Built environment - Part II

Samantha Manawadu
1.2 The building as an environmental envelope

What Is A Building Envelope?

It is the separation
between the interior &
exterior environment of a
building. It is the outer
shell, or elements
including foundation,
walls, including windows
& doors, and roof.
1.2 The building as an environmental envelope
Components of the envelope are typically: walls,
floors, roofs, fenestrations and doors.

Fenestrations are any opening in the structure:

windows, skylights, clerestories, etc.

When designing the building envelope, knowing

some fundamentals of building materials and
heat transfer will help you make the right trade-
off decisions.
1.2 The building as an environmental envelope

Envelopes for climate types

A well-designed envelope responds to the

local climate.

The summary below shows four common

extremes that people design for.

Milder climates can use milder versions of

these strategies, or mix and match.
1.2 The building as an environmental envelope
Arid Climate Envelope
Arid climates are very dry, and usually
hot, but they often have large swings
of temperature from day to night. Thus
thermal mass on the outside of the
building is the most crucial design
strategy to even out such temperature
swings. For consistently hot locations,
it also helps to have high ceilings,
shaded breezeways, light colors, and
day lighting via reflected light (not
direct sun), such as in this audience
hall in the Jaipur city palace.
Courtyards with natural ventilation and
pools or fountains can provide The City Palace in Jaipur, India.
evaporative cooling as well.
1.2 The building as an environmental envelope

Tropical Climate Envelope Tropical climates are hot and humid.

Therefore, keeping the heat of the sun off
is the top priority, as well as maximizing
ventilation—essentially a reflective
insulated roof with walls that pass breeze
but not rain is ideal. This traditional Papua
New Guinean home’s thick light-colored
thatch roof keeps out the sun’s heat, while
open eaves and porous bamboo slats for
walls and floor maximize natural
ventilation. The materials are all low-mass
to avoid condensation and mold growth,
which can happen with high-mass
materials in humid climates. (Note :
Jalousie windows are found in the tropics,
but are not as common elsewhere,
because they are so porous to breezes.)
 1.2 The building as an environmental envelope
Cold Climate Envelope
Cold climates have many more heating
degree says than cooling degree days. Thus
maximizing insulation is the key to keeping
warm, as well as using windows for solar
gain on thermal mass inside the building
envelope (not outside as in arid climates).
Part of having effective insulation in cold
climates is an air-tight envelope, avoiding
infiltration. This Finnish cabin has very few
and very small windows except on the south
side, to maximize solar gain while
minimizing losses elsewhere. Before modern
insulation, thick solid log walls such as these
provided better insulation than board walls
could.
 1.2 The building as an environmental envelope

Mixed Cold / Hot Climate Envelope

Many “temperate” inland climates
actually have two extremes--cold in
winter, hot and humid in summer.
Flexibility is the key to designing for
these climates. The Aldo Leopold Center
in Wisconsin, first building to be LEED
certified as carbon-neutral, uses deep
overhangs to allow low winter sun in
through the windows to heat up a high
mass concrete slab inside, while blocking
high summer sun. It also uses a light roof
and darker walls to repel summer sun
but absorb winter sun. Extra insulation
retains heat in winter, but operable
windows passively cool it in summer.
 1.2 The building as an environmental envelope

As buildings have developed, the role of building

services to control heat, light and ventilation has
become more significant. These services rely on
appropriate building envelope in order to achieve the
required level of performance.
The dwelling as we now know has its origins in the simplest
form of building enclosure, created by people to protect
them from the extremes of environment. The factors that
led people to develop such enclosures in past are still
evident today as basically these functions did not change
much, although became more sophisticated.
1.3 Buildings and the control of internal
environment

• Primarily protective structures or enclosures had

been the only method utilized in the moderation of
people’s environment

• Although the use of built enclosures can moderate

the internal environment and reduce the effects of
extremes in the external climate, the active control
and modification of internal environment requires
the input of energy
• The use of buildings to house people, equipment and
processes of different types, exerting different demands
in terms of internal environment, has resulted in the
development of buildings and associated services capable
of controlling the internal conditions within desired
parameters with great accuracy.

