There is a growing set of priorities observed by project design teams for energy efficient building design. “Envelope First Energy Efficiency” is a design philosophy, which considers the building’s exterior first, as the key to sustainability and the platform to build on for performance and aesthetics. Energy conservation measures are designed on the foundation of an optimized envelope design, with use of renewables to achieve Net Zero Energy.
High performance envelopes are critical to a building’s overall thermal efficiency, with energy code and “green” building standards raising the bar for exterior systems and assemblies. Insulated metal wall and roof panels are a factory built assembly well suited to achieve high standards for building envelope thermal performance. IMPs have gained wide acceptance in Europe and are beginning to see increasing design opportunities in North America.