ABSTRACT
The key determinant in modifying climate is the nature of the building ‘skin’. Whether this is traditional brickwork or a modern glass construction, it is primarily the ‘skin’ of the building that ensures appropriate modification of the physical conditions between the inside and outside of a building. There are many existing and contrasting examples of building skins. Some are integral to the structure of the building (for example, an igloo), others have no structural significance other than supporting themselves (for example, glass curtain walling). A mud and thatch house in the Amazon basin has no skin apart from the roof and low walls, yet it modifies climate.
