The VIVE Project: Greener and Fairer Housing for Central America

What if Central America could provide its medium and low-income families with affordable, yet efficient housing?

  • Client

    KfW Development Bank

  • Region
    • Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
  • Service
    • Programs
  • Countries

    Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Dominican Republic

  • Sectors
    • Financial institutions
    • Commercial and Residential
Econoler

Across Central America, rapid urbanization and growing climate risks are putting unprecedented pressure on housing systems. Millions of families still lack access to affordable, resilient, and energy‑efficient homes. Recognizing this urgent need, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), with support from KfW, launched an ambitious co-creation effort to rethink what sustainable housing could look like at a regional scale. Econoler was mandated to lead the development of VIVE; the first integrated green housing program designed to transform residential construction practices across seven countries.  

A regional ambition pushing scalable solutions

The VIVE project was developed within a broader regional framework to scale up sustainable housing and green buildings in Central America, as part of the Central American Sustainable Housing and Habitat Development Program (VIDHAS) led by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) and financed by KfW. With its focus on affordable housing, the initiative was designed to integrate energy efficiency, water savings, and climate resilience into mainstream housing finance, enabling impact at a regional scale rather than through isolated pilot projects.

This ambitious program ultimately benefits low- and middle-income households by improving access to affordable, resource-efficient housing, while also supporting developers, and financial institutions through strengthened technical capacities and dedicated financing mechanisms. At the regional level, it contributes to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, more efficient use of water and energy, and improved climate resilience in rapidly growing urban areas.

The project spans countries characterized by rapid urbanization, significant housing deficits, and high vulnerability to climate change, as well as diverse regulatory, financial, and market conditions. This context provided a suitable basis for designing a flexible yet harmonized regional program, enabling the feasibility study to assess how sustainable housing building solutions can be adapted to different climatic, energy, and institutional contexts while achieving scale through regional cooperation. 

Mandate

Econoler led the end-to-end development of the VIVE Program, from country-level diagnostics and feasibility assessments to full program design and operationalization. The mandate included structuring the financial mechanism, preparing a GCF concept note, and equipping regional partners for implementation.

Shaping VIVE: A Full Cycle Mandate from Diagnosis to Delivery

Econoler led a consortium to develop the VIVE Program through a comprehensive, ground‑up mandate.

The work began with a bottom‑up diagnostic, examining the housing landscape in each participating country. By mapping gaps, constraints, and opportunities, along with the technical, social, and environmental realities shaping green housing, Econoler built a clear picture of national contexts. To enrich and validate research, the team conducted extensive in‑country interviews, ensuring that insights reflected real on‑the‑ground needs and institutional realities.

Next, Econoler carried out a full feasibility assessment of the VIVE Program across all target countries. This included technical, economic, social, and environmental analyses to determine what types of sustainable housing solutions were viable in each national context to effectively reach low‑ and middle‑income households, the initiative’s primary beneficiaries.

With a solid evidence base, Econoler designed the VIVE Program architecture. This encompassed sustainability criteria, technical objectives, and a tailored financial mechanism to support program rollout at scale. The mandate also included developing the structure for upcoming technical assistance and preparing a concept note for the Green Climate Fund to help secure climate finance for implementation.

Econoler produced the operational guides and tools required for future deployment. This included the Program Operations Manual and recommendations for technological systems needed to verify and certify sustainable construction projects. To ensure smooth uptake, Econoler delivered a capacity‑building workshop, equipping partners with the knowledge required to implement VIVE across the region.

Building partnerships for lasting solutions

Econoler places strong value on meaningful local and regional collaboration, and the VIVE Program stands as a clear example of how these partnerships can generate lasting, scalable impact.

Econoler worked with Sphera S.A. to deliver this project through a deeply collaborative, multistakeholder approach. The mandate was carried out in close coordination with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and key national and regional actors from the housing, energy, and financial sectors.

This engagement was essential to validate assumptions, align the program with existing policies and financing frameworks, and ensure that the proposed design was both feasible and relevant across all participating countries. By fostering meaningful dialogue and shared ownership, the project laid the groundwork for longterm collaboration and a regional shift toward more sustainable housing solutions.

Driving Sustainable Impact in the Housing Sector

The project supports reduced energy and water consumption in residential buildings, resulting in lower household utility costs and improved thermal comfort.

It also enables the development of housing that is more resilient to climate risks, improving long-term living conditions.

At the market level, the initiative strengthens the ability of developers and financial institutions to design, assess, and finance sustainable housing projects, contributing to lower greenhouse gas emissions, more efficient use of natural resources, and scalable impacts across the region.

Building the Future of Green Housing in Central America

The VIVE Program shows how evidence‑based design, meaningful collaboration, and a regional vision can translate into transformative action.

By combining deep country‑level insights with a harmonized program structure, Econoler helped lay the groundwork for a new generation of sustainable, resilient, and affordable housing solutions across Central America.

The initiative not only strengthens national capacities and market readiness but also empowers households to benefit from lower utility costs, improved comfort, and climate‑resilient homes.

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