BUILDING ENVELOPE

(With Discussion on PHILIPPINE

GREEN BUILDING CODE)
CE409 BUILDING SYSTEM DESIGN
An Act Mainstreaming Climate Change into Government Policy
Formulations, Establishing the Framework Strategy and Program
on Climate Change, Creating for this Purpose the Climate
Change Commission, and for other Purposes
BUILDING ENVELOPE
BUILDING ENVELOPE
The building envelope is the physical barrier between the
exterior and interior environments enclosing a structure.
Generally, the building envelope is comprised of a series of
components and systems that protect the interior space from
the effects of the environment like precipitation, wind,
temperature, humidity and ultraviolet radiation.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
The internal environment is comprised of the occupants,
furnishings, building materials, lighting, machinery, equipment,
and the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system.
Improving the building envelope of houses is one of the best
ways to get better energy efficiency.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
A building envelope serves many functions. These functions
can be divided into 3 categories:

SUPPORT: to ensure strength and rigidity; providing structural

support against internal and external loads and forces.
CONTROL: to control the exchange of water, air, condensation
and heat between the interior and exterior of the building.
FINISH: this is for aesthetic purposes. To make the building look
attractive while still performing support and control functions.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
What is ?
Building envelopes are often characterized as either “tight” or “loose”.
A LOOSE BUILDING ENVELOPE allows more of a natural air transfer to
occur, which improves indoor air quality which can remove the need for
mechanical ventilation.
These types of building envelopes make the building more drafty and
uncomfortable, it also makes the building harder to regulate temperature
levels. This creates a higher chance of mold or mildew, and higher
quantities of heated or cooled air are able to escape through leaks in the
loose building envelope. This will increase energy bills along with
negatively impacting the environment by releasing more greenhouse gases.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
What is BUILDING TIGHTNESS?
A TIGHT BUILDING ENVELOPE allows for a high level of control over indoor air quality,
temperature, humidity levels, and energy consumption.

