they, it's more difficult because they already know how to build. But

James: Mm.

Martín: clients, if you talk to them about a health, for example, you don't have to talk to them to tell them about passive house. You have to tell them about, about health, and then you go, you have them.

Martín: That there

James: Right.

Martín: is going to be renewable for every three hours. [00:11:00] Okay. That is a, like a tipping point. Once they understand that, they, they, they don't want to go back. If you tell them that it's possible, that who's going to tell you that they don't like that. Okay. But, you have to get there. And, and I, I don't tell them that I'm going to build with, natural materials.

Martín: In, in one moment, they, they are going to ask, ah, how are you? We, you're going to build this? Okay, I'm going to build it this way because of this, this, this. But that is after I tell them about the healthy issue or the low, low energy bills. Okay. That those are the, I dunno, Trojan horses.

Martín: So, and then, then you, you, you keep talking about everything else, but if you go, eh, to an architect, you, you already start talking about everything else so that there is some limitations.

James: I mean, [00:12:00] sounds, that sounds, it makes a lot of sense when you put it that way that you have to start with the, the details if you're talking to architects, because you're not talking to them about their own home or their own experience of life, I suppose.

Martín: And they don't believe me once I tell them it's going to be cheaper.

James: Ah, really.

Martín: Because I have this, ever since I took the passive house, course,

James: Yeah.

Martín: I, I am against this concept that it has to be more, expensive. I believe we have the opportunity because all the ways we build are getting more modern and faster. So we have to take that as an advantage, and in that way take advantage of that and put passive house there so

Martín: we don't have to, to say it's more expensive.

Martín: I'm doing it cheaper

James: That's wonderful.

Martín: everytime, so [00:13:00] it's not impossible. And I'm, I'm trying, I'm working a lot, in my, mind to get passive house to normal people, not to only rich people. So I, I don't like that concept. I'm, I'm against that. So that is why I'm building, this, self building concept

James: Yes.

Martín: about a passive house.

Martín: Okay. So, that is what I call to push the limit. The limit,

James: Yep.

Martín: one self-built house in two months with natural materials and passive house.

James: I love it.

Martín: what else do you want? What else do you, do you like? I don't know.

James: Now you used the term car tool housing. I, I thought

Martín: Yeah.

James: that. So as, someone interested in marketing, passive house, various parts of this interest me, but just as a, a human who is [00:14:00] not rich, who wants to have a passive house, and who likes the idea of, of taking more control over your own place, your ideas about the car tool housing and using straw bale and doing it yourself really spoke to me. So, what, what, yeah, what Could you tell me more about the car tool housing?

Martín: You know that, That, that term, I use it for the first time in the Reimagine buildings where you saw me in my presentation, which was an amazing event, , I did my presentation once because my English not so fluent, so I recorded it. I was, how do you say this, this dish washing my, my, my home in, in my dishes, in, in the morning. And, and, and this concept came to me. I. This about car tool concept because it simplifies everything about what I'm trying to communicate. [00:15:00] Okay? So, and so I called them and I sent them an email and I told them, oh no, I'm going to change my presentation.

Martín: So I, I, I changed it in the, I, I stopped everything that I was going to do that day, and I changed my presentation and I send them another presentation because I wanted this concept to be included. I was already building this passive house .

Martín: House, but I, I didn't have the, the, the word to simplify the concept. Okay. So

James: Yeah.

Martín: once that I connect, like that idea with the, with that, I think it's very simple that, to transmit to anybody, to tell them that they can do it with so, so few tools. With so few, everybody thinks that building is so difficult and it is difficult, but I think we have the responsibility to make it as simple as possible. So that is about, that concept is about that, and it's about, helping [00:16:00] normal people to build their future without going to mortgage, to banks or keeping paying, for years. For years. So this is something that they can do very fast and very cheap.

Martín: So,

James: Beautiful.

Martín: I, I. I'm very enthusiast with this

James: Mm-hmm.

Martín: because once I, last year when I, I thought about building this, I have no money. Nobody's helping me. Okay? Nobody pays me to do this because it's my own money which I don't have, so much. And, but I, I, once I, I thought this could be possible.

Martín: I didn't think about it. I went and did it. Okay. So I wanted to try to, to see if I can do it, if I can do it, anybody can do it. Okay? Because I never did this before.

James: Right.

Martín: Obviously I am, my mother who is a 70 years old, old is not going to do it. But young people, new generations,

James: Yep.

Martín: they can do it. Okay? So [00:17:00] it's very, it's easy.

Martín: It's, it's not difficult. So , obviously you have to comply local. Standards, or

James: Right.

Martín: I don't know how to say, but local, authorities or whatever. But the concept is it's doable. So I am doing it. And I didn't know when I began, where it was going to end, but I knew inside me I had to do it.

Martín: So, I began and now I spoke in Reimagine Buildings.

Martín: And this idea came to me. I don't know how, but I think it's beginning to condense all the ideas because in, in some moment it's like a lot. But this, this idea of keeping, keep it simple, not only for the building, but for, but for communicating the ideas.

James: Yeah,

Martín: it's go, it's, it's beginning to, to be a reality .

