Building Envelope

The building envelope is the first line of defense from the elements. The envelope also provides the façade for our built environment. Building envelopes can provide more than shelter and good looks. They can be an integral part of a building that responds to the weather by nurturing the occupants and organizations within.

A climate-responsive building envelope uses a combination of shading, high performance windows, and the thoughtful placement of windows to enhance the comfort and energy performance of the building. Additional strategies such as selecting "cool" white roof materials and insulation options greatly impact the energy demand and occupant comfort of the building. An integrated design process will identify the interaction of envelope choices with other building systems and the ultimate performance and comfort of the building.

One of the key elements of modern building envelopes is the integration of design and window strategies to bring daylight into a building's interior without heat and glare. Other key elements of the building envelope that affect thermal performance include shading elements, air tightness, wall and roof insulation and roof reflectance.

The design of the building envelope sets the stage for improvements and benefits throughout the building.

Check out the following for more information on building envelope strategies:

A Systems Approach to Insulation
Article from Environmental Design and Construction. The selection of the insulation materials, along with the installation, inspection and testing of the final assembly, are all essential to building performance.

Enclosure Systems Design Guide
The enclosure systems have a direct impact on the thermal and visual comfort of a building's occupants. Design guide for green buildings.

Which Glass Should I Use? Sorting It All Out
Overview of choosing glazing products and elements to consider.

Making Green Roofs Simple
Overview of green roofs.

Comparative Fenestration Design Tool
COMFEN is a new tool designed to support the systematic evaluation of alternative fenestration systems for project-specific commercial building applications.