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COMPONENTS OF THE BUILDING ENVELOPE WINDOWS

Overall, with a building envelope, it’s interaction that matters. Are they easy to build? Long-lasting? Easy to repair and maintain? Safe? Cost effective?

Distribute services and utilities such as electricity and water.Īs well as doing all of this, building envelopes and their components must satisfy a huge range of qualities to do their job.

Finish the surfaces to meet aesthetic or other performance requirements.

Block and regulate heat, air, moisture and sounds between the exterior and interior.

Support, transfer and accommodate structural loads imposed by the environment and the building.

Whichever part of the interior it’s protecting, a building envelope has four basic functions: That’s a single part of the building envelope – but with seven different layers! It could include a gypsum board, a vapour barrier, cavity insulation such as stone wool installed between wooden studs, an OSB board (Oriented Strand Board - made from resin-bonded wood flakes), a water-resistant barrier, exterior insulation and, finally, cladding. Take the example of a typical wall in a North American house. Each one can contain many different layers and materials.

Typical building envelope elements include walls, roofs, floors and ‘fenestrations’ (windows, doors, skylights and other openings). But the “building envelope” – defined as the part of a building that separates the interior environment from the exterior – includes many different components, each of which can be complex and multi-layered. But its installation on an existing building demands improvement to the existing envelope and additional costs.You might think it’s just a wall and a roof that keep you safe from that terrible weather outside. High-performance building envelopes provide the best opportunities when deployed on new construction since they can be built into the building. La Jolla Commons, San Diego, California: The largest net-zero energy building in the U.S employs highly-efficient building envelope technologies like on-site fuel cells, low emissive coatings that reflect invisible long-wave infrared heat, and an under-floor air distribution system. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado, U.S.A: The building includes rooftop photovoltaic systems and transpired solar collectors to generate the same energy that the structure consumes.ģ. The Unisphere, Maryland, U.S.A: The Unisphere building possesses solar photovoltaic systems, high-performance electromagnetic envelopes, earth coupled heating-cooling system, etc., to help the building function with no carbon emissions. Some of the examples of NZEBs that have used high-performance building envelope components are:ġ. Building envelopes with technology to harvest solar energy help create sustainable buildings.Įxamples of High-Performance Building Envelopes.Airtight construction prevents leaks, hence preventing heat gain and heat loss.This creates less burden on the A/C or heating systems. Proper insulation to walls controls severe temperature changes within the building during hotter or colder seasons.

COMPONENTS OF THE BUILDING ENVELOPE WINDOWS

Energy-efficient windows reduce heat by 80 percent compared to uncoated single-pane glasses.

Provides an additional barrier against heat gain and heat loss.

High-performance building envelopes contribute towards energy sustainability in the following ways: This implies that it must produce enough energy to exceed or match the overall building consumption. A high-performance building envelope integrates solutions for temperature control, airflow regulation, moisture control, etc., into the design to maximize the comfort of occupants within a given building, thus reducing the overall energy consumed by the building system.Īn NZEB building creates net-zero energy. High-Performance Building Envelopes to Reduce Energy ConsumptionĪ building envelope comprises walls, roofs, windows, doors, foundations, etc. It should be durable and must provide low maintenance during its life period. The system must also be simple, elegant, and constructed with ease. The cost for this superior performance must be balanced and affordable. Whatever be the components employed, the four key attributes that a high-performance building envelope must possess are:Ī high-performance building envelope should perform at a superior level in functionality and sustainability. High-performance envelopes can be made of various components like windows, walls, doors, insulation, and other systems. Key Attributes of High-Performance Building Envelopes Examples of High-Performance Building Envelopes.High-Performance Building Envelopes to Reduce Energy Consumption.Key Attributes of High-Performance Building Envelopes.