Regenerative Design
The Skin
___________
0. Introduction
1. Principles and performance of building skins
2. Façade materials 1 – opaque materials
3. Façade materials 2 – transparent material
4. Façade systems
5. Detailing a façade.
6. 5th façade
7. Future of regenerative façade – case studies
___________
1
,Introduction 0
Regenerative Design: The Skin
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Build environment – EU Construction industry levels
50% - resources of extracted raw materials
35% + 10% - GHG emissions (operational CO2 emissions + embedded GHG)
operational CO2 emissions = total of all carbon produced over the lifetime while using the building
embedded GHG = These are emissions that occur during the production, transportation, and
construction phases of a product or building. (production of steel for structure)
>35% - of the EU’s total waste
2. Integrated Regenerative Design
Integrated regenerative design is about creating buildings and cities
that not only reduce harm to the environment but actually help it
heal and improve.
It combines ideas from climate design (how to make buildings and
cities work better with the climate), regenerative cities (cities that
restore nature and resources), and smart building technology
(using engineering and technology to make buildings more
sustainable).
This to make sure that buildings and cities contribute positively to
the planet and the people living in them.
3. Shearing Layers by Stuart Brand
The Shearing Layers are a concept used to understand how buildings and their components change
over time. Brand divides a building into diNerent layers, each with its own lifespan:
1. Site – the land, which changes the least.
2. Structure – the building's framework, which lasts for decades or more.
3. Skin – the outer parts like walls and windows, may need replacing more often.
4. Services – systems like plumbing and wiring, may change every 10-20 years.
5. Space Plan – the internal layout, which can be adapted more frequently.
6. Stu1 – furniture and equipment, which change the most often.
This idea helps designers think about how parts of a building last for diNerent amounts of time and
how they can be updated without aNecting the entire structure.
4. The Skin
The building Skin is a key field of collaboration between architects, engineers and consultants, often
the key aesthetic expression of the building and more and more playing an important key role in the
overall sustainability strategy of the building.
2
,Principles and performances of building skin 1
Regenerative Design: The Skin
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Main functions of the Skin in Anatomy vs Industry
Protection to the body against mechanical and thermal aggression, moisture, temperature, UV-
radiation, water management VS regulating heat losses, water, absorbing transpiration,…
2. Traditional/Primal functions
Shelter Function – physical border between in-outside
Protection Function – from temperatures, moist, fire,…
Social Function – giving aesthetics, creating interaction
Health function – ventilating, allowing light to enter
3. The Skin
1. Wind loads :
Wind loads on a facade are the forces exerted by wind on the exterior surfaces of buildings.
They are expressed as a pressure.
2. Watertightness: Capacity of a façade to remain waterthight under a certain water pressure
3. Thermal transmittance: thermal inslation (U)
also known as U-value, is the amount of transfer of heat through a material or buildup (single
material or composite), divided by the diOerence in temperature across that structure.
The R-value is the thermal resistance, R=1/U and units of measurement are W/m2K.
Opaque wall in Belgium: U = 0,24 W/m2K
Opaque wall of well insulated building in Belgium: U = 0,16 W/m2K
4. Vapor tightness (Sd)
The principles of moisture-safe construction rely on understanding how moisture
moves within the building fabric, both in summer and winter.
Water vapor resistance of a material: Sd
Sd: compares the resistance of the movement of water to that of 1m of air
High Sd: 200m – aluminum foil
Low Sd: 0.1m – breathable membrane
5. Thermal inertia
Helps to stabilize indoor temperatures by absorbing excess heat during the day and
releasing it by night
3
, 6. Airtightness (Q50 - N50)
Important for comfort, energy eOiciency and construction integrity and longevity
- Energy eOiciency: air leakage increases heat loss and is needed for stable indoor
temperature. When air infiltrates the building, it reduces the thermal insulation
- Indoor comfort: leaks lead to discomfort and allow pollutants, allergens to come in
- Integrity and longevity: air moving through building, carries moisture and when that air
encounters cold srfaces, it can condense and lead to water damage, mold growth,.. this
can result in aOecting long-term performance of building and reduce lifespan
By doing the ‘Blower door test’ the airtightness can be measured and quantified
bydepressuurizing a part of the bilding by sing fans
-> during the test, infra-red cameras and smoke pensils are used to locate air leakage
Air permeability (APPR): Q50 (m3/(m2·h)).
