Building Envelope for Northern Climate

摘要

The research on which this paper is based on is being conducted in the Northwest Territories of Canada. There is a growing awareness that most of the buildings envelopes that have been built in the north are not appropriately designed for northern harsh weather conditions, as the technical design requirements for building envelop in the north are quite different to those of other part of Canada. This paper's primary objective is to provide information and technical suggestions for the design of durable and efficient building envelope for the northern climate. The paper suggests how we could incorporate materials and methods that will permit quality construction under adverse environmental conditions in limited construction seasons. It offers some suggestions regarding how we could control condensation in the building envelope, as it is a prime cause of its detorittation especially in the north. The paper will also deal with the effect of natural harsh weather conditions such as snow drifting on the building envelope. Control of air and heat flow, sunlight and other forms of radiant energy, control over the entry of rain, air filtration and snow, will also be discussed.