About Us
José Mauricio López Campos
Fundador, CFO
Mauricio has been committed since 2019 to the Quantum Leap The Living Future Challenge campaign to expand and bring the Regenerative design and development approach to Latin America. Founder and executive director of Origen Ingenieria Seismorresistencia, a consulting firm in Architecture and Engineering, which has provided its services to important companies and government institutions that have benefited from its extensive experience.
He has worked as a civil engineer for more than 20 years, began as a structural engineer and appraiser and specialized with a master's degree in structural engineering at the University of Costa Rica. He reinforced his knowledge with a master's degree in Project Management at the University of Barcelona and today he continues with a master's degree in BIM Management, a tool that allows greater control for reducing risks and saving resources.
Among the greatest personal achievements that have marked his professional career, we can mention the thesis project to opt for a degree in civil engineering, said work was based on the RCC design modality: Roller Compacted Concrete which served as a point of reference for the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) in the design and construction of dams, contributing to significant economic savings. To this can be added the Codisa Data Center, the most avant-garde technological project of 2006, the ninth data center in the world and the first in Latin America to obtain the certification in Administration and Operations from the Uptime Institute. The BN Arena gym with capacity for more than 5,000 people, a project designed and built under a fast track work strategy, achieving a delivery of the work in record time of 7 months, positioning itself as the largest gym in Costa Rica today. He has carried out project management for the World Bank and the design of the new University Campus of the University of Costa Rica.
Faced with the challenges of climate change, it has wanted to leave a positive mark on its projects by implementing sustainable construction strategies. Today he is part of the first generation of professional consultants of the RESET standard Requirements for Sustainable Buildings in the Tropics, vice president of Costa Rica Natural Design Advisers, ambassador of the Living Building Challenge and participated in The Regenerative Practitioner Series course.
Victor Montero-Dien
Fundador, CEO
Victor co-found and serve as a CEO since 2018 of the Regenerative Built Environment Institute which is leading since 2019 the campaign Quantum Leap to expand and brought to Latin America the Regenerative development and design approach, through programs such as LBC 4.0, Core Buildings, Living Community Challenge, Net Zero Energy, Carbon Zero, Living Product 50, Materials Pledge, and the TRP as well, organizing the Collaborative Summit Latin America as the first ever Living Future in Latin America in 2021. He becomes Regenerative Practitioner since 2019.
Since 2012 he has been served as Living Future Ambassador Networking Volunteer in Costa Rica and founder and Facilitator of the LBC Collaborative in his country for the International Living Future Institute, who awarded him as Living Future Heroe 2019. He lead for Latin America and part of the tropics, the official review of the LBC Petal Handbooks for the new version 4.0. His firm Montero-Dien is one of the first and the only one in Latin America to be adhering and sign in April 2019, the Materials Pledge initiative to promote a healthy, transparent and non-toxic materials industry which allow him to be part of an unfolding initiative where REGENBE leading and bringing to Latin America the Materials Pledge initiative.
He found and lead a Latin American, Caribbean and Tropics Green Leaders Network to build a strong community of practitioners to advocate and create transformative change and regenerative development in the region. From this platform launched besides the Quantum Leap Campaing the parallel regional work of “All We Can Save project” (https://www.allwecansave.earth), facilitating a circle of Latin-American women that are exploring the climate crisis.
A Costa Rican licensed architect since 1992, he is Living Future Accredited, LEED Green Associate, EDGE Expert Auditor and Accredited Expert Consultant and Auditor for the Costa Rican green building standard RESET with several studies on Biomimicry. His specialty is planning and design, and in particular regenerative design. He is advocating sustainable development since 1989 when he was student of architecture at the University of Costa Rica. In 1992 he was awarded with 1st prize in the Research, Criticism, History, and Planning Category for his work "Sociobiotic Communities: An Operative Model of Sustainability" in the 1st Architectural Biennial in his country. With studies of a master’s degree studies in Public Health with an Environment and Development approach he continuously keeps studying on sustainability, regenerative development and design, as all related with climate change. Former Urban Planning and Development Director at the Municipality of Montes de Oca, from 2003 to 2006, founder and director from 1996-1999 the Sustainability and Peace Institutional Program (PRINSOPAZ) at the University of Costa Rica. He opened his own firm in January 2009, and being author of numerous articles and papers in the field of sustainability, climate change and related areas, Victor has presented at numerous conferences, and regularly lectures in Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia Perú, Brazil and Chile. He was a presenter during the Unconference Living Future 2020.
Member of the International Living Future Institute (2012) and of United States Green Building Council (2014). Since 2015, he is a founding member and Chairman of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Costa Rica. In 2016 he led a movement to create APRORESET, a national association to support the use of the local green building standard (RESET) and at the same time, was part of a local group to found the Costa Rica Natural Design Advisers (CRNDA) as a consortium of companies to export exclusively sustainable consulting services, that has now evolved toward a regenerative approach as the ultimate goal where sustainability is the minimum viable option.