-> is the amount of air leakage divided by the internal envelope area of the building.
Air change rate (NPR): N50 (m3/h)
-> is the amount of air leakage divided by the internal volume of the building and measures the
air changes per hour at a building pressure diOerential of 50 Pa.
Units are m3. h-1.
ex: construction with high level of attention to airtightness = N50 <0.4/h
current code in Brussels for new tertiary buildings = N50 <0.6/h
current code in Brussels for new residential buildings = N50 <0.8/h
average Brussels oOice building 10 to 20years old: N50 <2,2/h
average unrenovated residential building in Brussels: N50 ≈ 7,8/h
7. Contribution to overheating (g-value)
Solar heat gains are the increase in temperature within a building due to solar radiation entering
through windows, walls and roofs. Use of shading,.. can help control heat gains during summer.
Transparent parts with a high solar heat gain coeOicient, combined with materials with high
thermal inertia, can absorb and store solar radiation, slowly releasing the heat into the building
to maintain a stable indoor temperature
Solar Heat Gain CoeOicient: g-value (for transparent parts of this building) refers to the amount
of solar radiation passing through materials. It includes both direct transmission and the portion
absorbed and re-radiated by the glazing.
No solar heat gain: g-value = 0
Maximum solar heat gain: g-value = 1
8. Daylight quality
Enhances the aesthetic and psychological well-being of building occupants + less artificial light
9. Contribution to heat island eOect
Structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructures absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat
more than natural landscapes like forests and water bodies.
Building skin materials are often designed to reflect Solar radiations BUT it also contributes to
the urban heat island eOect by reflecting heat onto other materials that absorb it, such as
pavement. Helped through inertia night temperature or eOects of passive night cooling systems
4
The Skin
___________
0. Introduction
1. Principles and performance of building skins
2. Façade materials 1 – opaque materials
3. Façade materials 2 – transparent material
4. Façade systems
5. Detailing a façade.
6. 5th façade
7. Future of regenerative façade – case studies
___________
1
,Introduction 0
Regenerative Design: The Skin
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Build environment – EU Construction industry levels
50% - resources of extracted raw materials
35% + 10% - GHG emissions (operational CO2 emissions + embedded GHG)
operational CO2 emissions = total of all carbon produced over the lifetime while using the building
embedded GHG = These are emissions that occur during the production, transportation, and
construction phases of a product or building. (production of steel for structure)
>35% - of the EU’s total waste
2. Integrated Regenerative Design
Integrated regenerative design is about creating buildings and cities
that not only reduce harm to the environment but actually help it
heal and improve.
It combines ideas from climate design (how to make buildings and
cities work better with the climate), regenerative cities (cities that
restore nature and resources), and smart building technology
(using engineering and technology to make buildings more
sustainable).
This to make sure that buildings and cities contribute positively to
the planet and the people living in them.
3. Shearing Layers by Stuart Brand
The Shearing Layers are a concept used to understand how buildings and their components change
over time. Brand divides a building into diNerent layers, each with its own lifespan:
1. Site – the land, which changes the least.
2. Structure – the building's framework, which lasts for decades or more.
3. Skin – the outer parts like walls and windows, may need replacing more often.
4. Services – systems like plumbing and wiring, may change every 10-20 years.
5. Space Plan – the internal layout, which can be adapted more frequently.
6. Stu1 – furniture and equipment, which change the most often.
This idea helps designers think about how parts of a building last for diNerent amounts of time and
how they can be updated without aNecting the entire structure.
4. The Skin
The building Skin is a key field of collaboration between architects, engineers and consultants, often
the key aesthetic expression of the building and more and more playing an important key role in the
overall sustainability strategy of the building.
