Building envelopes - Jenny Lovell

Far from being just a simple outer wall, a building's envelope can have a huge effect on its appearance, structural stability, and energy performance. This book advocates designing building envelopes in an integrated way, where appearance, use, context, energy performance, structure, and cost are inseparable and considered in tandem. For example, one case study included in the book is Adelaide Wharf, a housing project in the United Kingdom by the architecture firm Allford Hall Monaghan and Morris. Color was used on the envelope as a way for each unit to stand out visually from the others, and each building entrance has a unique color assigned to it as well. The interior layouts of the apartments dictated that bedrooms and living rooms would have windows on the front facade of the building, creating a pattern of larger windows for living rooms and smaller windows for bedrooms. These windows were also designed to be energy efficient (by not allowing too much heat in or out of the building) while still giving the apartments within enough natural light. The envelope was custom-prefabricated offsite to save money and also increase the construction quality. All these elements came together in the building envelope's design, making a cost-effective but aesthetically pleasing facade.