James: Yeah, [00:18:00] yeah. The, the picture you had a picture of, of sort of the tools you would need sitting in the front seat. Of car, your car presumably. and I thought that was just brilliant. Like, it, made it seem so real to me. ah, I, I could get that amount of tools. I can imagine that I don't have to rent some giant machine that, you know.

Martín: Because, because you see. I don't know how to say this, but in this process, I, I, I keep, when I talk with Argentinians people, in that group, they all, they all, come, come and say, oh, okay. Oh, what a, what an amazing material Mycelium what, what an amazing material. I don't know. Hempcrete, what an amazing, but yes, all, all amazing.

Martín: But we don't have them now. Now we need to build now. Okay, so what can. Okay. That, that is what my answer. So [00:19:00] go and use straw. We have a lot of straw already here. You just go and use it and, or use cellulose or use as I'm using now, wood chips, whatever. Go and pick that one and, and insulate your, your building with that.

Martín: Stop using, EPS, XPS. And use this. It's an amazing change First.

James: Hmm.

Martín: Nobody do, nobody's doing it. Okay. So, and, and they came back and say, oh, hempcrete again this conversation again. And, and in the meanwhile, no, no, nobody's like, we're waiting years to have, so that amazing material is going to, I don't know what's going to do because if we don't do it, what is going to change this hempcrete Okay.

Martín: That, that is one thing. Okay.

James: Yeah.

Martín: we have to do it and we have to do it. Now, we, we don't have to make things more complicated. We have to do it more simple. Go grab straw and you put it in the building. It's not so complicated, but I [00:20:00] don't know. It's like in our minds, we keep waiting for the perfect moment to do something and we have to do it now.

Martín: We don't have to wait for the perfect moment, it's never going to happen.

James: Yes. That that's right. That moment will never come.

Martín: Now it's like, take that to another step or a different step and go to like a constructor point of view. We have this, amazing, I don't know, houses, built in, in, in. Big, big installations outside the site and they go with these fancy trucks and cranes and everything, and they put your house, the house in, in on site.

Martín: And, and that is, it's okay, but , once you, you have a lot of clients. The, you, you, you are not building that in two months anymore because you, you build it in two months or in one, but you have to wait 10 months because you don't have space in the, in the, in, in the building site. because it's limited,

James: Right.

Martín: the house houses, [00:21:00] one house take a lot of space, so you can build only 10 houses in one month.

Martín: And so if you have to deliver a hundred houses, you have to wait 10 months. So

James: Right.

Martín: Okay. You do it in one. How many can you deliver? Okay, so you have a, like a limitation, okay? And you, you, once you build it, then you have to get to the site with the, if it's raining, it's complicated. If, if, if you have slopes, it's not that easy.

Martín: And if you have, trees. So it's not the, it's not for everyone. Okay? And it's not as scalable as you can think.

Martín: Because you have all those, limit those limitations, and then you have all. Ways of buildings that you, you need cranes because, materials are very heavy. Or you need all these, wet, what I call wet way of, of building where, where you have to wait for four weeks if [00:22:00] it's going to rain because it never dries.

Martín: And you have a climate, limitations and you have, you need a lot of people to work on site. So there you have another difficulty to scaling this.

Martín: Once you put all that in the same, in the same box, which I already did all those, so I have like, the experience, I, I didn't, get this from, from my, from the beginning. I, I, I, I was like five years building like this and I think, okay, this is the way we, we can do it with no, with no, cranes. No. No difficulty in transportation.

Martín: No, no fancy tools. Two people one month, one and a half month, they can build 50 square meters in one, in one and a half month. And being passive house and being carbon neutral, it's possible. And obviously once you do it so fast, it's going to be cheaper because you,

James: Yeah.

Martín: pay less to [00:23:00] the people. So I, I, for me, it's like, it's like, condensating, all the, all, all, all these ideas and I, I'm very excited with this.

James: Me too. It makes the, the sort of, slogan on your site I'm not sure if that's the right word, but the pollinating sovereignty and empowering communities. what, you're saying sounds exact, like it's a perfect match for that, right? Like it's empowering people to. Take that into their own hands.

Martín: I already built the first house that I built. Like in, in, with this con building concept,

James: Mm-hmm.

Martín: it was like two years ago

James: Right.

Martín: to a family. And they had, they have a daughter, one daughter, two, seven years old. So, and they have been building, eh, living there, eh, for two, how do you say winters two winters? [00:24:00] And they have No, no, they, they, so far they have no, fireplace, no, no nothing to,

James: Right.

Martín: to keep their home, warm. Okay. So because the, the house is, it, it's, it's working. Okay. These concepts are, are work, are working, and, and they did, we, we, at the beginning, I told them that we were going to.

Martín: Be building the house in three months because I didn't know it was the first one. And we, we built it, we built it in two months. Okay? So in two months they were living in their home. They were not paying any more rent. They, they were not using any effect, any, anything to heat. So they, they were paying a lot less.

Martín: They have been paying a lot of less, energy bills. They don't pay anymore, anymore rent.

James: Yeah.

