Whats in the Envelope

What’s Inside the Envelope

Throughout my architecture studies, many of my initial project research start with images. I don’t think there have been many times that I have sought out information about the programming or layout of a building design. Like many of my peers in studio, we tend to look at an exterior image to spark ideas of our own for a project. This fascinates me because many of our project briefs state the purpose and programming. Instead of searching for similarly programmed designs, we innately begin with the envelope of the building.

Within the realm of education in architecture, we are immediately drawn to the beautiful structures that sprinkle our google searches and library books. I think our minds have trained our eye to seek the unique and beautiful before we actually see the innerworkings of anything. The rise of social media and instant self-gratification only acts as a catalyst for this movement. I think we focus more on the initial acceptance of the general publics opinion and worry about everything else later.

In architecture, the envelope is very influential but the occupants don’t directly experience the envelope as a space. Spatially though, the envelope can directly influence the experience within the space. The cohesion of these to aspects of architecture a vital to good design. Without one, its hard to make the other special.

The following images are project examples that are at both sides of the spectrum for envelope implementation as a veneer and as a functional application to reflect in interior space experiences.

H-E-B Mueller, Austin Texas

Bentley University Arena-