BSD 323 – BUILDING SYSTEMS DESIGN

MODULE 5 – BUILDING ENVELOPE SYSTEMS AND ASSEMBLIES

LESSON 4 Building Envelope Systems and Assemblies

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
✓ Define what is building envelop system;
✓ Understand the basic principles involved in the appropriate selection and application of building envelope systems relative to
fundamental performance, aesthetics, moisture transfer, durability, energy and material resources,

INTRODUCTION
Building enclosure design must consider challenges such as energy efficiency, daylighting, indoor air quality, fire safety, thermal comfort,
etc. as expectations for high performance rise.

Performance – the level of service provided by a building material, component or system, in relation to an intended, or expected quality.

Richard Rush, in hi book The Building Systems Integration Handbook, defines a building in terms of only four systems:

• Structure
• Envelope
• Mechanical
• Interior

WHAT IS BUILDING ENEVLOPE SYSTEM?

The building envelope is the enclosure, barrier, and separator of the outdoor
environment and the desired indoor environment.

It is also the protector from the undesired outdoor threats of danger.

Fundamentals of Performance

Performance – refers to the desired level (or standard) to which the system must be
designed for a given requirement. The envelope has to response to both natural
forces and human values.

Fundamental Requirements

a. Structural – to support own weight and transfer lateral loads to building

frame.
b. Water – resist water penetration.
c. Air – resist excessive air infliction
d. Condensation – resist condensation on interior surfaces under service conditions.
e. Movement – Accommodate different movement (caused by moisture, seasonal or temperature variations and structural
movements)
f. Energy Conservation – resist thermal transfer through radiation, convection and conduction.
g. Fire safety – Provide rated resistance to heat and smoke
h. Security – Protect occupants from outside threats
i. Maintainability – Allow access to components for maintenance, restoration and replacement

1
 j. Constructability – Provide adequate clearances, alignments and sequencing to allow integration of many components during
construction using available components and attainable workmanship.
k. Durability – Provide functional and aesthetic characteristics for a long time
l. Aesthetic – Do all of the above and look attractive
m. Economy – Do all of the above inexpensively.

Parts of Building Envelope System

1. Below grade – is a term that describes a space that is

below ground level. These below grade areas provide
functional spaces for uses such as storage, office space,
mechanical/electrical rooms, parking, tunnels,
crawlspaces.

In below grade system, durability of design is

mandatory.

Below grade enclosures are typically comprised of three

main elements:
• Foundation walls – a solid wall attached to the
footing and rising to the ground level. It is a
cast-in-place concrete retaining or basement
wall or a structural wall complete with load-
bearing pilasters.
• Slab on grade – a flat concrete structure, build
on top of the soil at ground level. It supports
the walls and other structural elements. It has
a limited design considerations for structural
support or environmental control functions.
• Plaza Decks – It is any supported slab that provides green escape, tree planters and/or vehicle pedestrian movement
over occupied space.
Buildings frequently have plaza decks below grade. The planning, development, detailing and construction of
waterproofing for such features are significant.

2. Exterior walls – It separates the indoor and the outdoor environment of a building. Its functions includes environmental control,
security, privacy, fire control and aesthetics.
Exterior Wall Types:
• Cavity Wall – A cavity wall is considered by many to be the preferred method of construction in most climatic and
rainfall zones.
• Barrier Wall – This type of wall system is commonly associated with precast concrete spandrel panels, certain types
of composite and solid metal plate exterior cladding systems, and early generation exterior insulation and finish system.
• Mass Wall – It rely principally upon a combination of wall thickness, storage capacity , and (in masonry construction)
bond intimacy between masonry units and mortar to effectively resist bulk rainwater penetration.

2
 Classification of Walls:

Permeable – such as brick veneer

Impermeable – such as glass

Single Wythe – such as brick, glass,

stone, block.

Multi-Wythe – such as brick veneer with

metal stud or block backup and stone
cladding with block backup.

3. Fenestration – It refers to the opening in the building envelope, including the installation of windows, doors and skylights

3
Inclusions of windows and other openings are necessary as they improve the overall environment inside the building.

Five Types of Fenestration System

a. Curtain Walls – any exterior wall that is attached to the building structure and which does not carry the floor or roof loads of
the building.

b. Exterior Doors – This includes entrance and exit doors, as well as industrial loading dock doors.

Industrial Loading Dock Door

c. Glazing – Glass has been used for thousands of years to allow daylight into our buildings, while providing weather protection.

d. Sloped Glazing – Early skylight systems consisted of plate glass in metal frames and frequently incorporated both an exterior
skylight and a decorative interior “diffuser” or “laylight”.

4
 e. Windows – Commonly used window frame materials include aluminum, vinyl, fiberglass, steel wood, and PVC.

4. Roofs – Roof systems serve as a barrier against air, rain, snow,

hail, ice, branches and debris.
It is generally divided into two classifications: Low slope and
steep slope.

5. Atria – is a large open air or skylight covered space surrounded

by a building. It provides light and ventilation to the interior.

