Maintainability Performance Prediction of Green Building Envelope in Warm-Humid Climate

Abstract

Climate change and growing energy demands have put maintainability in the limelight for the long-term performance of green building envelopes, especially for warm-humid regions with intense weathering. This study proposed a framework for predicting the maintainability performance of such envelopes in the Indian context. The country is a key player in the global energy sector because green certification is mandatory for large commercial projects. Design-related envelope defects with their precise causes and effects were collated from the literature, field study, and a questionnaire survey to determine their criticalities. The defects of green and conventional buildings portray similar profiles due to common weathering agents. Furthermore, for the envelope components under the broad groupings of wall, fenestration, and roof, a maintainability attribute checklist was developed from the existing standards and guidelines. Common design alternatives for each component were weighted according to their ability to mitigate both critical and noncritical defects. The maintainability performance of a suitably chosen demo building was predicted. Despite its high energy efficiency class and careful maintenance, defects were prevalent, indicating average maintainability. This explains why landmark green projects also deviate from their energy-saving targets. The accuracy of the proposed framework was found to be satisfactory by tallying predicted and actual defects. The work can contribute to the achievement of long-term envelope performance and resource saving.