His philosophy has evolved from sustainability in 1989 to become regenerative since 2016.
Lic. Viviana Luján Gallegos, MSc.
Lawyer specialized in environmental finance and consultant in strategy and finance for sustainability, Independent consultant
Viviana is a lawyer and environmental consultant with extensive international experience in public-private approaches to biodiversity management and environmental finance. Among others, he has worked on several projects for the socio-economic valuation of ecosystem services as support for the incorporation of natural capital in decision-making in the private, public and NGO sectors, and has advised a wide range of actors in project financing of climate change and other financial transactions. From 2015 to 2018 she was legal advisor to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), focused on projects for the private sector.
During her most recent work as a partner at the research consulting firm Wolfs Company in Amsterdam, she advised governmental and non-governmental conservation organizations applying the conceptual framework (of her own) for sustainable financing 'Eco2Fin'. With it, sustainable financing mechanisms have been identified, evaluated and developed for the management of more than 25 Protected Areas (PAs) in the Greater Caribbean and Central America.
Viviana is also the co-author of two products recently published by the Conservation Finance Alliance: "Environmental Funds 2020: Global Vision, Local Action" and "2020 Standards of Practice for Environmental Funds".
Viviana obtained a Law Degree from the University of Costa Rica and an MSc. in Environmental and Natural Resource Management (with an emphasis on environmental economics) from the VU University of Amsterdam. Viviana also concluded the Financing for Biodiversity course, sponsored by the BIOFIN initiative (UNDP), and the Investment Management course for small and growing companies (SGBs), with an emphasis on impact investing, taught by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE). In addition, she is a Kinship Conservation Fellow (2015) and a member of the Conservation Finance Alliance and Natural Capital Coalition networks.
She regularly participates as a speaker or facilitator in workshops and seminars internationally.
Frances Pimentel
Yucatan and Caribbean Representative REGENBE
Frances is a seasoned international real estate sales, marketing, and project coordination professional focused in the Caribbean and South Florida markets. She holds bachelor’s degrees in marketing and international business as well as her master’s degree in business administration from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. She obtained her South Florida real estate licensure in 2001. From this point onward she has worked in the real estate field holding both corporate positions in varying director and managerial level roles in several Caribbean islands and Miami, as well as that of an independent contractor as global real estate advisor.
In recent years, and due to what she believes to be a personal purpose, Frances has been focusing a large portion of her efforts in sustainable and regenerative real estate developments. She intends to continue to further grow this aspect of her business with the intention of protecting the environment and regenerating our planet. She is a professional member of the International Living Future Institute and is currently seeking ILFI Accreditation. She is also a member of the Regional Technical Committee for the LATAM and Caribbean initiative tasked with the translation of the MindfulMATERIALS Database into the Spanish and Portuguese languages and she has also recently been accepted into the Regenesis Institute Regenerative Practitioner program for regenerative development.
She holds the Certified International Property Specialist and Transnational Referral Certification designations and has also completed the Resort and Second Home Markets coursework from the National Association of Realtors. In addition, she holds a Project Management for Development certificate from the Inter-American Development Bank. Her past and current roles include working with local and international architectural and engineering teams as project liaison to determine best unit mixes and designs for developments in multiple countries, procurement of vendors, relationships with ministries and government officials for permitting of projects, as well as sales, marketing, and branding strategies for these.
Currently, with the support of the Regenbe team, she collaborates with developers, municipalities and project owners that are committed to sustainable and regenerative practices and seek access to green finance for their projects. Regenbe assists in designing and building projects according to frameworks needed to access green funds and assists in the financial instrument determination and issuance as well as sourcing investors for such.
Lic. Marianela Jiménez.
Certificaciones EDGE, WELL, LBC y RESET, Consultora Asociada
Licenciada en Arquitectura de la Universidad de Costa Rica con experiencia profesional desde hace casi 20 años. Especialista en Sostenibilidad para la Gestión Empresarial por FUNDEPOS y Universidad Politécnica de Baja California. Propietaria y gerente de la empresa ARQUITMYA S.A brindando servicios de Consultoría en Arquitectura y Asesoría Empresarial, incluyendo auditorías en sostenibilidad como experta técnica, así como diseño, tramitación, gestión y dirección técnica de proyectos de diversa índole: condominios residenciales, apartamentos, locales comerciales, oficinas, etc. con enfoque en gestión sostenible integral de proyectos y organizaciones.
Cuenta con las acreditaciones Living Future Accredited (LFA), WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP), es Auditora y Consultora Experta de la Norma INTE C170:2020 RESET (Requisitos para Edificaciones Sostenibles en el Trópico) desde el 2016 y desde ese año funge como miembro fundador y directivo del Consorcio CR-NDA (Costa Rica Natural Design Advisers), para internacionalización de servicios de arquitectura e ingeniería con enfoque sostenible.
