Building Envelope: Envelopes For Climate Types

Building Envelope
Humans first created shelters to provide thermal comfort and

protection from natural elements, and this still remains a
primary objective of buildings. The building envelope is the
physical separator between the interior and exterior of a
building.
Components of the envelope are typically: walls, floors, roofs,
fenestrations and doors. Fenestrations are any opening in the
structure: windows, skylights, clerestories, etc. When
designing the building envelope, knowing some fundamentals
of building materials and heat transfer will help you make the
right trade-off decisions.
Envelopes for Climate Types

A well-designed envelope responds to the local climate. As described in
the Climate page, there are many classifications of climate around the globe,
but the summary below shows four common extremes that people design for.
Milder climates can use milder versions of these strategies, or mix and
match.
Arid Climate Envelope
Arid
climates
are very
dry, and
usually
hot, but
they often
have
large
swings of
temperatu
re from
day to
night.
Thus ther
mal
mass on
the
outside of
the
building is
the most
crucial
design
strategy
to even
out such
temperatu
re swings.
For
consistent
ly hot
locations,
it also
helps to
have high
ceilings,
shaded
breezewa
ys, light
colors,
and
daylightin
g via
reflected
light (not
direct
sun), such
as in this
audience
hall in the
Jaipur city
palace.
Courtyard
s
with natur
Tropical Climate Envelope
A traditional home in Papua New Guinea. Photo: Jeremy Faludi
Tropical
climates are
hot and humid.
Therefore,
keeping the
heat of the sun
off is the top
priority, as well
as maximizing
ventilation
essentially
a reflective insu
lated roof with
walls that pass
breeze but not
rain is ideal.
This traditional
Papua New
Guinean
homes thick
light-colored
thatch roof
keeps out the
suns heat,
while open
eaves and
porous bamboo
slats for walls
and floor
maximize natur
al ventilation.
The materials
are all lowmass to avoid
condensation
and mold
growth, which
can happen
with high-mass
materials in
humid climates.
(Note:Jalousie
windows are
found in the
tropics, but are
not as common
elsewhere,
because they
are so porous
to breezes.)
Cold Climate Envelope
A vernacular-design cabin in Finland.
Cold
climates
have many
more
heating
degree says
than cooling
degree
days. Thus
maximizingi
nsulation is
the key to
keeping
warm, as
well as
using
windows
forsolar
gain on ther
mal mass
inside the
building
envelope
(not outside
as in arid
climates).
Part of
having
effective
insulation in
cold
climates is
an air-tight
envelope,
avoidinginfil
tration. This
Finnish
cabin has
very few
and very
small
windows
except on
the south
side, to
maximize
solar gain
while
minimizing
losses
elsewhere.
Before
modern
insulation,
thick solid
log walls
Mixed Cold / Hot Climate Envelope
Many
temp
erate
inland
climat
es
actuall
y have
two
extre
mes-cold in
winter,
hot
and
humid
in
summ
er.
Flexibi
lity is
the
key to
design
ing for
these
climat
es.
The Al
do
Leopol
d
Center
in
Wisco
nsin,
first
buildin
g to
be
LEED
certifi
ed as
carbo
nneutra
l, uses
deep
overh
angs
to
allow
low
winter
sun in
throug
Envelope Energy Flows

From an energy flow perspective, the envelope is a composition of layers
with varying thermal and permeability properties. The envelope may be
composed of membranes, sheets, blocks and preassembled components.
The choice of envelope is governed by the climate, culture, and available
materials. The range of choices in envelope design can be illustrated by two
opposite design concepts: the open frame and the closed shell.
In harsh climates, the designer frequently conceives the building envelope as
a closed shell and proceeds to selectively punch holes in it to make limited
and special contact with the outdoors. This may also be true where there are
unwanted external influences such as noise or visual clutter.
When external conditions are very close to the desired internal ones, the
envelope often begins as an open structural frame, with pieces of the
building skin selectively added to modify only a few outdoor forces.
The flow of heat through a building envelope varies both by season (heat
always flows from hot to cold and generally flows from a building in winter
and to a building in summer) and by the path of the heat (through the
materials of a buildings skin, or by outdoor air entering). These complexities
must be considered by a designer who intends to deliver comfort and energy
efficiency.
The following links provide more detailed information on building envelope
components and the minimum thermal requirements of envelopes for
different climates as defined by ASHRAE.

Building Envelope: Envelopes For Climate Types

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Building Envelope: Envelopes For Climate Types

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Building Envelope: Envelopes For Climate Types

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Building Envelope

Humans first created shelters to provide thermal comfort and

Envelopes for Climate Types

Arid Climate Envelope

Tropical Climate Envelope

A traditional home in Papua New Guinea. Photo: Jeremy Faludi

Cold Climate Envelope

A vernacular-design cabin in Finland.

Mixed Cold / Hot Climate Envelope

Envelope Energy Flows

You might also like