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"Exterior walls."
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Building physics of the envelope : principles of construction
The facade is the building's interface with its environment. It is here that building physics parameters such as heat, humidity, sound and light interact with the building. All these influences need to be controlled by the building envelope in order to ensure the comfort of the user and the functional performance of the architecture. This introduction explains the most important phenomena and then relates them to design and building practice - which materials react in which way to these factors? How do facade systems deal with heat, humidity, sound and light? This practice-oriented book, which is the result of cooperation between an architect and a structural engineer, describes the most important facade materials and constructions under the aspect of their building physics performance.
Book
The Future Envelope 1
Façades convey the image of new architecture. Today the planning of this very complex building component requires a collaboration of many specialists. A multitude of possibilities are being projected into the building envelope. Design, visionary construction, new materials, the desire to achieve optimum energy performance or even energy generation all meet with predominantly conventional crafts.What is the future of the façade and how can we get there? What are current trends and future developments? Experts from the fields of architecture, structural and climate design, material science, construction and product development, industry, planning and building innovations will reflect on current projects and their vision for the future.The aim of this publication is to make the reader feel challenged to join the creativity or to evaluate own ideas about the future in order to keep the discussion alive. Every contribution is of relevance as long as it sincerely supports future development. Universities have, of course, a special mission to take the lead in developing long term visions and future scenarios in order to create a fecund soil for breakthroughs for the benefit of the entire building industry. This book is an inspiring example of just that.
eBook
Synergistic Enhancement of Stain Resistance in Exterior Wall Coatings Using SiOsub.2-TiOsub.2 Composite Overlay
Architectural exterior wall coatings require a balance of elasticity, stain resistance, and durability. Although nano-SiO[sub.2] enhances fracture resistance in elastic coatings, its limited hydrophobicity allows pollutant adhesion. Nano-TiO[sub.2] can photocatalytically degrade organics but is often encapsulated by the polymer matrix, reducing its effectiveness. This study introduces a SiO[sub.2]-TiO[sub.2] composite topcoat applied via aqueous dispersion to overcome these limitations. Experimental results demonstrate that the composite coating significantly outperforms single-component modifications, improving stain resistance by 21.3% after 12 months of outdoor exposure. The surface remains brighter with markedly reduced pollutant accumulation. Mechanistically, SiO[sub.2] serves as an inert mesoporous carrier that improves the dispersion and photostability of TiO[sub.2], minimizing agglomeration and photocorrosion. Its inherent hardness and hydrophobicity reduce physical adsorption sites. Together, SiO[sub.2] and TiO[sub.2] create a nanoscale rough surface that enhances hydrophobicity through a lotus-like effect. Under UV irradiation, TiO[sub.2] generates radicals that decompose organic pollutants and inhibit microbial growth, enabling efficient self-cleaning with rainwater. This synergistic mechanism addresses the limitations of individual nanoparticles, successfully integrating elasticity with long-term anti-fouling and durability. This composite demonstrates a significant advancement in stain resistance and overall durability, offering potential applications in energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable building technologies.
Journal Article
Exterior building enclosures : process and composition for innovative skins
\"Focused on the design process for architects and related professionals, this is a guide to the design and execution of sophisticated exterior building enclosures for a number of commercial building types and in a variety of building materials. Written by the technical director of the San Francisco office of the esteemed architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), this book has a distinct focus on the design process by delineating the participants (architects, engineers, consultants) and their roles and responsibilities through collaboration, and tracking the design process through construction\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Variability of Material Solutions for the Perimeter Walls of Buildings in Post-Industrial Settlements as Part of Energy Rehabilitation and Achieving Carbon Neutrality
Post-industrial sites are a part of many cities. The impacts of industrial activities are not only evident in the area where the activity took place, but also affect the buildings within these areas. Buildings that served the industry in the past were built mainly by mass construction methods. From today’s point of view, these buildings are unsatisfactory in terms of typology, operation, and energy. In particular, energy rehabilitation is a way to restore industrial buildings and bring them to a full-fledged state. This issue is documented in a case study of a city affected by underground mining activity and on a selected skeleton construction. Given that industrial buildings have heavy or mass structures where some elements like beams and columns are damaged, it is crucial to consider not only energy solutions, but also the structural and architectural aspects of these buildings. In terms of thermal engineering and energy, including the renovation of structures, a software-supported evaluation of three material variants for the envelope walls of the skeleton construction from the 1970s was conducted. This study evaluates the thermal performance of conventional, proposed, and traditional wall designs by analysing their U-values, thermal resistance, and structural advantages. The results reveal that the conventional wall, featuring a 150 mm EPS 70 NEO insulation layer, achieves the lowest U-value, outperforming the proposed wall by a factor of 1.2 in thermal resistance. Both designs significantly reduce U-values compared to traditional walls, by factors of 6.55 and 5.40, respectively. Despite a 23% reduction in thickness relative to the conventional wall (and 44% compared to traditional walls), the proposed wall demonstrates robust thermal performance. Further benefits include reduced structural dead load, with the conventional and proposed walls being 3.70 times lighter per square meter than traditional walls. This reduction can decrease foundation, column, and beam dimensions, optimizing building design. Thermal bridging analysis highlights superior corner insulation in conventional walls due to higher surface temperatures, while the proposed wall maintains effective insulation with surface temperatures close to indoor conditions. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of advanced materials in achieving efficient thermal performance while balancing architectural and structural demands. The results achieved from the experimental work show that industrial buildings can be effectively energy-renovated in a way that complies with legislative documents, successfully extends the physical life of the frame structures, and contributes to carbon neutrality.
