Building Envelope
The building envelope, or building enclosure, protects us and the building interior from the elements and enables occupant comfort. The building envelope includes the cladding, air barrier, weather barrier, thermal insulation, and other components.
Building Envelope
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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The Secret Math Behind RMI’s New Headquarters
Feature Short
Designing for net-zero energy and carbon in the nation’s coldest climate is not just a physics problem. There’s also the chemistry.
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How Six Affordable Housing Projects Got to Green
Feature Short
Stories of designers and developers who overcame the challenges of building affordable housing that is also green, sustainable, and healthy.
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Designing for the Next Century's Weather
Feature
How do you create a climate-responsive building in a changing climate? Brand new modeling techniques are helping us figure it out.
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Passive Survivability: A New Design Criterion for Buildings
Feature
Buildings and their occupants are vulnerable to threats ranging from storms and rising sea levels to accidents and terrorism. In this feature article, EBN describes how to design and construct buildings to maintain livable conditions in the event of extended power outages or loss of heating fuel or water.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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The 12 Product Rules
Infographic
These 12 product rules provide a simple approach to selecting better, healthier, and more environmentally responsible building products and materials.
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Insulated Concrete Forms
Explainer
Insulated concrete forms (ICFs) are permanent forms for poured-concrete walls.
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Vapor Retarders and Air Barriers: Managing Moisture in Building Envelopes
Explainer
Air barriers, which prevent air leakage, and vapor retarders, which control moisture diffusion, are both important for controlling moisture in a building envelope.
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Foam-in-Place Polyurethane Insulation
Explainer
Sprayed polyurethane foam offers several advantages over other forms of insulation, including R-value and airtightness. Installation, R-value, and ozone safety vary with the type of foam used.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Blanket and Batt Insulation
Product Guide
Batts and aerogel blankets with high recycled content, reduced air-quality concerns, or superior performance
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Blown Insulation
Product Guide
Blown-in products with high recycled content, superior energy performance, and low-toxicity ingredients
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Board Insulation
Product Guide
These insulation products and thermal breaks provide superior thermal performance and avoid common chemical hazards.
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Tinting on Demand with SageGlass
Product Review
Glazing from Sage Electrochromics, Inc., allows users to change its visible light and total solar transmittance properties with the push of a button.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Do Flame Retardants Work? Putting Foam Insulation to the Test
News Analysis
A deeper look at California’s decision to allow flame-retardant-free foam under concrete slabs
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Revolutionary Vacuum Glass Coming from Guardian
News Analysis
Revolutionary vacuum-insulated glass coming from Guardian provides an insulating value of R-12, and should be available in 2009.
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Use of Home Energy Rating Index Grows
News Analysis
The HERS Index, an energy rating system based on a straightforward scale that puts a net-zero home at zero and a basic code-built home at 100, has been adopted by a variety of programs that evaluate the environmental performance of homes.
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Alpen Acquired by Serious Materials
News Analysis
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Poor Insulation Work Adds to Home Retrofit Challenges
Op-Ed
Reader Paul Eldrenkamp encourages more widespread use of HERS ratings to measure the effectiveness of insulation retrofit work.
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R-etro Leaves Some Gaps Unfilled
Op-Ed
Reader Paul Eldrenkamp argues that although the R-etro foam insulation system makes installation easy, it doesn't make tricky detailing any easier.
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Combining High-Performance Windows with Insulating Shades
Op-Ed
A manufacturer weighs in regarding excessive caution when using high-performance cellular shades.
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Plastics Industry Still Shouting "Fire" At Its Own Peril
Op-Ed
The foam insulation industry's united stand against code changes could backfire in the marketplace.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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The BuildingGreen Guide to Thermal Insulation
Special Report
The BuildingGreen Guide to Thermal Insulation, Fourth Edition, provides detailed guidance on insulation products and practices, including environmental and health comparisons, and recommendations on what insulation to use and what to avoid.
