Housing and Trades Training Institute Logo

HOUSING & TRADES TRAINING INSTITUTE

LEARN. BUILD.
OWN. STEWARD.

Building the people who will rebuild Baltimore.

Housing & Trades Training Institute connects skilled-trades education with paid, hands-on experience rehabilitating real homes—training the next generation to build healthier, more efficient, high-performance housing while creating pathways to careers and attainable homeownership.

501(c)(3) · High-Performance Housing · Skilled Trades · Attainable Homeownership · Baltimore, Maryland

REAL-WORLD PROOF OF CONCEPT

A Real house
A real pathway forward

The principles behind H&TTI are already being put into practice through a real Baltimore renovation—using hands-on construction, thoughtful building science, energy-efficient systems, and high-performance detailing to explore what better housing can look like.

Now we’re building the organization that can turn that experience into opportunity for the next generation.

  • REAL-WORLD TRADES TRAINING
    Transform active renovation projects into hands-on learning environments where the next generation can develop practical skills across the skilled trades.

  • HIGH-PERFORMANCE RETROFITS
    Bring existing Baltimore homes into the future through better building envelopes, efficient systems, electrification, and a pathway toward net-zero performance.

  • PATHWAYS TO OWNERSHIP
    Connect the skills used to rebuild homes with opportunities to build careers, attain homeownership, and create lasting stability within Baltimore communities.

LEARN // BUILD // OWN // STEWARD

AIR + VAPOR CONTROL // PARTY WALL ASSEMBLY

REAL PROJECT // BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

Architectural high-performance retrofit in progress showing precision air-barrier installation on historic Baltimore masonry rowhouse

What you see is SIGA Majrex®, carefully detailed as part of the interior air- and vapor-control strategy. What you don’t see is just as important.

Behind the membrane, the existing masonry party wall has been framed and insulated with R-15 ROCKWOOL mineral wool. Even along shared walls, we’re insulating and air-sealing wherever practical to reduce heat transfer, improve sound control, and maintain greater control over the home’s interior environment.

It’s a simple example of the approach behind H&TTI: understand what every layer is doing, detail it deliberately, and teach the next generation why it matters.

EXISTING MASONRY // R-15 ROCKWOOL // FRAMING // SIGA MAJREX® // INTERIOR FINISH

One pathway // four pillars

THE FOUR-PILLAR MODEL

H&TTI connects skilled-trades education, real-world construction, attainable homeownership, and long-term stewardship into one continuous pathway.

Trades students receiving hands-on building envelope instruction

SKILLS // CAREERS // CREDENTIALS

01. LEARN

Build a foundation in the skilled trades through classroom instruction, hands-on training, and real-world experience—with pathways toward apprenticeships, industry credentials, licensing, and lasting careers.

  • CARPENTRY + BUILDING ENVELOPE
    Learn how structures go together—and how water, air, vapor, and thermal control determine how they perform.

  • ELECTRICAL + ELECTRIFICATION
    Develop electrical skills while learning the systems that are driving the transition toward efficient, all-electric homes.

  • PLUMBING + HVAC
    Build practical mechanical skills with an emphasis on efficient equipment, ventilation, comfort, and healthy indoor environments.

  • BUILDING SCIENCE
    Understand why buildings work—not simply how to assemble them.

Active structural insulation and airtight membrane retrofit in rowhouse

REAL HOMES // REAL EXPERIENCE

02. BUILD

Move learning out of the classroom and onto real projects. H&TTI’s model uses the rehabilitation of existing Baltimore housing as a training ground for craftsmanship, problem-solving, and high-performance construction.

  • WATER FIRST
    Manage bulk water and protect the structure.

  • CONTROL THE ENCLOSURE
    Build deliberate water, air, vapor, and thermal control strategies appropriate to each home.

  • EFFICIENT SYSTEMS
    Integrate high-efficiency mechanical systems, electrification, ventilation, and thoughtful energy design

  • BUILD TOWARD NET ZERO
    Reduce demand first. Then use efficient systems and renewable energy to pursue net-zero performance.

Completed high-efficiency brick rowhouse ownership deed transfer

ATTAINABLE OWNERSHIP // LASTING OPPORTUNITY

03. OWN

A career can create income. Ownership can create stability, independence, and a foundation for long-term wealth.

