The recent arrival of the Minergie certification in Chile is overseen by EBP Chile. This effort includes training Chilean professionals in this Swiss low-energy building standard, alongside the recent granting of provisional certification to the Covarrubias Hernández House in Lliu Lliu, Limache, designed by Murillo+Toro Arquitectos, and the Burgos Net Zero Building, developed by Cristián Izquierdo together with Tecton Inmobiliaria.
Minergie's history began in Switzerland in 1998, and the standard has since established a major presence with over 50,000 certified buildings. It integrates energy efficiency with a reduced dependence on fossil fuels while ensuring a highly comfortable indoor environment, maintaining these values over time. Additionally, it promotes the use of eco-friendly materials like wood and efficient water management. To achieve certification, projects must meet mandatory requirements and at least one-third of the optional requirements applicable to Chile's national thermal zones and the climate zones defined by the ASHRAE classifications for Latin America & the Caribbean.
In Chile, between 2020 and 2021, EBP Chile secured support from the Swiss Embassy and Minergie to adapt the standard to the country's specific conditions, including climate, building envelope, and energy efficiency. During this period, regulations were adjusted, pilot projects were implemented, and the first Minergie Experts in Chile were trained. The official launch event took place on January 19, 2022, and recently, in October 2023, the Association of Architectural Offices (AOA), one of Minergie's new partners, hosted the first Minergie sustainable construction gathering. The recording of the event is available on YouTube.
The first Minergie sustainable construction meeting opened with an introduction by Nicola Borregaard, general manager of EBP Chile, who discussed the progress of sustainable construction regulations in the country. This was followed by remarks from Montserrat Bobadilla, executive director of Minergie Chile, Markus N.P. Dutly, the Swiss Ambassador to Chile, and Andreas Meyer, CEO of Minergie.
During the meeting, architect Cristián Izquierdo shared updates on Casa Las Pataguas in Lo Barnechea, the first project built under this certification, along with other buildings such as the Burgos Net Zero Project, developed in collaboration with Tecton Inmobiliaria, which was also awarded provisional certification during the event.
Felipe Murillo, architect at Murillo+Toro Arquitectos, spoke about his experience working with this Swiss standard and detailed the Covarrubias Hernández House in Lliu Lliu, Limache, which received the first provisional Minergie certification.
Finally, Andrés Sierra, architect at Tallwood, described the development of the Tamango Building in Coyhaique, a twelve-story, 21,000-square-meter building notable for its timber design.
At the other end of Latin America, this standard has also been active in México since 2022. Among its provisionally certified projects are Proyecto VI (or Casa Cascada) in Valle de Bravo, designed by architecture firm Locus, and La Ventana, a complex of five houses built with natural materials in Baja California Sur.
This article was written by ArchDaily Team. The translation is powered by AI.