Journal Article
Low-Carbon Design Strategies for Transparent Building Envelopes in Hot-Summer–Cold-Winter Climate Zones—Experimental and Numerical Simulation Study Based on the High-Performance Sunroom Laboratory in Central-Southern Anhui
The widespread use of transparent building envelope structures satisfies people’s needs for architectural esthetics and daylighting. However, they also feature notable drawbacks such as high energy consumption, poor thermal insulation performance of traditional glass curtain walls, significant solar heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter, which lead to “cold in winter and hot in summer” indoors, reliance on high-power air conditioning, and energy consumption far exceeding that of opaque walls. Even when coated or insulated glazing is adopted, improper design can still fail to effectively reduce the overall heat transfer coefficient, placing higher demands on the daylighting performance and solar radiation control of transparent envelopes in existing buildings. Through experiments and numerical simulations, this study systematically analyzes the performance of different types of glass used in transparent building envelope structures and their impacts on building energy consumption. Based on the climatic characteristics of central-southern Anhui, measured data were compared between a Low E-glass sunroom and a conventional tempered glass sunroom. The results show that the solar radiation transmittance of the Low-e glass is only 45.31% of that of ordinary glass, the peak indoor temperature is reduced by 6–7 °C, and nighttime temperature fluctuations are smaller, verifying its excellent thermal insulation performance and thermal stability. To further investigate, the Ecotect software 2011 was used to simulate the daylighting performance of 12 types of glazing and the radiation transmittance under 19 conditions. The results indicate: triple-glazed vacuum composite silver-coated glass exhibits excellent shading performance suitable for summer; single-silver-coated glass has the best daylighting performance, and Triple-Silver coatings combined with high-transmission substrates can improve the daylight factor by 10.55%; argon-filled insulated glazing reduces radiation by 6.5% compared with ordinary IGUs, making it more suitable for the climate of central-southern Anhui. The study shows that optimization of transparent envelopes must be predicated on regional climate, combining experimentally validated glazing thermal parameters with simulation-based design optimization to provide theoretical support and technical references for glass selection and transparent envelope design in near-zero energy buildings in central-southern Anhui.
Journal Article
Life Cycle Carbon Emission Analysis of Buildings with Different Exterior Wall Types Based on BIM Technology
Building energy conservation and emission reduction are crucial in addressing global climate change. High-performance insulated building envelopes can significantly reduce energy consumption over a building’s lifecycle. However, few studies have systematically analyzed carbon reduction potential through a life cycle assessment (LCA), incorporating case studies and regional differences. To address this, this study establishes an LCA carbon emission calculation model using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology and the carbon emission coefficient method. We examined four residential buildings in China’s cold regions and hot summer–cold winter regions, utilizing prefabricated concrete sandwich insulation exterior walls (PCSB) and autoclaved aerated concrete block self-insulating exterior walls (AACB). Results indicate that emissions during the operational phase account for 75% of total lifecycle emissions, with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems contributing over 50%. Compared to AACB, PCSB reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by 18.54% and by 20.02% in hot summer–cold winter regions. The findings demonstrate that PCSB offers significant energy-saving and emission-reduction benefits during the construction and operation phases. However, it exhibits higher energy consumption during the materialization and demolition phases. This study provides a practical LCA carbon calculation framework that offers insights into reducing lifecycle carbon emissions, thereby guiding sustainable building design.
Journal Article