H&TTI aims to connect workforce development with pathways to attainable, high-performance homeownership—helping people understand not only how homes are built, but what it takes to responsibly own and maintain one.

  • ATTAINABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP
    Develop pathways that reduce the barriers between working families and ownership.

  • LOWER COST OF LIVING
    Build high-performance homes designed to reduce energy demand and long-term operating costs.

  • HOMEOWNER EDUCATION
    Prepare future owners to understand their homes, finances, maintenance responsibilities, and major building systems.

  • LASTING AFFORDABILITY
    Explore responsible ownership structures and protections designed to preserve attainable housing for the people and communities it is intended to serve.

Smart environmental sensor telemetry and continuous mechanical system monitoring

KNOWLEDGE // RESPONSIBILITY // COMMUNITY

04. STEWARD

Ownership isn’t the finish line. It’s the beginning of a responsibility.

H&TTI prepares people to become informed stewards of their homes—understanding maintenance, building systems, energy use, repairs, and the decisions required to protect a property for the long term.

  • MAINTAIN WHAT WE BUILD
    Teach homeowners how to recognize problems early, perform routine maintenance, and protect their investment.

  • UNDERSTAND THE HOME
    Give owners practical knowledge of the enclosure, mechanical systems, electrical, plumbing, ventilation, and energy performance.

  • PASS KNOWLEDGE FORWARD
    Create a culture where tradespeople, homeowners, mentors, and neighbors share practical knowledge instead of allowing it to disappear.

  • STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES
    Develop homeowners and tradespeople who take pride in their homes, share what they know, support their neighbors, and help build stronger communities for the next generation..

BUILDING SCIENCE // HIGH-PERFORMANCE RETROFITd

HIGH-PERFORMANCE Building SCIENCE

Attainable housing shouldn’t mean compromising on how a home performs.

H&TTI approaches existing housing through the principles of building science: manage water, control air and vapor, improve the thermal enclosure, and then design efficient mechanical systems around the dramatically reduced loads.

The goal is straightforward: build homes that are more durable, comfortable, healthy, energy efficient, and affordable to operate.

Architectural wall section cutaway showing continuous exterior insulation and smart vapor retarder on a historic masonry rowhouse

01 // THE BUILDING ENCLOSURE

WATER. AIR. VAPOR. THERMAL.

High-performance construction starts with understanding how water, air, heat, and moisture move through a building. In an existing Baltimore rowhouse, every assembly presents different conditions—and every control layer has a specific job.

  • WATER CONTROL
    Protect the structure from bulk water and provide appropriate drainage and drying paths.

  • AIR CONTROL
    Create a continuous air-control layer by carefully detailing seams, transitions, penetrations, and connections.

  • VAPOR CONTROL
    Manage vapor movement and drying potential based on the materials, climate, and conditions of the existing assembly.

  • THERMAL CONTROL
    Add insulation strategically and address thermal bridging wherever practical to reduce heat loss, improve comfort, and lower energy demand.

THE PRINCIPLE: CONTROL THE ENCLOSURE FIRST. REDUCE THE LOAD BEFORE SIZING THE SYSTEMS.

02 // EFFICIENT SYSTEMS + ELECTRIFICATION

BUILD THE SYSTEMS AROUND THE HOME

Once the enclosure is improved and energy demand is reduced, mechanical systems can be designed around the home’s actual needs.

H&TTI’s high-performance approach emphasizes efficient electric equipment, intentional ventilation, thoughtful system design, and the elimination of unnecessary energy demand.

  • HEAT-PUMP HEATING + COOLING
    High-efficiency heat pumps can provide both heating and cooling without relying on on-site fossil-fuel combustion.

  • BALANCED VENTILATION
    As homes become tighter, ventilation becomes more—not less—important. Properly designed ERV/HRV systems can provide controlled fresh air while reducing the energy penalty associated with ventilation.

  • HEAT-PUMP WATER HEATING
    Efficient electric water heating can further reduce household energy demand and support an all-electric home.

RIGHT-SIZED SYSTEMS
High-performance enclosures can substantially reduce heating and cooling loads. Mechanical equipment should be selected from calculated loads—not rules of thumb or what happened to be installed in the house before..

