Regionalism and the design of low-rise building envelope systems

Abstract

This investigation proposes the use of a three-pronged approach to evaluating building envelopes for low-rise affordable housing in urban contexts: construction cost estimating, building performance modeling, and cradle to grave life cycle assessment. Two climate regions were investigated: hot-humid and hot-dry, in two large urban cities: Phoenix and Miami. The envelope systems compared were conventional for the practice area versus best practice and high r-value systems. The results demonstrate that the application of the three-pronged method yields data architects can use to improve energy performance, reduce costs and limit negative environmental impacts.