The

Building
Enclosure
 Agenda
Functional Requirements
Keeping Water Out
Controlling the Flow of Heat
Controlling Air Leakage
Controlling Diffusion of Vapor

Sealing Joints in Exterior Wall

Functional Requirements
of
Building Enclosure
 Keeping the
water out

Prevent water entry of rain,

snow, ice and groundwater,
excess water in the building
can damage materials.
 Controlling the
Flow of Heat

When heat flows directly to solid

materials, it is called thermal
conduction.

Minimized by including materials

resistant to conduction called
thermal insulation
 Controlling the
Flow of Heat

Thermal efficiency of building is

important to maintain occupant
comfort. It minimizes uneven
interior air temperature and
prevents uncomfortable thermal
radiant environments.
Controlling Air
Leakage

When air passes through the

building enclosure, it also
transports heat, a form of
energy called thermal
convection
 Controlling Air
Leakage

When warm air passes through

the building enclosure, it also
carries with it water vapor.
If that moisture laden air
encounters colder temperature,
condensation and moisture
damage can occur.
 Controlling Air
Leakage

In contemporary buildings,
preventing moisture damage
from air leakage is second in
importance to keeping exterior
water out when considering the
long – term durability of the
building enclosure
Controlling the Diffusion
of Water Vapor

Water vapor – always present in

the air in an invisible, gaseous
state – can also pass through
the building enclosure when it
diffuses directly through solid
material assembly.
Controlling the Diffusion
of Water Vapor

In cold climates, humid heated

interior air has a higher vapor
pressure than the drier, colder
outside air.
Under these conditions, there is a
steady movement of gaseous
water molecules from the inside
of the building through the
enclosure of materials, to the
outside.
Controlling the Diffusion
of Water Vapor

In hot humid climates, water

vapor can diffuse from the
outside of the building inward
toward the cooler, drier, interior,
and if not properly managed,
also have harmful effects.
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Controlling solar radiation and daylight
Windows, curtain walls, skylights
and other transparent openings in
the building enclosure provide
views to the outside for building
occupants.

Openings admits daylight

If managed well can reduce
reliance on energy consuming
electric lighting and create a more
productive interior environment
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Controlling solar radiation and daylight

Such openings must be designed

to prevent excessive interior solar
heat gains, prevent glare,
minimize unwanted heat losses,
limit the destructive effects of the
sun’s rays on light sensitive
materials and prevent
excessively low temperatures on
interior side of the glazing
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Resisting Wind Forces

Exposed exterior faces of

the building enclosure must
withstand positive pressure
and suction forces created
by the wind acting across
those surface
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Adjusting the Movement

The enclosure experiences

thermal expansion and
contraction as it is
subjected to daily and
seasonal temperature
changes
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Adjusting the Movement
Gravity causes beams/girders to sag
Forces of winds and earthquakes
causes side ways sway and
wracking
Concrete column shorten due to
long term creep.
Concrete material shrink after
installation as chemical hydration
continues within the material.
Wood expands and contracts
Posttensioning of concrete causes
contraction in floor plates
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Resisting to Fire
Regulated by the building codes
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Controlling the Passage of Sounds

Building enclosure can exclude

outside noise from the interior.
Especially for sensitive
occupancies – for example
hospitals, schools, performance
halls or in a noisy environment
places such as ‘’drinking
sessions with Karaoke’’
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Controlling the Passage of Sounds

Outdoor – Indoor Transmission

Class rating of an enclosure
assembly is a measure of its
resistance to the transmission of
sound with a particular weight
given to the lower frequencies
commonly associated with
street noise, airport activity etc.
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Controlling the Passage of Sounds

Sound transmission class ratings

formulated for measuring sound
transmission through interior
assemblies, may be applied to
the design or exterior assemblies
as well
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Durability and Resilience

Materials in the building

enclosure must be resistant to the
effects of exterior exposure to
water, temperature extremes,
and sunlight.
Metals must be corrosion
resistant, wood must be naturally
resistant to decay, masonry must
be resistant to freeze- thaw and
plastic must not degrade under
prolonged exposure to sun
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Durability and Resilience

