Building Envelope

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Commercial property specialists must stay abreast of current trends that could shape their future work. One is “hypostruction” — a method pioneered by design firm Caplow Manzano. Although that group currently applies it to residential projects, there are benefits of interest to those involved with other buildings, too. 

Indoor air quality and energy efficiency are critical considerations in building design as more people become aware of their impact on health and productivity. They’re also intricately linked — a well-sealed structure with effective ventilation maintains fresh air and minimizes electricity waste.

This latest issue is packed with the latest coatings products on the market, and a focus on a new trend in building restoration—deep energy retrofits.

Michael Schroeder, partner at SGA, spearheads new tech initiatives at the firm so that designers can spend less time on the minutiae. Recently, Michael joined us for a Q&A interview to chat more about AI’s role in building compliance and how his team is implementing it into their practices.

Just as wearing light-colored clothing can help keep a person cool on a sunny day, cool walls with solar-reflective surfaces can help to maintain lower temperatures on a building’s surface. 

Commercial buildings consumed 18 percent of all energy used in the U.S. in 2022. Architects are fully aware that savings can be made using a variety of different retrofit measures. Too often, however, they cannot financially justify those projects because they can’t reliably forecast the potential savings.

More refrigerants means more carbon. We need to better prioritize refrigerants in the building sector carbon conversation.

As urbanization becomes more prevalent, the built environment’s impact on climate change and local ecosystems will worsen. Since thermal bridging significantly reduces buildings’ energy efficiency, it’s one of the main drivers for these outcomes. What technologies and analytical techniques can prevent heat loss?