Construction of solid envelopes

The primary regulator of weather conditions that influence the interior of the building is the envelope. It protects the internal environment from extrinsic forces. As a result, under this light, the arrangement must be firm and stable. Envelopes are constructed using either load-bearing structures or frame structures (Dennis, 1983, pp. 1-3).
Differences between load-bearing framework envelopes faced in ashlar and a steel frame
The weight of a load-bearing ashlar is transferred from the floor to the structure's walls and from the walls to the structure's footing. Whereas in steel-framed structures, the weight is transmitted from the floor to the beam, to the column then to the footing of the structure

Steel frame structures are used in construction of high storied buildings whereas load bearing ashlar is used in low storied buildings

Steel framed structures are more resistant to earthquakes than load bearing ashlar

In buildings that have applied the use of steel frame in constructing the envelope there is more room for carpeting as compared to load bearing ashlar

A load bearing ashlar is more durable than a steel framed envelope (Needham1999, p. 612).

Strategies for water proofing and thermal control in Edinburgh

Waterproofing Edinburgh masonry applies the use of surface repellants. When water penetrates through the joints in the enveloping structure, the surface repellant evaporates this water and transmits this vapor out of the wall via the joints in which the water penetrated. The use of low strength motors minimizes the cracking in the envelope thus leading to water leakage. Poor drainage systems are also a reason as to why water penetrates buildings. Masonry ion Edinburgh are applying the use of through-wall flashing which is placed at beams and floors to enhance drainage of water (Dennis, 1983, pp. 1-3).

Thermal proofing: In order to acquire thermal neutralization, the enveloping structure and element is used as the determining structure. The following are the common enveloping elements used and the adaptations implemented on each to ensure thermal proofing. In the case of the use of load bearing ashlar stone, the use of insulation is applied. This way the thermal mass which is a factor that should be kept constant enables the envelope to acquire a high temperature time. There is also the use of structural insulated panels. The insulated panels are good for thermal proofing since they are rigid and light in weight. These factors bring about a balance in the temperature indoors. The use of steel frame structures allow for the use of cladding and prefabrication which then regulate the temperature within the building (Parsons, 2010, pp. 127-147).

Case study

To illustrate more on the thermal proofing strategies in Edinburgh, the architects designed a 4-storey building (Sajidan, 2017). Each floor had 3 bedrooms and U-value of 0.1 w/m2 K (Sajidan, 2017). The exterior walls had each of the mentioned structures above. The second room was dedicated for calculations of the thermal values. Natural ventilation was used and the windows were triple grazed (Sajidan, 2017, pp. 6-10).



Results and discussion

The use of calculation of discomfort hours was used (Sajidan, 2017, p. 7). In the insulate load bearing structure, the use of a high thermal mass as praised by written articles is not quite effective in achieving a few hours of discomfort. The steel frame provides the lowest time of discomfort. This goes to show that the use of thickness doesn’t deliver quality results as expected. The insulated panel structure has a low amount of time of discomfort but not as high as steel frame structures (Sajidan, 2017, p. 7).

Conclusion

A high level of thermal mass is least effective in an attempt to achieve thermal comfort therefore the use of load bearing structures could be discouraged. The use of heavy weight construction system results in a low decrement factor which thus leads to longer hours of discomfort leading to a low level of thermal comfort. This way the use of materials with a low density such as steel framed structures is used in achieving high levels of thermal comfort (Sajidan, 2017, p. 10).



1 structured insulated panel



Figure 1 use of cladding in steel frame structure









References

Lamont, S., 2001. The behaviour of multi-storey composite steel framed structures in response to compartment fires.

Needham, D.G., Kinzie, W. and Harris, J.H., Poly Plus Inc., 1999. Load-bearing structures. U.S. Patent 5,888,612.

Parsons, K., 2010. Thermal comfort in buildings. Mater. Energy Effic. Therm. Comf. Build, pp.127-147.

Sajjadian, Seyed Masoud. "Performance Evaluation of Well-Insulated Versions of Contemporary Wall Systems—A Case Study of Edinburgh for a Warmer Climate." Buildings 7, no. 1 (2017): 6.

Tsakanika-Theohari, E., 2008, May. The constructional analysis of timber load bearing systems as a tool for interpreting Aegean Bronze Age architecture. In Proceedings of the Symposium ‘Bronze Age Architectural Transitions in the Eastern Mediterranean: Diffusion and Diversity (Vol. 7, No. 08, p. 05).

DENNIS, R., 1983. Waterproofing of buildings. In Refurbishing and renovation of buildings: materials and techniques. Conference (pp. 3-1).