Where building enclosure is

important to the visual qualities of
the exterior, materials should be
used that age and weather
gracefully, and that will remain
attractive over the life of the
building.
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Durability and Resilience

Enclosure should be resilient, able

to withstand infrequent but
potentially severe, exposures in
areas prone to hurricane- force
winds.
Secondary function of
building enclosure
Resisting Gravity
Keeping the Water
Out
Keeping the Water Out

In order for water to pass through a building assembly, three

conditions must be met simultaneously:
• Water must be present at the face of the assembly
• There must be an opening through which the water can move
• There must be a force to move the water through the opening

If any one of these conditions is not satisfied, then the assembly will not leak. Thus we can
use the following strategies to make the buildings watertight
Keeping the water
Away

Preventing the water from reaching the

building enclosure is a simple and reliable
strategy for keeping the water out.
• Steep roofs rapidly transport the water
off
• Roof overhangs and canopies prevents
rainwater from reaching the vertical
surface of the exterior wall
• Flashing and drip edges carry water
away from vulnerable openings.
Eliminate
Openings

When roofs are pitched at low slopes, a

continuous roofing membrane, fully
watertight and free of any openings – is
used so that even standing water
pounded on top of the membrane
cannot pass through

Such membranes must be installed with

sufficient care to prevent even small gaps
at seams and edges and around
penetrations for piping, roof openings and
such.
Eliminate
Openings

Membrane materials must also be

sufficiently durable to remain leak-free
over many years, even with sustained
exposure to the sun’s damaging rays,
occasional foot traffic and large daily
and seasonal changes in temperatire
Barrier Walls

Exterior above grade walls that rely on the

elimination of openings as the primary
strategy for keeping water out are called
barrier walls. Examples are pre cast
concrete and glass reinforced concrete
curtain walls, tilt up concrete and
insulated wall panels. Also called face
sealed walls because the water barrier is
located at the exterior face of the wall
Mass Walls

A semi permeable barrier wall that allows

water to enter through small openings or
pores. However, because of the thickness
and density of the wall, moisture can be
stored safely within it for some time and
then gradually released back to the
exterior through evaporation
Neutralizing the
forces that move
water
Strategy is applied in the design of the
exterior walls.
 Drained Cladding,
Rainscreen
Cladding and
Cavity Wall
Consist of an exterior cladding, a
drainage space behind the cladding and
a concealed air and water resistive
barrier behind the drainage space.
Drain cladding combines the strategies of
minimizing openings and neutralizing
forces to keep water from penetrating the
wall.
 Water Resistive
Barriers
Drained wall cladding include a
concealed surface that serves as the
drainage plane or water resistive barriers,
to resist the passage of water further into
the assembly. Traditionally asphalt
saturated building felts or papers applied
over the wall sheathing were commonly
used for the purpose
 Water Resistive
Barriers
Today, synthetic house wrap or building
wraps are staples to the wall sheathing in
the same way as traditional building felts
but offers greater durability.
Controlling the Flow of Heat
Controlling the Flow of Heat

Thermal insulation is materials added to the building enclosure to

slow the conduction of heat through the assembly. Insulations are
installed in roof and exterior walls in floors over unheated spaces
around foundations under concrete slab and wherever else the
condition is cooled or heated.
Thermal insulation

A material’s effectiveness in resisting the

conduction of heat is called its thermal
resistance. Abbreviated R, and expressed
with units ft² - hr °F / BTU . In the metric
system, thermal resistance abbreviated as
RSI (or units m² - °K/W)
The higher the material’s R value, the
higher its resistance to heat flow and the
netter its performance as a thermal
insulation.
Insulated
Enclosure
Assembly
The thermal performance of an assembly
depends on the combined insulating
properties of the materials within.
Thermal Bridging

