As Climate Becomes Extreme, How to Deal with the Building Envelope?

Subscriber Access

As Climate Becomes Extreme, How to Deal with the Building Envelope? - Image 1 of 11
House with Gable / mia2/Architektur. Image © Kurt Hörbst

When talking about energy efficiency in buildings, it is inevitable to mention thermal insulation. We rarely see it in a finished building and, even in the technical drawings, the insulating layer appears as a thin hatch. But this is an element that is of vital importance, as it acts as a barrier to the flow of heat, hindering the exchange of energy between the interior and the exterior, reducing the amount of heat that escapes in winter and the thermal energy that enters in the summer. In a building with good thermal insulation, there is less need for heating to keep the house at a pleasant temperature, also reducing its carbon footprint. Currently, there are many countries that require a minimum level of thermal insulation for buildings, with increasingly strict parameters. But how should this issue be dealt with in the near future, with the worrying climate crisis forecast?

According to the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), rising global average temperatures are associated with widespread changes in weather patterns. Scientific studies indicate that extreme weather events such as heat waves and major storms are likely to become more frequent or more intense with human-induced climate change. But what does this have to do with architecture? The construction industry accounts for 38% of CO2 emissions and 75% of this occurs in the operation of buildings, which also use 36% of all energy demand on the planet, according to 2020 data from the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction. This is where thermal insulation becomes important.

Content Loader

Image gallery

See allShow less
About this author
Cite: Souza, Eduardo. "As Climate Becomes Extreme, How to Deal with the Building Envelope?" [Como deverão ser as fachadas com as mudanças climáticas?] 15 Feb 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/975257/as-climate-becomes-extreme-how-to-deal-with-facades> ISSN 0719-8884

House with Gable / mia2/Architektur. Image © Kurt Hörbst

建筑围护结构该怎样回应逐渐变得极端的气候?

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.