To have a properly functioning building envelopes the system needs to have these four key elements:

1. Support Function
- Enclosures must be capable of withstanding all internal and external forces applied to them. The majority of these forces
are structural loading. These loads include both static and dynamic loading including, but not limited to, live loads, dead
loads, wind loads, earthquake loads and possible blast loads. These loads have to be properly supported, resisted and
transferred.

- Imposed load: or live loads are temporary or a moving load. This dynamic loads may involve considerations such as impacts,
momentum, vibration, etc.

- Dead loads: are relatively constant over time, including the wait of the structure itself and immovable fixtures such as walls,
roof, etc. These are also called permanent or static loads.

- Wind load: it is used to refer to any pressure to a forces that the wind exerts on a building or structure. There are three types
of wind loads:

5
 Uplift load – wind flow
pressure that creates a
strong lifting effect. Wind flow
under a roof pushes upward.

Lateral load – horizontal

pushing and pulling pressure
on walls that could make a
house slide of the foundation
or overturn.

Shear load – Horizontal wind

pressure that could cause
rocking of walls making a
house failed.

2. Control Function
- The control function refers to the ability of the building envelope to control and moderate the exchange of mass (air and
moisture) and energy (heat, sound, fire, light, etc.) due to the separation of interior and exterior environments.

These are some exchanges between internal and external environment:

- Heat: controlling thermal exchange between the inside and the outside environment.
- Wind: controlling airflow due to leakage, wind pressure or internal partitioning.
- Moisture: controlling moisture transfer due to rain, vapor diffusion or condensation.

6
 - Sun: controlling solar transfer from fenestration or dealing with insufficient natural lighting
- Sound: controlling ambient sound, excessive sound or sounds due to vibration
- Fire: control the spread of fire from the inside and the outside through the use of fire doors and windows.

3. Finish Function
- The finish function at both the exterior and interior is the aesthetics of the finished surface, the visual, textural and other
aspects the designer wishes to convey with the visible elements of the system.

4. Distribution Function
- This function relates to the distribution of services through a building. This includes the distribution of power, communication,
water in its various forms, gas and conditioned are, to, from, and within the enclosure itself.

Regulating Building Envelopes

• National Building Code of the Philippines – concerned with the acceptable standard designs for building envelopes
• Philippine Green Building Code – a referral code the NBC that seeks to improve the efficiency of building performance through
a framework of acceptable set of standards
• National Structural Code of the Philippines – also a referral code to the NBC
• Fire Code of the Philippines – installation of fire resistive walls

AESTHETICS
Aesthetics is a core design principle that defines a design’s pleasing qualities. In visual terms, aesthetics includes factors such as balance,
color movement, pattern, scale, shape and visual weight. Designers use aesthetics to complement their designs’ usability, and so enhance
functionality with attractive layouts.

It is also the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature and expression of beauty.

Architecture is a design process which involves planning, designing, creating, erecting, constructing and executing construction of various
types of spaces that are functionally efficient, economical, and aesthetically pleasing.

Key Elements of Aesthetics

1. Mass and Space

2. Proportion

7
3. Symmetry

4. Balance

5. Contrast

6. Pattern

8
7. Decoration

8. Massing

9. Unity

10. Rhythm

9
Aesthetics as an Influence
- It is not subject to scientific testing and measurement.
- It is a powerful influence in the system and material selection process.

Aesthetical Performance
In general, there are diverse processes that affect the aesthetical performance of building elements through their service lives.
- Weathering
- Decay
- Waterlogging
- Other processes/hazards

Weathering - Predominantly related to superficial level deterioration and its intensity depends on micro-climatic conditions.

Decay - Is a biotic degradation process affecting both a material’s functionality and aesthetics.

10
Waterlogging - Is a slow deterioration process in anaerobic conditions due to the activity of bacteria.

Other processes/hazards
- Influences the appearance of building materials are impossible to forecast during designing phase.

In order to mitigate the risk and problems regarding the aesthetical performance of a building envelope system, a person assigned in
maintaining its quality performance must do something to protect and prolong its serviceability.

Continuity – The continuity of critical control functions is among the most significant considerations when dealing building enclosures.

These critical control functions include the control of the following:

- Control of Heat Flow
- Control of Air Flow
- Control of Water Vapor Flow
- Control of Liquid Water Movement
- Fire
- Aesthetics Conditions
- Cost
- Climate and Weather
- Strength
- Rigidity
- Stability
- Durability of Materials

RESOURCE PAGES that address building enclosure transitions to maintain continuity:

1. Integrating the Building Enclosure
2. Wall to Roof Transitions
3. Wall to Window Transitions
4. Wall to Foundation Transitions

11
MOISTURE TRANSFER
Process where moisture move from one place to another.
Reduced the heat transfer from the outside to the inside of building envelope.

Four Primary Sources of Moisture:

1. Liquid water from precipitation
2. Water vapor
3. Liquid vapor from soil
4. Built-in moisture

Transport Process
• Vapor diffusion
• Vapor convection
• Liquid water capillarity
• Liquid gravity flow

What is Water Diffusion?

