High-Performing Envelopes Demand Know-How.

This article informs that architectures demand a great deal from the building envelope--the skin that shelters people from the outside world. Fortunately, three recent national efforts to improve the performance of building envelopes are laudable steps toward remedying the current situation. These include the publication of the Building Envelope Design Guide, a comprehensive resource for the design and construction of institutional and office buildings; the Exterior Enclosure Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process, which outlines a step-by-step process to ensure that a new envelope will function as intended.