Building envelopes are part of a whole: reconsidering traditional approaches

There is a long tradition of research and development in building envelopes. With a globally growing awareness of the importance of sustainable development and the necessity of reducing CO2 pollution building envelopes are in focus again. Basically this is because the envelope of a building protects the indoor environment from outside. In the present state of knowledge new approaches in improving the function of building envelopes are important, where one of the main questions is: ‘Can we do that on the basis of existing knowledge alone?’ and from there: ‘What kind of research and development is necessary to extend the existing knowledge on building envelopes?’ The project that this article focuses on has been realised within the frame of the International Energy Agency (IEA) ‘Implementing Agreement Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems’ and started with those questions. This article describes the considerations, the methodological approach and goes deeper into the products that are available from this research. Also there is much attention for applicability in practice. This latter subject as well is treated as an intermezzo from Government Buildings Agency, focused on the upgrading of the historic Rietveld building that accommodates the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.