Building Envelope Systems
Sustainable construction begins with an efficient building envelope. As the single largest building element, the building envelope or building shell separates the interior of the building from the external environment and includes the roof, walls, windows, glazing, floors and all the joints in between.
A high-performance envelope must meet the project’s requirements for acoustic, thermal, structural, visual, air-quality, fire-resistant, watertight, temperature-control and aesthetic needs. Along with this great responsibility, the building envelope presents great opportunities to enhance sustainability and reduce long-term costs of buildings throughout their life.
- Homes can lose as much as 40% of their heating and cooling energy through cracks and gaps in the building envelope.
- The energy lost through a building's walls, roofs and windows is the largest single waste of energy in most buildings, especially those in hot climates. As a result, the energy efficiency of a building often depends on the materials that help create its envelope.
- The annual required cooling energy for an entire building can be reduced by over 30%
when passive thermal building envelope design and material selection strategies such as insulation, joint sealing, color and glazing systems are implemented together.
Sika Provides a Sustainable, Economical, Holistic Solution Sealants amount to approximately 1% of the construction costs of a typical large building project. In the case of water leakage, however, the renovation and repair costs are many times that of the initial installation.
In a globalized market with increased numbers of construction suppliers and material options, tighter budgets and higher requirements in energy efficiency and profitability, it is crucial to have a reliable and competent partner for the entire building envelope system.
Sika has a holistic, intercompatible portfolio of products which all work together to ensure the facade is air and water tight.