TERMIUM Plus®

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BUILDING ENVELOPE [1 record]

Record 1 2003-05-15

English

Subject field(s)
  • Modern Construction Methods
  • Walls and Partitions
DEF

Exterior components of construction that enclose an interior space.

DEF

The shell of the building that separates what is inside from what is outside.

CONT

Elements of the building envelope are the exterior walls (including windows and doors), the roof and the floor of the lowest level of the building. The building envelope has a number of functions : it holds the building up; it keeps the rain and ground water out; it keeps the wind out; it keeps water vapour out; and it controls the transfer of energy (heat) between the inside and the outside. One material may control only one of these functions or may control several functions at once.

CONT

The skin of a building consists of both transparent elements (windows) and opaque elements (walls).

OBS

Building envelope (Sometimes referred to as building shell).

OBS

On the Internet, approximately 25 sources out of 30 give "building envelope" and "building shell" as synonyms without restrictions of any kind; 5 sources out of 30 use the formulation "sometimes referred to as ...". Other sources define "building shell" as "The skeleton of a building to which the finished exterior and interior are applied. It includes the building foundation", which refers to a completely different concept. We conclude that for a majority of authors the two terms may be used as synonyms and that for some others "building shell" refers to the skeleton (structure) rather than the envelope of the building.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Procédés de construction modernes
  • Murs et cloisons
CONT

Un bâtiment constitue un ensemble stable par lui-même (structure) et vis-à-vis du sol sur lequel il repose (fondations), limité et clos par une enveloppe (parois extérieures) protégeant un milieu intérieur corrigé (agencement et équipements techniques) du milieu extérieur naturel, par définition hostile (intempéries).

CONT

L'enveloppe est l'organe dont la fonction est de séparer l'intérieur d'un bâtiment de l'extérieur et de le protéger contre les sollicitations de divers agents : la pluie, le vent, la chaleur, le froid, la neige, le bruit, la lumière solaire, la pénétration de personnes ou d'animaux. Elle permet aussi les relations nécessaires avec le milieu extérieur : éclairement, vue, ventilation, captage éventuel de rayonnement solaire. [...] Elle est constituée de la façade, des pignons et de la toiture et peut participer pour partie à la structure (façade porteuse). [...] Pour désigner l'enveloppe on parle parfois du «clos et couvert» dont l'achèvement marque toujours une étape importante d'un chantier, car il permet de travailler à l'abri, hors des intempéries.

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Métodos de construcción modernos
  • Paredes y mamparas
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