ABSTRACT
The couple, who had lived previously in Japan and Argentina, wanted a house that met a high environmental standard, possibly a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design-compliant, zero-energy home. Huenchuir, who is an architect and certified PH planner, explained that the PH approach would be the best method to boost the home's efficiency and achieve the couple's zero-energy goal. Arqui Ambiente, Huenchuir's firm, has long offered energy efficiency and sustainability consulting and recently added PH certification to its mix of services. In Marcelo Huenchuir's experience, clients don't usually come to his architectural office in Santiago, Chile with precise efficiency goals for their homes, but Claudia Brien and Dino Troni were the exception. Casa Troni-Brien sits just outside Santiago in the mountains, about 1,300 meters above sea level. Huenchuir and Gabriele Stange, another architect in the firm, designed the two-storey house so that it fits in well with its mountainside setting, striving to adroitly balance its architectural features with home's efficiency.