• The nature of people’s perceptions of comfort within

buildings has also developed. The simple exclusion of rain
and protection from extreme cold or heat is no longer
sufficient to meet human needs. The provision of an
acceptable internal condition relies on a number of
factors including,
• Thermal insulation and temperature control

• Acoustic insulation

• Provision of light

• Control of humidity and ventilation

• Exclusion of contaminants
Review Task 2:

As the construction industry seeks to develop a more

sustainable approach to its activities there is a move
towards more natural mechanisms for environmental
control. What are these mechanisms? Discuss and
present.
1.4 Planning the Built Environment

In planning a particular type of a built environment,

various factors are to be considered.

Environmental considerations
Physical Considerations
 Environmental Considerations
• Planning Requirements
• Building Regulations
• Land restrictions by vendor or lessor
• Availability of services
• Local amenities including transport
• Subsoil conditions
• Levels and topography of land
• Use of building
• Daylight and view aspects
 Physical Considerations
• Natural Contours of land
• Natural vegetation and trees
• Size of land and/or proposed building
• Shape of land and/or proposed building
• Approach and access roads and foot paths
• Services available
• Natural water ways, lakes and ponds
• Restrictions such as rights of way: tree preservation and
ancient buildings
• Climatic conditions created by surround properties, land
or activities
• Proposed future developments
Examples
Examples Cont.
Examples Cont.
Examples Cont.
1.5 Performance requirements of buildings

• The requirement to provide an acceptable internal

environment is only one of the performance
requirements of modern buildings.

• The level of performance of buildings depends on

several factors and the emphasis placed upon
individual performance requirements varies from
situation to situation. Statutes and guidelines,
such as Building Regulations set out minimum
standards.
The performance requirements of buildings include:

• Structural stability
• Durability
• Thermal insulation
• Exclusion of moisture and protection from weather
• Acoustic insulation
• Flexibility
• Aesthetics
• Buildability
1.6 Forces exerted on and by buildings

Forces acting upon the structural elements of buildings

derive from a variety of sources and act in many different
ways. The ways in which the structure and fabric of a
building behave will depends upon their ability to cope
with a range of loads. If a building is able to withstand the
loading imposed upon it, it will remain static; in such a
state it is considered to be stable.
In order to withstand the forces acting upon it, a
building must be provided with two basic structural
properties:

• The component parts of the building must possess

adequate strength to carry the applied loads

• The applied loads must be balanced in order to

resist the tendency for the building to move.
1.7 Types of loads acting on buildings

Dead loads – The load due to the weight of all walls,

permanent partitions, floors, roofs, finishes and all other
permanent construction including services of a
permanent nature.

Imposed loads – The load assumed to be produced by

the intended occupancy or use, including the weight of
movable partitions, distributed, concentrated, impact
and inertia, loads, but excluding wind loads.

Wind load - The load due to the effect of wind pressure

or suction.
 The nature of loads acting on buildings
Vertically applied forces

such as the dead loading of the building structure and some

live loads, act to give rise to a tendency for the structure to
move in a downward direction. The extent of any such
movement depends upon the ability of the building to
spread the building loads over a sufficient area to ensure
stability of building to spread the building loads over a
sufficient area to ensure stability on ground of a given load
bearing capacity. The pressure is reduced by utilizing
foundations to increase the interface area between the
building and the ground, thus reducing the pressure applied
to the ground.
Columns and walls, often carrying the loads of floors, roofs
and so on from above, must resist the tendency to buckle
or to be crushed by the forces exerted. The way in which
columns and walls perform under the effects of vertical
loads depends on the slenderness ratio of the component
Horizontal members such as floors and beams must also be
capable of performing effectively while withstanding
vertically applied loads.