Martín: And they are now, building the, planting their [00:25:00] own, food forest because they have this motivation. So

James: Yeah.

Martín: they, they are a sovereignty. They are, they're reducing water or say, or, or. It's already happening because we are already doing it, and we, we need clients with that, way of thinking also because they are, they have to take advantage of this, but they're reinventing their, their money to build a food forest.

Martín: So

James: Great.

Martín: I love the, this idea, but I think it's, it's totally possible.

James: Did you have any trouble?

James: Like building codes. I'm thinking especially about like the water. I mean, I know it's different from place to place, but I, I, I wonder about the water and septic and even electricity, but the water seems to be the big one here in Canada.

Martín: I, that is a question that I, I keep, trying to answer to myself because if I want to do this scalable in, in different parts of the [00:26:00] world,

James: Hmm.

Martín: This is this, this question's going to keep coming. Okay?

James: Yeah.

Martín: first of all, this is all, this is, wood frame. Okay?

James: Yeah.

Martín: If you have wood frame in your, in your, in your location, you can do it.

Martín: I, I, I don't see anything that it's not going to make it happen, okay? Because it's nothing different. The only difference is that we use it for, for our climate. We, we are using six inches in instead of four of, of insulation, okay? But that depends on the location. But the concept is, is the same. And on the other hand, I, I keep thinking this.

Martín: Okay. Try to follow me. I, I, I, I, I, I don't, mean you're going to be okay with this, but, it is the, the artificial intelligence okay? It's going to take us, blown us away in, in, in, in the next two years. Okay?

James: Yep.

Martín: It's going to change everything.

James: Yep.

Martín: And there is no [00:27:00] legislation in in the world

James: Yeah,

Martín: and, and who is stopping? Do you think they are stopping and saying, okay, no, we are not going to move forward because, we are going to wait the legislation.

Martín: Okay. No.

James: no.

Martín: They just go and do it. Okay? And, and this is, this is, for me, it's sovereignty is it's not negotiable. Okay? If you can do it and you can use wood frame, go do it. Don't wait. It, it, it has to be a way because this is okay, this is the way to go. We are building, naturally, we are building, in a, in a way it's, it's already people building.

Martín: So I, I, I don't know, local, legislation in everywhere, in every part. But if you can do wood frames, I, I don't see why you cannot do this.

James: I suppose then it's just a matter of getting land, right? That's the only then you just, which is everyone's problem of course. Like, and anyone who wants to build the house has to have somewhere to build it. But it [00:28:00] certainly, re reduces. A of the complexity.

Martín: Yeah. And I find that most of the people, they are going to build their home once in a lifetime. Okay?

James: Hmm.

Martín: it's very difficult to tell them to get them to, to know or to, before they build all the difficulties that they're going to have to have once they begin to build.

James: Right.

Martín: So, because this, this, this method is, tries to keep it simple, but they don't know it because they, they, they don't have anything to compare.

James: Right.

Martín: They have to believe you. Okay. Unless you have some friend that already has done it so they can go and ask him their experience. But, but that friend didn't, didn't build another house. It just, they built that one so they don't have to compare that. That is a difficult, there.[00:29:00]

James: Yeah.

Martín: Because to, to share this, I, I can talk with somebody who builds and they know once they get the idea, they, they, oh, this is, oh, this is something they tell me.

Martín: Okay.

James: Yeah.

Martín: But once they, I have to go and show them. Today, I show to a, to a, to a building person, the site. And I showed and I tell him about the idea and, oh, this is interesting.

James: Mm.

Martín: But he knows how to build, and all the difficulties you have. Okay. But once you get to somebody that's going to build it for the first time, it's, it's, you don't have that to in your favor.

Martín: Okay? You just, you know it, but

James: That's right

Martín: you have to go to, I, I don't know. So with a different place or something. Something with a different idea, this health idea or something different.

James: Yeah. Yeah. To get them to experience the, the negatives that they're not going to experience. It's really

Martín: Yeah, that, yeah.[00:30:00]

James: First you have to build them a home the other way and then say, that wasn't that difficult. Now let's do this. Yeah. Yeah. Well this has been great and thank you so much for coming on to talk. And before we go, where can people find out more about you online?

Martín: I, I, I am, documenting or filming this, building in YouTube. So I have a YouTube channel Arquitectura Regenerativa,

James: Okay.

Martín: and there you have all, all the videos and. That is one place. Or, or if not, my Instagram or my webpage, which is the same Arre, A-R-R-E. Dot bio biological bio,

James: Okay

Martín: B-I-O. Okay. And I don't know my LinkedIn, Martín Comas.

James: Okay. I'll link to all those things

Martín: I, I, I, I, I'm open to [00:31:00] share, so if, if anyone can, would like to contact me or anything, I, I, I'm open and I, I would love, to have, to know somebody that is going to doing this better because I, I, I am doing it, doing it my way, the way I find, but I, I don't believe it's the best one. I just believe it's the one I, I am, I am finding the way.

James: Nice. Thanks for joining me today.

Martín: Thank you for having me.

James: You've been listening to Marketing Passive House. I'm James Turner, and I hope you'll join me again next time.

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