Our client holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in advanced architectural design. He has over 17 years of professional experience, has worked at major architectural firms in both Mexico and the United States, taught design at the university level in both countries, and led his own studio for more than a decade.

Over the course of his career, our client’s projects have appeared in leading architecture publications in several countries, on a national U.S. news network, and in two books. Among them are homes that collect rainwater, cool themselves through natural ventilation, and bring vegetation into the structure itself. He is also certified in building performance analysis and in the industry’s main modeling software.

In the United States, our client will develop and systematically implement the foregoing methodology in the early stages of architecture and construction projects. His goal is to lower the mechanical energy demand of buildings in the U.S. while they are still at the design stage, when changes are far less costly than after construction, and in doing so reduce energy expenses for households, businesses, and property owners on a lasting basis.

Our client will further share his methodology through professional practice, publications, and engagement with the industry, so that other architects and developers across the country can adopt it in their own projects.

The Reach of a Design Methodology Beyond Its Direct Clients

USCIS recognized that our client’s endeavor had substantial merit and was well positioned to carry it out, but the RFE asked for additional evidence on two points.

The first was national importance: USCIS asked to see how the client’s methodology, and not the field of sustainable architecture in general, would have effects beyond the clients who hire him, and how it differs from standard practice in the industry. The second was why waiving the job offer requirement served the national interest.

Projects, Letters, and Federal Data as Evidence of Reach

Our response addressed each of the foregoing points with specific evidence. As to the national importance requirement, we provided additional detail in the endeavor by providing a step-by-step description of the methodology, the design decisions it guides, and the climate data it relies on.

Federal data helped demonstrate the scale of the client’s work. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the federal agency for energy statistics, nearly half of the energy consumed by U.S. buildings goes to heating, cooling, and ventilation. A methodology that lowers that demand at the design stage benefits every building it is applied to, which answers the question of reach directly. 

The most concrete evidence came from two residential projects in the United States where the client’s methodology has already been applied, one of them with projected operating costs about 80% lower than those of a building designed only to the minimum the building code requires. Letters from established U.S. architects and design professionals confirmed that placing climate analysis at the start of design is not common practice in the United States, which answered the point about what sets the methodology apart. Our client’s publications and teaching, finally, showed how his methodology reaches other professionals and has a broader impact. 

Second, as to how waiving the job offer requirement served the national interest, our response established that our client would work independently, so a formal job offer would be impractical in his practice. Moreover, lower energy bills for households and businesses are a benefit to the country.

EB-2 NIW Approval After the RFE Response

USCIS approved the EB-2 NIW petition following the RFE response. With this approval, our client can move toward advancing his work in climate-responsive design across the United States.