This is ensured by the use of materials of sufficient

strength, designed in an appropriate manner, with sufficient
support to maintain stability.
Review Task 3: What is a ‘composite section’? Explain the
purpose of using composite sections for beams and
floors.
Horizontal forces

Horizontal forces acting on buildings derive from many

sources. Such loads may be exerted by sub-soil pressure
as in basement walls and retaining walls, wind or physical
loading in buildings. The effects of such loads can be

• Overturning or rotation of the building or its

components
• Horizontal movement, or sliding of the structure

The nature of the foundation and the level of lateral

restraint or buttressing incorporated into the building
design are fundamental to the prevention of such modes
of failure.
Oblique loads

In some areas of building structures the application of

forces applied at an inclination is common. This is
generally the case where pitched roofs are supported on
walls. The effects of such forces produce a combination of
vertically and horizontally applied loads at the point of
support. These effects are resisted by the incorporation of
buttressing and/or lateral restraints.
Basic terms related to structures in built environment
1. Simply supported beam
2. Built-in beam
3. Cantilever beam
4. Propped cantilever
5. Strut
6. Tie
7. Arches
8. Post & lintel
9. Plane frame
10.Solid construction
11.Framed (skeletal) construction
12.Panel (box) construction
13.Space frames
Review Task 4: What do the above terms mean?
Explain in relation to construction with diagrams.
Basic types of structures
Simply supported beam
Simply supported beam Cont.
Built in beam
Cantilever beam
Cantilever beam cont.
Propped cantilever
Strut
Tie
Arches
Lintel
Plane Frame
Plane Frame Cont.
Basic Forms of Structures
Solid Construction
Framed or Skeletal Construction
Substructure and Superstructure

Structure

Substructure Superstructure
 Sub Structure
• Sub structure can be defined as all structure
below the super structure which in general
terms is considered to include all structure
below ground level but including the ground
floor bed.
Sub Structure Cont.
 Super Structure
• Super structure can be defined as all structure above
sub structure both internally and externally.
• Primary elements – basically components of the
building carcass above the substructure excluding
secondary elements. Those are finishes, services and
fittings.
• Secondary elements – completion of the structure
including completion around and within openings in
primary elements.
Super Structure
Cont.
Primary and Secondary elements
Primary and
secondary
elements Cont.
 Component Part and Functions
By the type of the structure
• Domestic Structures
• Framed Structures

By the Location
• External Envelope
• Internal Envelope - Partitioning
Domestic
Structure
Framed
Structure
 External Envelope
• External Envelope – consists of the materials
and components which form the external shell
or enclosure of a building. These may be load
bearing or non load bearing according to the
structural form of the building.
External
Envelope Cont.
 Putting up a Building

• Selecting a suitable site

• Planning and Designing

• Constructing

• Maintaining
 Selecting a Suitable Site
• Adjacent Features (Location, Roads, Infrastructure,………)
• Surface Characteristics (Trees, Slopes, Existing Buildings,
Bedrock, Wells,……..)
• Whether Preserved or Conserved (By Local Authorities)
• Subsoil Condition and Existing Ground Water Table (By a
Trial Pit)
• Flood Potential, Diversion of Streams, ……..
• Underground, Overhead services (By Local Utilities)
• Suspicious Factors (filled ground, cracks in ground, cracks
in adjacent buildings,……)
• Neighborhood scale and type of adjacent buildings
• Best location for the building (Cut and fill, Slope,
Exposure to sun, Aesthetics, access)
 Planning and Designing

• Architectural
• Structural
• Time Plan
• Cost Estimation
 Services for Building
• Water supply system
• Waste water disposal system
• Solid waste disposal system
• Storm water disposal system
• Vertical and Horizontal Circulation systems
• Electrical systems
• Fire protection and detection
• Medical gas/LP gas
• Lightning protection system
• Electronic communication installations
• Telephone installation
• HVAC system
 Constructing

• Foundations
• Retaining Structures
• Columns and Beams
• Walls
• Roofs
• Finishes