• The Ministry of Housing has issued Resolution 0194 of 2025, updating the technical guidelines for water and energy savings and establishing new requirements for sustainable construction nationwide.
• The Colombia Green Building Council (Colombia GBC) participated in the development of the regulation through technical roundtables and public consultation, contributing technical information and sector data. Its involvement focused on strengthening the content of the regulation and ensuring its applicability across the country.
• The implementation of this regulation marks a milestone for Colombia in energy efficiency and decarbonization, as it represents one of the key actions outlined in the National Roadmap for Net Zero Carbon Buildings.

The Colombia Green Building Council welcomes the issuance of Resolution 0194 of 2025 by the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory. This regulation sets forth the requirements that new buildings must meet to contribute to water and energy savings, establishing a more ambitious technical framework applicable to all building types and adapted to the country’s diverse climatic conditions.

At Colombia GBC, we recognize this Resolution as a major regulatory milestone that will enable the country to move forward with better sustainable construction practices. It also serves as a key enabler for the creation, development, and implementation of high-performance projects across Colombia, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to more responsible and efficient building.

The new resolution introduces significant advances for sustainable construction in Colombia, including mandatory minimum savings targets for low-income and priority housing projects, depending on variables such as municipality type and project area. It also updates baseline consumption figures and savings targets for water and energy, and introduces an expanded catalog of cost-effective strategies that ensure energy consumption reductions between 5% and 20%, and water savings between 15% and 30%, adjusted by building subtype and climate zone.

In addition, the regulation introduces a monitoring and control mechanism that will facilitate local verification of compliance. To support implementation, the Ministry of Housing developed three technical annexes: a sustainable construction guide, municipal climate data, and a monitoring framework—tools that will help maximize the regulation’s impact across the national territory.

Colombia GBC actively supported the development of this regulation by contributing technical expertise, promoting cross-sector dialogue, and helping to create instruments that enable effective implementation. This Resolution is also the result of a collective effort by multiple stakeholders who have been building capacities, generating evidence, and driving public policy for sustainable urban development and construction.

It also represents a milestone for Colombia’s decarbonization efforts, as it is one of the key measures included in the National Roadmap for Net Zero Carbon Buildings developed by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. The roadmap takes a full life-cycle approach and outlines ambitious, phased targets for reducing both operational and embodied carbon between 2030 and 2040, aiming to achieve net zero carbon buildings by 2050.

This new regulatory framework comes at a time when sustainable construction has become central to the sector’s agenda. Currently, 43% of the licensed housing area in the country is in the process of being certified under environmental sustainability standards. According to the 2024 State of Sustainable Construction report, 77% of surveyed developers certify more than 50% of their projects—though most respondents represent companies already leading in sustainability, this marks significant progress from 2021, when only 19% certified more than half of their projects.

Furthermore, Colombia is emerging as a global leader, with over 1,758 hectares registered under LEED for Communities—making it the second country worldwide with the most projects under this system, after China. Additionally, 16% of licensed area in non-residential buildings is undergoing certification, with strong representation in office and commercial projects. The first steps toward sustainable infrastructure have also been taken with the introduction of Envision certification and increased financing for these types of projects.

Colombia GBC reaffirms its commitment to advancing the development of a more sustainable built environment, supporting the adoption of this regulation across the country, and strengthening stakeholders with tools, knowledge, and technical guidance.