Integrated Design for the development of energy efficient housing in Chile: threading abilities

Integrated design is a strategy for the development of sustainable architecture, incorporating interdisciplinary work and performance assessment within the design process, which has become a relevant contribution to the development of public buildings in industrialized countries. This article presents a review of aspects related to integrated design for the development of energy efficient housing in the southern area of Chile, oriented to the reconstruction process after the earthquake of the 27th of February, 2010. Firstly, it synthesizes the characteristics of the Integrated Design Process, its implicit conditions, participants, stages, resources and expected results, according to international references. It also compares this with the common practice of the design of houses in Chile under the current regulations and through interviews to professionals. Then, it analyses the design process of experimental houses and housing projects specifically focused on energy performance, carrying out interviews to revise significant aspects, identifying relevant resources applied to the design of houses that permitted the achievement of environmental improvements.