“Envelope” and “enclosure” don’t have different meanings (yet), but it’s still important to choose one to avoid confusion. Although the majority of people see “speed” and “velocity” as synonyms, for example, every physicist knows there’s an important distinction (velocity includes the direction) and uses the correct term when speaking about motion. It’s important for experts in a field to agree on the terminology for ease and clarity of communication. The battles over the fundamental terms is long over in that most fundamental of the sciences but still raging in one of the newest, building science. In contrast, physics has been around for thousands of years, and a lot of the material students learn in introductory physics classes is hundreds of years old. Building science is a young science, crafting its own identity only in the 20th century. Here’s why I think it does matter, though. Another contingent said it doesn’t really matter what you call it as long as the meaning is clear to all parties. Some also proposed a compromise approach using a combination word: envelosure or enclolope. After reading the many comments from readers here in the Energy Vanguard Blog and in the two LinkedIn groups where I posted the article as well, I have indeed decided that we should go with one of the two terms and abandon the other.Īlthough I’ve framed this debate as being between only the two terms I mentioned above, some of the commenters suggested other terms as well: building fabric, building shell, and building perimeter. “building enclosure” recently, I favored the former but overall felt agnostic on whether we should choose one over the other. As this book is devoted to building energy modeling our focus will be on the transfer of energy through the building envelope.When I wrote about the debate over the terms “building envelope” vs. These aspects are all very important and there are numerous texts devoted to each of them. It must be secure enough to keep unwanted pests (or people) out of it.

It must effectively keep water or other unwanted environmental materials from damaging the building or its contents. The envelope must be sufficiently strong to support itself.

There are many important considerations when designing a building envelope. Often, a building’s interior is conditioned with Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) to maximize occupant comfort. The envelope protects the interior from rain, snow, wind, and excessive heat or cold helping to make the interior a safe, comfortable, and productive environment for its occupants. walls, roofs, floors) are often referred to as the building envelope. The portions of the building that separate the building’s interior from the outdoor environment (e.g. The most basic definition of a building is a man-made structure that isolates the interior from the outdoor environment.

Definition building envelope