Environmental control

Systems 1

Lecture 1

The Building Envelope/ enclosure

 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 (see figure below) that protect the interior space from the effects of
the environment like precipitation, wind, temperature, humidity, and ultraviolet
radiation.
• 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.
• The value of reducing energy consumption in buildings has increased worldwide.
• This is because the consumption of fossil fuels for the full-fledged operations of
a building is as high as it is in other industries.
• The adoption of energy efficiency techniques during the construction and
operation of buildings would play a crucial role in the creation of sustainable
cities in the future.
• Energy efficiency is the use of less energy in a building to perform the same
operation as buildings that consume energy inefficiently. It should be considered
during the design stage, selection of construction materials, construction
process, and operation of the building. Adopting passive solar house design
strategies at the design stage is the first step toward an energy-efficient
structure.
• Low-energy building materials and less energy-consuming construction
equipment must be used during the construction process. As far as building
operation is concerned, utilities for renewable energy systems have to be
integrated into the building for water heating, photovoltaic electrification, etc.