BUILDING DESIGN SYSTEM

CE 409
BUILDING DESIGN SYSTEM
LECTURE 9: BUILDING ENVELOPE (With Philippine Green Building Code)
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
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
BUILDING ENVELOPE of
components and systems 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. BUILDING ENVELOPE
Improving the building envelope of houses is one of the best
ways to get better energy efficiency.
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 externalENVELOPE
BUILDING 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.
▪What is BUILDING TIGHTNESS?

▪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 ENVELOPE
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.
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
▪PERFORMANCE GAP
▪The way some buildings perform
when completed may not live up to the
designers’ intentions. The difference
between anticipated and actual BUILDING PERFORMANCE
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 arediverse processes that affect theaesthetical
performance of building elements through their service lives:
WEATHERING is predominantly related to thesuperficial 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.
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), BUILDING ENVELOPE
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.
▪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 BUILDING ENVELOPE
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.
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, orBUILDING
storing ofENVELOPE
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.
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 personnelBUILDING working on projects. It is
ENVELOPE
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.