What Is a Building Envelope?

Envelope structure refers to the walls, doors, windows, etc. that surround the building space, which can effectively resist the impact of adverse environments

The envelope structure refers to the envelopes on each side of the building and the room. It is divided into transparent and opaque types; opaque envelope structures include walls, roofs, floors, and ceilings; transparent envelope structures include windows, skylights, and balcony doors , Glass partitions, etc.

According to whether it is in direct contact with outdoor air, it can be divided into outer envelope structure and inner envelope structure. Where there is no need to specify, the envelope structure usually refers to the envelope structure, including exterior walls, roofs, windows, balcony doors, exterior doors, and partition walls and doorways of unheated stairwells.

The envelope structure should have the following properties:
(1) Insulation

In cold regions, thermal insulation

In order to maintain the indoor temperature, the building must obtain or prevent the exchange of heat: that is, the indoor temperature in the north in winter is relatively higher than the outdoor temperature. To prevent or reduce the indoor heat from flowing outdoors, and to obtain as much as possible from outdoor sunlight The heat keeps the indoor temperature high; the outdoor temperature in the north of the summer is relatively high compared to the indoor temperature. Without affecting the ventilation and lighting, it is necessary to prevent or slow the heat from entering the room to keep the room cool.

In winter, the way for buildings to obtain heat generally includes the heating of heating equipment (about 70% to 75%), heat generated by sunlight (about 15% to 20%), and heat inside buildings (including cooking, lighting, and appliances) , Human body heat dissipation, accounting for about 8% to 12%). This heat is again dissipated through the envelope (doors and windows, exterior walls, roof and roof of unheated basement). The total heat loss of the building includes the heat consumption of the envelope structure (approximately 70% to 80%) and the heat consumption of air penetrating through the gaps between doors and windows (approximately 20% to 30%), so the main way of energy saving in buildings Yes: reduce the external surface area of the building and strengthen the thermal insulation of the envelope structure to reduce heat consumption and heat; improve the air tightness of the windows to reduce the heat consumption of air penetration; try to use as much as possible on the premise of reducing the total heat loss of the building The heat generated by solar radiation and the heat inside the building ultimately achieve the purpose of energy conservation. ^[1]