The exterior of a building functions as a loadbearing structure and as a protective envelope. It can also be used to express status. But what are the available principles of enveloping? And what are the formal and functional criteria for selecting a facade system?

The fifth volume of the SCALE series, Enclose | Build, deals with building enclosures: options include different construction methods, materials and surfaces with which a wide variety of design effects can be achieved. The book illustrates how the interaction between loadbearing structure and building envelope – from its base, via the outside wall, to the roof – functions, and what the criteria are for selecting a facade system, which range from solid, single-skin walls to complex facade systems.