Written by Ted Kesik, a professional engineer, professor and researcher, this first Architectural Science Forum contribution explores the topic of sustainability in architecture. The rate of innovation in building materials and systems has not stopped escalating, increasing the need for a more rigorous education, apprenticeship and career development process. It seems that just as the sustainability of architecture as a profession is being tested, the demands for sustainable architecture further stress what is already a complex and demanding discipline. These concerns have given rise to this series in Architectural Science Forum, beginning with a discussion of perspectives on sustainability.
Written by Ted Kesik, a professional engineer, professor and researcher, the second Architectural Science Forum contribution covers the principles of enclosure. Concerns for sustainability require us to consider the fundamental requirements of buildings and to re-examine our current approaches to environmental separation. Some observers question that perhaps we have gone too far in separating ourselves from nature. If architecture intends to attain sustainability, it is important to start by looking at the idea of enclosure because it drives so many other performance parameters for buildings.
Enclosure design strategies is a topic that continues to seriously challenge practitioners and researchers alike. Fundamental considerations for building envelopes advanced by Neil Hutcheon in 1953 are now widely accepted, as is the predominant role of moisture in building enclosure performance problems. However, this has not appreciably simplified enclosure design strategies in a world where innovative materials and assemblies are emerging at an ever increasing rate. Heightened expectations by clients for distinctive innovation, combined with compressed project timelines and budgets, often limit the attention needed to fully consider enclosure strategies at the schematic design stage. Before architects can take full advantage of today's sophisticated tools for analyzing and predicting the performance of enclosures, it is necessary to first select an appropriate strategy or concept that addresses parameters associated with physical phenomena, site and occupancy influences. Otherwise, the time and resources allocated to performance assessment may be ineffectively deployed.
This follow-up to the May edition of Architectural Science Forum on Enclosure Design Strategies looks at enclosure design tools aimed at improving the performance of building envelopes, and hence the building-as-a-system. The modern break with traditional building methods and materials has resulted in a trend towards the increasing use of analog and digital tools aimed at accurately predicting enclosure performance. The implications for architecture are significant whether or not architects choose to directly employ these tools in their practices. Understanding the tools that are available and their limitations is essential for informed collaborations with allied disciplines that foster reliable innovations and sustainable solutions.
This contribution to Architectural Science Forum looks at enclosure durability. The life cycle of buildings includes design, construction, occupancy, maintenance, repair, renovation, alteration, retrofit and deconstruction. Occupancy, or operation, normally accounts for the largest proportion of the environmental impacts over the life cycle of the building, due to the relatively high non-renewable energy demands of most buildings. Maintenance, repair, renovation, alteration, and retrofit vary in degrees of impact depending on the durability of the building components, and the flexibility/adaptability of the building system. In all cases the value and importance of intelligent design is reinforced by contrasting the influence of this relatively brief, conceptual process on the life cycle outcome afforded the building.
Enclosure detailing is the topic for this contribution to Architectural Science Forum. Architectural detailing represents the knots which bind the threads of design intent. These knots involve many aspects of design and consider factors such as beauty, strength, function and durability. Some knots are simple, others complex, sometimes extremely tight, and at other times deliberately loose and flexible to accommodate future adaptation. Detailing is peculiar to the disciplines of design and enclosure detailing remains at the core of architectural practice. It deserves to be more than a handful of inconvenient exercises in education and an appended booklet of monochrome, 2-dimensional drawings in practice.