Technical diagram and installation photography of cold-climate heat-pump and Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) in rowhouse mechanical utility space

Our approach draws from established building-science principles and high-performance standards, informed by the professional training and certifications behind H&TTI.

OUR BUILDING PHILOSOPHY

ATTAINABLE SHOULD NEVER MEAN CHEAPLY BUILT.

Families with limited resources have the most to gain from homes that use less energy, cost less to operate, and are built to last.

H&TTI believes attainable housing should be held to a higher standard—not a lower one. That means applying building science deliberately: managing water, controlling air and vapor, improving thermal performance, choosing efficient systems, and paying attention to the details that determine whether a home will perform for decades.

The purchase price is only one part of what makes a home attainable. What it costs to heat, cool, maintain, and repair matters too.

BETTER BUILDING // LOWER OPERATING COSTS // LASTING VALUE // BALTIMORE

LEADERSHIP // BOARD OF DIRECTORS

HELP BUILD THE BOARD

H&TTI is building a working Board of Directors to help turn an ambitious Baltimore idea into a lasting institution.

We’re seeking experienced leaders who believe in the connection between skilled trades, better housing, attainable homeownership, and stronger communities—and who are willing to bring their knowledge, relationships, and perspective to help us build it responsibly.

We’re especially interested in leaders across the following areas:

BOARD EXPERIENCE AREAS H&TTI // BALTIMORE
01 // FINANCE + DEVELOPMENT

Real Estate, Finance & Community Investment

Help H&TTI develop sustainable approaches to property acquisition, project financing, housing development, and long-term organizational growth.

02 // LEGAL + GOVERNANCE

Law, Governance & Housing Policy

Bring expertise in nonprofit governance, real estate, land use, zoning, contracts, attainable housing, and the legal structures needed to protect H&TTI’s mission.

03 // CONSTRUCTION + BUILDING SCIENCE

Trades, Construction & High-Performance Housing

Help guide H&TTI’s approach to skilled-trades education, building science, high-performance renovation, electrification, and real-world construction.

04 // ARCHITECTURE + COMMUNITY

Architecture, Planning & Neighborhood Revitalization

Help preserve what makes Baltimore’s housing and neighborhoods distinctive while improving existing homes and expanding pathways to attainable ownership.

05 // EDUCATION + WORKFORCE

Education, Apprenticeship & Career Development

Help build pathways from education and hands-on training into apprenticeships, credentials, licensing, employment, and long-term skilled-trades careers.

06 // PHILANTHROPY + GROWTH

Fundraising, Partnerships & Nonprofit Leadership

Help H&TTI build the funding, partnerships, relationships, and organizational systems needed to grow into a durable Baltimore institution.

If your experience aligns with H&TTI’s mission, we’d love to hear from you.
[email protected]

DONATIONS // BUILD THE FIRST PROJECT

Support THE MISSION

Your support helps turn H&TTI from a powerful idea into real opportunity.

Donations help us build the training, tools, partnerships, and real-world projects needed to connect skilled-trades education with the rehabilitation of Baltimore homes and pathways toward attainable homeownership.

Your contribution doesn’t just support a program. It helps build the place where learning becomes work, work improves housing, and skills can become a foundation for ownership.

  • HANDS-ON TRAINING + TOOLS
    Help provide the tools, materials, safety equipment, and training resources needed to teach skilled trades and high-performance construction.

  • REAL HOMES + REAL EXPERIENCE
    Help acquire and rehabilitate Baltimore housing where participants can develop practical skills while contributing to homes built for long-term performance.

  • PATHWAYS TO OWNERSHIP
    Help us develop a model that connects career opportunity, better housing, homeowner education, and attainable ownership.

YOUR SUPPORT // DIRECT IMPACT

HELP BUILD WHAT COMES NEXT

H&TTI is in its formative stage, building the partnerships, leadership, curriculum, funding, and project pipeline needed to launch this model responsibly.

Early supporters have a unique opportunity to help build the foundation—not simply fund what already exists.

Your support can help us move toward our first H&TTI training-home project: a real Baltimore property where education, construction, building science, and attainable housing come together under one roof.

501(c)(3) NONPROFIT // BALTIMORE, MARYLAND // LEARN • BUILD • OWN • STEWARD