- Moves water vapor from regions of high vapor concentration to low concentration.
- Acts to move vapor through the air, or through the air within porous materials.

What is Vapor Convection?

- It is the primary transport mode used to move water vapor along ducts and to distribute it within a space.

What is Liquid Water Capillary?

- Capillary suction moves liquid moisture slowly and steadily through porous materials from regions of high liquid
concentration to regions of low concentration.
- Prefer small holes or pores rather than larger ones because large pore sizes can serve to “break” the flow of capillary water.

Evidence of Capillarity

- This action can best be controlled by providing a capillary “break”.

What is Liquid Gravity Flow?

- Very large quantities of liquid water, often measured in liters per second, can flow downward through openings, cracks,
pipes, or air spaces when driven by gravity.
- The keys to control the water are to direct is away from the building and seal any holes that water might come through.

12
Summary and Conclusion
The control of moisture in buildings is key to their durability, functionality, health and efficiency. Understanding the sources of moisture and
the mechanisms by which they move within the building and the building enclosure allows professionals to design better buildings and
conditioning systems. All moisture management and control strategies and techniques must be solidly based on this understanding.

DURABILITY

- Durability is the ability of a physical product to remain functional, without requiring excessive maintenance or repair, when
faced with the challenges of normal operation over its design lifetime.
- It is the resistance to degradation of products, materials, buildings and other built assets over time.
- It is the capability of concrete to resist weathering action, chemical attack and abrasion while maintaining its desired
engineering properties. It normally refers to the duration or life span of trouble-free performance.

Factors that Affect Durability of a Building

Importance of Durability to the Building Envelope

13
 • The long-term durability of a building envelope is important to retaining its investment value as well as its continues function as
a safe, healthy, and sustainable living environment.
• A durable building envelope requires less maintenance, which saves as money.
• Provides more comfortable, affordable, efficient and sustainable building to its occupants.

ENERGY AND MATERIAL RESOURCES

- The building envelope is very important because it directly influences thermal comfort, visual impact and energy usage.
- “The building envelope has a direct impact on the energy consumption of a building, thus, an improvement in the building
envelope using energy-efficient material can yield the desired energy performance.”

One of the main objective of sustainable design is to avoid resource depletion of energy, water and raw materials.

Fundamental Principles that Ensures Sustainable Design

1. Optimize Energy Use
a. Optimize Thermal Insulation – Optimize the thermal insulation performance of the envelope opaque elements for both
heating and cooling seasons.
b. Incorporate High Performance, Spectrally Selective Glazing - should be appropriate for the climate of the building. Carefully
analyze the thermal (U-factor), solar (solar heat factor -SHGF) and daylighting ((visible transmittance – VT) performance of
glazing on each elevation of the building.
c. Employ Effective Solar Shading Devices – use of exterior shading devices such as overhangs, vertical fins and light shelves
as energy efficiency measures (with consideration of maintenance and security/safety issues).

14
 d. Consider Using Lighting Sensors to control lighting level when adequate daylight is available to reduce power and HVAC
loads.
e. Integrate Photovoltaic Panels – incorporate Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels as part of the building envelope
system or solar shading system as a way of generating on-site, renewable energy.
f. Analyze Envelope Performance with Energy Simulation – use energy simulation and life-cycle analysis tools to optimize the
performance of all components of the building envelope.
g. Commission Envelope Elements – commissioning of the building envelope can identify areas of concern, related to air
infiltration and leakage, moisture diffusion, surface condensation, and rain water entry – all issues that can negatively impact
building’s energy performance and indoor environmental quality.

2. Optimize Site potential

a. Consider Climatic Conditions – consideration of the local climatic conditions (temperature, moisture, wind) can influence
the materials of construction of the building envelope, the amount of and performance of glazing used specific to each
orientation, and the overall energy performance of the building.
b. Reduce Urban Heat Islands – the design of the horizontal elements (roof) of the building envelope should consider the
impact on the site’s urban heat island. Finish the facility’s roof with light colored finish materials or vegetated components
to reduce energy loads and extend the life of the roof, especially in warmer climates.

3. Use Greener Material Evaluate Environmental Preferability Using LCA – employ life-cycle assessment (LCA) tools like Athena
Impact Estimator and BEES too evaluate environmental performance of building envelope components or products. Embodied
energy (energy required to acquire, manufacture, transport, assemble, install) should be minimized where possible.
a. Eliminate the use materials that pollute or toxic during their manufacture, use or reuse. Where possible, evaluate and
consider the use of building envelope assemblies that can be easily “de-constructed” at the end of their useful lives.
b. Maximize Recycled Content – where possible, incorporate recycled content in building envelope construction materials,
especially post-consumer recycled content.
c. Use Wood from Sustainably Managed Forests – when using wood products as part of the building envelope, ensure they
are supplied from forests that are certified for their sustainable management practices.

References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmJnJTERDzU&list=PLI06XdlGahNp8PMNNT1nd-xT8zC4-bfaP&index=16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AGmqTmjgxI&list=PLI06XdlGahNp8PMNNT1nd-xT8zC4-bfaP&index=14

15