Many parties may be involved in the design of a building envelope including:
-
Client
-
Architect
-
Engineer
-
Main contractor
-
Specialist contractor
Clients and architects are predominantly involved in scheme design.
Traditionally it has been assumed that most scheme designs could be ‘made
to work’ at the detailing stage. This is no longer the case and seemingly
plausible schemes may be impossible to construct for reasons of building
physics or structure.
Increasingly building services engineers are being drawn into the building
envelope design process as the energy performance of buildings is dominated
by the building envelope performance. Structural engineers are required
to consider building and façade movements and cladding loads. It is
important to involve engineers at the scheme design stage to at least ensure
that what is proposed may be built in compliance with the Building Regulations
and the laws of physics.
Main contractors and specialist contractors can make a valuable contribution
to design, as they are aware of issues affecting the ease of construction
that will impact on cost and construction time. Contractors are also
likely to request design changes where they are necessary to ensure safety
during or after construction. These late design changes can be avoided
by involving the constructors at an early stage in the design.