Wood framing within the insulated wall

acts as thermal bridging. A thermal bridge
is any material with a relatively low
thermal resistance ( or high thermal
conductivity, opposite of thermal
resistance) provides a shortcut to heat
flow through an insulated assembly.
Radiant Heat
Barriers

Thermal radiation can also contribute to

heat flows through enclosure assemblies.
It occurs whenever there is a temperature
difference across open air space es within
such assemblies. As in drainage and
ventilation cavities within walls or roofs.
Radiant Barriers are shiny metallic foils or
membranes with low emissivity
They generally reduce the emission or
absorption of thermal radiation.
Controlling Air Leakage
Air Barriers

Materials that resists the passage of air are

called air barriers. Examples include
building wraps, gypsum wall boards,
plastic sheets, spray foam insulation,
various specialized membranes, applied
the face of the wall sheathing, sealant
tapes and more.
Air Barriers
Assemblies and
Systems
When air barrier materials are used in
combination within walls, roofs, and floors,
are called air barrier assemblies. Because
of the flawless, continuous sealing
between materials is never possible, air
permeance requirements for air barrier
assemblies are less stringent than those for
individual materials
Air Barriers
Assemblies and
Systems
All potential discontinuities, gaps, laps,
transition between dissimilar substrates,
fastener penetrations, movement joints,
gaps around windows and roof
assemblies, gaps between operable
doors and windows and their frames –
and so on must be made as straight as
possible.
Air Barriers and
Moisture Control

Air always contain water in the form of

water vapor, an invisible gas. The amount
of water in the air can be describe as
relative humidity. Air feels dry when its
relative humidity is low and clammy when
its relative humidity is high.
Air Barriers and
Moisture Control

If the air is cooled any further, the water

vapor starts to turn liquid, a process called
condensation. The temperature at which
air reaches 100 percent relative humidity
is also called its dew point temperature –
any time the air is cooled below its dew
point, condensation will occur.

Example where condensation occur

* Ice-cold glass of lemonade
Controlling the Diffusion of
Water Vapor
Water vapor
diffusion in
building
assemblies
Water vapor is a gas and exerts pressure is
called vapor pressure. The more water
vapor an air mass contains and the higher
the air temperature, the greater the
vapor pressure.
Vapor Retarder

A material used to slow the diffusion of

water vapor through a building assembly.
Vapor retarders are continuous sheets,
boards, coating made of plastic, metal
foil, coated paper or other materials
resistant to the passage of water vapor.

Vapor retarders may also be referred as

vapor barriers.
Vapor Retarder
Usage

When used, vapor retarders are located

towards the warmer side of the insulation
in a building assembly. In this position,
they slow the diffusion of water vapor into
the assembly from the side of higher
vapor pressure, limiting chances for dew
point conditions and condensation to
occur within the assembly’s cooler
portions.
Vapor Retarder
Usage
• Vapor retarder wit a lower permeability should be
avoided
• Where vapor retarders are used, the cooler side of
the assembly, opposite the vapor retarder, should
remain vapor permeable ( or breathable)
• In hot humid regions, interior vapor retarders
should be avoided, in such climate, vinyl
wallpaper, applied to the interior side of exterior
walls can lead to moisture entrapment and mold
and mildew growth beneath the vinyl.
• In mild or balanced climate, or where assemblies
are designed to minimize the risks of
condensation, no vapor retarder may be needed
• Where vapor control and high drying potential are
both important, consider vapor retarder materials
that change permeability in response to changing
conditions within the assembly
Exterior Insulation
and Controlling
Condensation
• The inward facing side of the exterior sheathing
can act as a condensing surface. Without vapor
retarder in the assembly, water vapor can readily
diffuse in the assembly and the relative humidity
inside the wall cavity can rise.
• As already discussed, one strategy for preventing
such condensation is to insert a vapor retarder on
the warm side of the wall, reducing the diffusion of
moisture vapor in assembly.
• Another way to prevent condensation is to raise
the sheathing temperature done by adding
exterior insulation
Sealing Joints
Thank you
Ar. ELUIM TUBORO