2
,Principles and performances of building skin 1
Regenerative Design: The Skin
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Main functions of the Skin in Anatomy vs Industry
Protection to the body against mechanical and thermal aggression, moisture, temperature, UV-
radiation, water management VS regulating heat losses, water, absorbing transpiration,…
2. Traditional/Primal functions
Shelter Function – physical border between in-outside
Protection Function – from temperatures, moist, fire,…
Social Function – giving aesthetics, creating interaction
Health function – ventilating, allowing light to enter
3. The Skin
1. Wind loads :
Wind loads on a facade are the forces exerted by wind on the exterior surfaces of buildings.
They are expressed as a pressure.
2. Watertightness: Capacity of a façade to remain waterthight under a certain water pressure
3. Thermal transmittance: thermal inslation (U)
also known as U-value, is the amount of transfer of heat through a material or buildup (single
material or composite), divided by the diOerence in temperature across that structure.
The R-value is the thermal resistance, R=1/U and units of measurement are W/m2K.
Opaque wall in Belgium: U = 0,24 W/m2K
Opaque wall of well insulated building in Belgium: U = 0,16 W/m2K
4. Vapor tightness (Sd)
The principles of moisture-safe construction rely on understanding how moisture
moves within the building fabric, both in summer and winter.
Water vapor resistance of a material: Sd
Sd: compares the resistance of the movement of water to that of 1m of air
High Sd: 200m – aluminum foil
Low Sd: 0.1m – breathable membrane
5. Thermal inertia
Helps to stabilize indoor temperatures by absorbing excess heat during the day and
releasing it by night
3
, 6. Airtightness (Q50 - N50)
Important for comfort, energy eOiciency and construction integrity and longevity
- Energy eOiciency: air leakage increases heat loss and is needed for stable indoor
temperature. When air infiltrates the building, it reduces the thermal insulation
- Indoor comfort: leaks lead to discomfort and allow pollutants, allergens to come in
- Integrity and longevity: air moving through building, carries moisture and when that air
encounters cold srfaces, it can condense and lead to water damage, mold growth,.. this
can result in aOecting long-term performance of building and reduce lifespan
By doing the ‘Blower door test’ the airtightness can be measured and quantified
bydepressuurizing a part of the bilding by sing fans
-> during the test, infra-red cameras and smoke pensils are used to locate air leakage
Air permeability (APPR): Q50 (m3/(m2·h)).
-> is the amount of air leakage divided by the internal envelope area of the building.
Air change rate (NPR): N50 (m3/h)
-> is the amount of air leakage divided by the internal volume of the building and measures the
air changes per hour at a building pressure diOerential of 50 Pa.
Units are m3. h-1.
ex: construction with high level of attention to airtightness = N50 <0.4/h
current code in Brussels for new tertiary buildings = N50 <0.6/h
current code in Brussels for new residential buildings = N50 <0.8/h
average Brussels oOice building 10 to 20years old: N50 <2,2/h
average unrenovated residential building in Brussels: N50 ≈ 7,8/h
7. Contribution to overheating (g-value)
Solar heat gains are the increase in temperature within a building due to solar radiation entering
through windows, walls and roofs. Use of shading,.. can help control heat gains during summer.
Transparent parts with a high solar heat gain coeOicient, combined with materials with high
thermal inertia, can absorb and store solar radiation, slowly releasing the heat into the building
to maintain a stable indoor temperature
Solar Heat Gain CoeOicient: g-value (for transparent parts of this building) refers to the amount
of solar radiation passing through materials. It includes both direct transmission and the portion
absorbed and re-radiated by the glazing.
No solar heat gain: g-value = 0
Maximum solar heat gain: g-value = 1
8. Daylight quality
Enhances the aesthetic and psychological well-being of building occupants + less artificial light
9. Contribution to heat island eOect
Structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructures absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat
more than natural landscapes like forests and water bodies.
Building skin materials are often designed to reflect Solar radiations BUT it also contributes to
the urban heat island eOect by reflecting heat onto other materials that absorb it, such as
pavement. Helped through inertia night temperature or eOects of passive night cooling systems
4
