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 Challenge of Existing Homes: Retrofitting for Dramatic Energy Savings
Feature Article
Greenhouse gas emissions associated with residential energy use account for a fifth of all emissions in the U.S. Retrofitting existing houses to achieve a two- to three-fold reduction in energy use is necessary if we are to achieve the emissions reductions scientists say are required for avoiding catastrophic climate change. Here's a look at how it can be done.
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Passive Survivability: A New Design Criterion for Buildings
Feature Article
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.
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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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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.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
Product Guidance
Unbiased information from our product experts helps you separate green from greenwash.
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Polyiso Insulation Without Halogenated Flame Retardant
Product Review
Johns Manville introduces a premium polyisocyanurate foam insulation that is free of toxic halogenated flame retardants.
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Tests Verify Airtightness of Spray-Foam Alternatives
Product Review
With attention to installation quality, Knauf’s EcoSeal and Owens Corning’s EnergyComplete demonstrate that they can create air barriers and reduce use of SPF.
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Insulating Exterior Plaster Achieves R-5 Per Inch
Product Review
A new exterior plaster made in Switzerland with silica aerogel could replace spray-foam in tricky retrofit applications.
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Glare? Overheating? Dim Sun with Thermochromic Glazing
Product Review
Ravenbrick and Suntuitive offer glazing that tints under direct sunlight without electricity.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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No Home Safe from Installation Mistakes with Fiberglass Batts
News Brief
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2015 Energy Code Could Back Off on Envelope Requirements
News Analysis
Mechanical tradeoffs may once again give builders more flexibility to bring a building up to code.
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Passivhaus Windows, Made in the U.S.A.
News Analysis
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Tenants Drawing the Blinds in Their Glass Buildings
News Brief
New Yorkers may choose a glass condo or corner office for the views, but a new study shows that once they get there, they’re drawing the blinds.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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