Building Envelope
The building envelope protects us from the elements, enables comfort, and ultimately allows us to be at home in our houses, to be productive at the office, to learn in school, or to heal in the hospital.
A building envelope—also commonly called a "building enclosure," should:
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support comfort
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manage moisture
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not poison us or the planet
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allow us to breathe clean air
When possible, it should do all this while using resources effectively—durably, energy-efficiently, and with low embodied impacts.
Here you’ll find strategies for envelope design and material selection that help balance all these demands and more.
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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Rethinking the All-Glass Building
Feature Article
Is it time to end our love affair with the all-glass building? A lot of proponents of high-performance, green design certainly think so-while other respected architects, including some leading green designers and energy experts, argue that all-glass can work well if done right.
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Avoiding the Global Warming Impact of Insulation
Feature Article
Insulation is key to reducing carbon emissions from buildings. But the blowing agent in extruded polystyrene and spray polyurethane foam offsets much of that benefit.
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Passive House Arrives in North America: Could It Revolutionize the Way We Build?
Feature Article
The Passive House standard, imported from Germany, sets a high bar for energy performance in buildings. But some see it as inflexible and inappropriate for some U.S. climates.
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Design for Adaptation: Living in a Climate-Changing World
Feature Article
Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, rising global temperatures would still bring major changes to the climate system and our way of life. This article offers solutions for designing buildings that not only mitigate our impact on the global climate, but also adapt to the changes that are coming-and those that are already here.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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How Insulation Works
Primer
Understanding how insulation works can help us find the right material for a particular project.
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Thermal Bridging
Primer
Thermal bridging, when one material conducts heat much better than materials around it, can reduce the effectiveness of insulation to a surprising extent.
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Reducing Heat Flow Through Windows
Primer
Bringing daylight into a building through windows usually means a loss of heat; low-emissivity coatings, multiple panes, and gas fills can make windows more energy-efficient.
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Foam-in-Place Polyurethane Insulation
Primer
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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Greenest of the Green Energy-Saving Products from Greenbuild
Product Review
The Greenbuild 2015 expo featured some exciting innovations, including a DC-powered “net-zero energy zone.”
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BuildingGreen Announces Top-10 Products for 2015
Product Review
Transformative products eliminate toxic chemicals and fossil fuels, and improve building and site performance.
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An Air Barrier Engineered for Real-World Jobsites
Product Review
The continuity of air and water barriers depends on the quality of workmanship, and Prosoco’s Cat 5 system is hard to get wrong.
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For a Low-Maintenance Green Roof, Give Plants Better Soil
Product Review
Inventors of the WaterGrip growing medium say it supports near-miraculous growth—but do their claims hold as much water as their soil?
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Will Aggressive Performance Goals Fit Under Google’s Glass Tent?
News Analysis
The design of Google’s green headquarters hinges on new technologies, like a “glass fabric” enclosure.
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A New, Cost-Effective Take on Vacuum Insulation
News Brief
“Modified atmosphere insulation” technology may be able to rival the performance of vacuum insulation panels at a more affordable price.
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Polyiso Manufacturers Turn Blind Eye to Problems at Cold Temperatures
News Analysis
R-values that fluctuate with temperature can be a serious problem with polyiso in some climates. New design guidance could help.
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Move Over, Foam: Sub-Slab Mineral Wool Is Here
News Analysis
Roxul is now promoting its rigid mineral wool for sub-slab applications, offering an alternative to extruded polystyrene (XPS).
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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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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How Much Insulation Is Enough?
Blog Post
Most leading energy experts today recommend installing a lot more insulation than is common practice. This wall for a Passive House in Seattle will hold about a foot of insulation.
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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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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.
Learning Resources
A wide range of education options, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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