Building Envelope
From Swikipedia
Introduction
Building Envelope is the area that separates conditioned space from unconditioned space or the outdoors. Simply put, a building envelope is the separation between the interior and the exterior environments of a building. It serves as the outer shell to protect the indoor environment as well as to facilitate its climate control. For example, walls and doors between an unheated garage and a living area are part of the building envelope; walls separating an unheated garage from the outside are not.
Brief Description
Objectives of Building envelope design:
Structural integrity
Moisture control
Temperature control
Control of air pressure boundaries of sorts
Control of air includes air movement through the components of the building envelope (interstitial) itself, as well as into and out of the interior space, which affects building insulation greatly.
Physical Components of Building Envelope
The key critical energy saving components (physical) that make up a building envelope include:
Fenestration: Windows, Doors and Skylights
Insulation Systems
Foundation
Wall Systems
Roofing Design and Material Selection
The dimensions, performance and compatibility of materials, fabrication process and details, their connections and interactions are the main factors that determine the effectiveness and durability of the building enclosure system.
Common measures of the effectiveness of a building envelope include physical protection from weather and climate (comfort), indoor air quality (hygiene and public health), durability and energy efficiency. In order to achieve these objectives, all building enclosure systems must include a solid structure, a drainage plane, an air barrier, a thermal barrier, and may include a vapor barrier. Moisture control is essential in cold climates.
References:
http://resourcecenter.pnl.gov/cocoon/morf/ResourceCenter/article/114
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_envelope
http://www.aetglobal.net/Building-Technology-(1)/Building-Envelope.aspx