En INTECO - Instituto de Normas Técnicas de Costa Rica, es miembro del Comité Técnico de Construcción Sostenible CTN 06 SC 11, que trabaja la mejora continua de la NORMA RESET C170:2020. Fue parte de la Comisión Nacional de Normalización – CNN (2014 -2017) y del Concejo Directivo de INTECO (2012- 2017).
Cargos a resaltar: Presidencia de la Junta Directiva del CACR - Colegio de Arquitectos de Costa Rica (2012-2014). Directora General de la Junta Directiva General del CFIA (2010-2014). Vicepresidente Región Centroamericana de la FPAA - Federación Panamericana de Asociaciones de Arquitectos (2012-2013). Miembro del Directorio suplente por la Región III (América) de la UIA - Unión Internacional de Arquitectos (2011-2014).
Reconocimientos especiales:
Ganadora en categoría de servicios del PCV-Programa de Crecimiento Verde CRUSA-Procomer, 2021.
Miembro honorario del AIA - American Institute of Architects desde 2013.
Medalla Internacional Presidencial AIA - American Institute of Architects, 2013.
Medalla del CACR – Colegio de Arquitectos de Costa Rica en 2015.
Designada por la UIA – Unión Internacional de Arquitectos como Jurado para Competencia Internacional Estudiantil del Congreso Mundial de la UIA. Durban, Sudáfrica 2014.
Erick Brenes.
Formulación de Productos Financieros Verdes. Consultor Asociado.
Erick Brenes posee un B.A. en Finanzas de la Universidad Internacional de las Américas, un Master en Gestión Internacional de la Universidad de Otaru en Japón y estudios de doctorado en sostenibilidad en Italia y México.
Ha diseñado, implementado y evaluado proyectos sobre desarrollo local sostenible, con o sin medios de intercambio alternativos; con organizaciones de pueblos originarios en Guatemala, Ecuador y Colombia ha investigado e implementado proyectos de desarrollo alternativo (no económicos/centrados en el mercado) que consideran y promueven sus perspectivas epistemológicas (cosmovisiones) y medios de vida.
Su tesis de doctorado posee un marco teórico descolonizado/sistémico y complejo que critica la "ciencia universal" occidentalo-céntrica y propone la búsqueda de sostenibilidad en las subjetividades de nuestros conocimientos locales (variedades epistémicas). En la práctica, su crítica se demostró gracias a un método campesino en Honduras (conocido como Quesungual) y otro indígena en Guatemala (conocido como Ron Kuxur), donde la producción de alimentos no solo aumentó, sino que evitó el agotamiento de los corredores secos y mejoró su adaptabilidad al cambio climático!
Es fundador del Laboratorio Mesoamericano del Conocimiento e investigador asociado al CIRPS en Roma y; asesor científico de universidades, gobiernos locales y todo tipo de organizaciones/empresa en temas de sostenibilidad (ESG) y desarrollo alternativo. Como miembro del Instituto de Gobierno Corporativo de Costa Rica asesora todo tipo órganos colegiados: sociedades anónimas como la Fintech Simplemente LISA, Hevea S.A, Ecosolutions y Green Trust International en la formulación de bonos verdes para el mercado bursátil de Costa Rica, cooperativas de diversa naturaleza (ahorro y crédito, turismo rural, comunitario y sostenible), así como organizaciones/proyectos sin fines de lucro como LandScale de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN), Cuencas Sagradas en Ecuador, el Fondo de Naciones Unidas para los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible y la RedBioCol en Colombia entre otros y pronto publicará un ensayo abierto sobre "Descolonización de la económica política".
Arq. Ximena Cantú.
Consultora Asociada
Aarquitecta con más de 10 años de experiencia en edificación sostenible y curso su maestría en arquitectura bioclimática. Cuenta con las acreditaciones de: LEED, WELL AP, EDGE EXPERT/AUDITOR, ENVISION Sustainable Professional e International Sustainable Business Advisor.
Formó parte del equipo fundador de FIBRA Eco, donde fue subdirectora de sustentabilidad. Cómo consultora independiente ha realizado simulaciones EDGE alcanzando más de 70% de ahorro en energía, tiene experiencia en proyectos Living Building Challenge, consultoría en eficiencia energética para proyectos retail e industrial y colaboró como experta independiente con el centro de innovación de Habitat para la Humanidad en temas de economía circular.
En Bioconstrucción y Energía Alternativa lideró proyectos que alcanzaron la certificación LEED. Además de haber desarrollado auditorías energéticas de acuerdo a ASHRAE y proyectos que buscaban la certificación LEED en Operación y Mantenimiento.
Actualmente es auditora EDGE de diversos proyectos, docente de arquitectura sostenible, líder de estrategia ESG y net zero en JLL y se encuentra cursando una especialidad en Liderazgo Sostenible por la Universidad de Cambridge.