This requires more insulation, caulk, adhesive tape, sealants, and energy- efficient windows
to acquire a tight shell for the building. This leads to fewer drafts and a more comfortable
building for its occupants, which often results in less waste in heating and cooling costs.
Tight envelopes also have a lower chance of producing mold or mildew from moisture
infiltration, this can help prolong the life of the building components. The downside to a
tighter building envelope is it requires more extensive mechanical ventilation systems
because it limits how much natural ventilation can occur.
BUILDING PERFORMANCE
A building's performance (or efficiency) is a measure of how well it
functions in relation to designated criteria such as physical, social or
environmental considerations. For example, a building's physical efficiency
might be evaluated by assessing parameters such as heat loss, energy
use, water use, water tightness, structural performance, fire performance
and so on. It can also measure whether the resources necessary to design
and construct a building have been used effectively.
BUILDING PERFORMANCE
EVALUATING BUILDING PERFORMANCE
Today building performance might be assessed against criteria including:
▶ Sustainability (are the materials environmentally friendly? How much
energy is used to heat/cool the building? How well does the building
fabric retain heat (linked to insulation levels and glazing performance)? Is
the building water efficient (does it include grey-water recycling)?
▶ Comfort – can air temperatures, humidity and ventilation achieve a
healthy environment?
▶ Ecology - is there a negative or positive impact on habitats?
▶ Acoustics – does noise generated by activities in the building adversely
affect neighboring buildings or spaces and vice versa?
BUILDING PERFORMANCE
▶ Running costs – how much does it cost to run the building?
▶ Water tightness – are roofs and openings capable of keeping out rain
and other sources of moisture?
▶ Layout – does the building optimize privacy, sunlight, views, occupant
circulation and so on?
▶ Occupant satisfaction – are the occupants satisfied with the overall
resolution of the design?
▶ Accessibility - is the building easy to use by people with disabilities? Is it
safe and secure?
▶ Society - does the building integrate with and contribute to the local
community?
BUILDING PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE GAP
The way some buildings perform when completed may not live up to the
designers’ intentions. The difference between anticipated and actual
performance may be significant and to the detriment of the occupiers,
owners and environment. This is known as the performance gap which, if
significant may result in aspects of the construction having to be redone
and can lead to legal proceedings.
AESTHETICS
The aesthetics of a building is one of the principal aspects considered in
architecture. The appeal of a building covers the combined effects of a
building’s shape, size, texture, color, balance, unity, movement, emphasis,
contrast, symmetry, proportion, space, alignment, pattern, decoration,
culture and context. The unique properties and natural beauty of wood and
other bio-based materials make them desired for various applications
including construction, facades and interior design.
AESTHETICS
A building should be designed in order to satisfy requirements regarding
safety, serviceability, durability, but also, aesthetics, assuring proper
structural performance through the entire service life. For that reason, it is
essential to understand the overall deterioration mechanisms within the
different levels of a building including elements, components, façades and
for the entire building. Changes in the appearance of materials can differ
due to kinetics of the responses related to the material resistance as well as
due to intensity of the degrading factors.
AESTHETICS
AESTHETICS AND
PERFORMANCE
In general, there are diverse processes that affect the
performance of building elements through theiraesthetical
service lives:
WEATHERING is predominantly related to the superficial level
deterioration and its intensity depends on micro-climatic conditions. For
example, wood that is exposed to exterior weather conditions starts to
change its appearance within a few hours.
AESTHETICS
DECAY is a biotic degradation process affecting both a material’s
functionality and aesthetics. For example, decay might have different
kinetics depending on the type of fungi causing it, and consequently it can
affect a materials’ functionality and appearance in diverse ways.
WATERLOGGING is a slow deterioration process in anaerobic conditions
due to the activity of bacteria. Insect activity might also have significant
influences on the outlook of biomaterials, as well as on the material’s
functionality and safety.
DURABILITY
Durability is the resistance to degradation of products, materials,
buildings and other built assets over time. This can be a
difficult property to assess - whilst a tough material may be
hard to the touch but it may also be non- durable if it
decomposes or is eroded in a relatively short period of time. The
opposite can also be true.
DURABILITY
A building as a complete entity may also be said to be durable (or non-
durable). Buildings constructed for temporary purposes, such as
demountable site cabins and exhibition pavilions, do not tend to stand the
test of time because they are not designed to.
A building will be subjected not only to daily wear and tear from users but
also to the constant influence of climate – in particular rain, frost, sun and
heat – forces collectively referred to as weathering. Such forces can cause
significant deterioration and therefore a reduction in durability.
DURABILITY
As well as diminishing durability, weathering forces can also result in a
change of appearance – usually a CHANGE FOR THE WORSE – however
some materials can be affected beneficially: some stones and brick types
for example, as well as some metals such as copper which develop a
patina.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
Why do Building Envelope Systems Fail?
When the building envelope system is designed and constructed properly,
very few occupants pay attention. But when the building envelope fails (and
even the best-built projects do in time), everyone notices.
Those failures can include aesthetic loss, corrosion, poor indoor air quality,
energy inefficiencies, and, in some cases, life-threatening structural
failure and eventual litigation—a builder’s worst nightmare.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
Why do Building Envelope Systems Fail?
1. Design deficiencies. Architects occasionally specify materials or design
systems that are inappropriate for their intended use. Common mistakes
include specifying materials that are incompatible with materials with
which they come into contact or have inadequate performance criteria for
thermal movement, structural capacity, or water penetration resistance.
Issues also arise when subcontractors try to reduce the weight, size, or
amount of building envelope components (aluminum, glass, sealants,
flashing, etc.) required on a project. This can lead to inadequate
performance or capacity of the materials specified.
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Why do Building Envelope Systems Fail?
2. Material failure. It’s also common for properly specified materials to fail
to meet the published performance levels. This could be a result of errors in
the manufacturing, handling, or storing of the product or components within
the product.
Common examples include degrading sealant adhesion, laminated glass
delamination, and metal fatigue. While the anticipated performance levels
are often based upon measured statistical performance, the strength of
materials varies.
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Why do Building Envelope Systems Fail?
3. Poor workmanship. During construction booms, the problem of poor
workmanship is exasperated as a result of having many inexperienced,
unsupervised, and untrained personnel working on projects. It is common
to find building envelope components not installed per the manufacturing
specifications.
Putting the right people in the right job goes a long way toward proper
installation and overall profitability.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
Why do Building Envelope Systems Fail?
4. Acts of nature. Even with flawless installations, bad things can happen
to good work when environmental conditions exceed those that were
anticipated during design. The effects of hurricane-force wind loads,
driving rain, and extreme temperature fluctuations can overload a properly
designed and constructed building envelope, causing damage to the
system and making it vulnerable to further deterioration or failure.
While failures of this type cannot be stopped, many can be prevented
through routine inspection and maintenance to identify small problems
before they become big ones.