Application of building design strategies to create an environmentally friendly building envelope for nearly zero-energy buildings in the central European climate

•The oldest existing curtain wall systems are becoming obsolete and energy inefficient.•The building design strategies for reduction of the embodied primary energy and embodied emissions of greenhouse gases can be applied to new designs of curtain walls.•The desired technical qualities of a new environmentally efficient design of new curtain walls were tested and proved.•A major reduction in primary energy and greenhouse gas emissions were reached in both operational and embodied parameters. The paper contributes to the fulfilment of the environmental targets of the EU by introducing an innovative solution for envelopes of nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB). It presents the development of an environmentally friendly alternative to aluminium curtain wall systems for new constructions or renovations. The research and development were from the early stages led by design strategies for low embodied energy and embodied carbon structures. The first technical concept was analysed using comparative life cycle assessment (LCA). Prototypes were tested to verify their technical performance (air- and water tightness, fire resistance, acoustic properties, short- and long-term hygrothermal monitoring). The final pre-production design was subjected to a detailed LCA, and various possibilities for its improvement were suggested and assessed. The early-stage LCA showed a high potential for reduction of the embodied environmental impact by utilization of natural materials. The results of the experimental testing proved that thus developed curtain wall system fulfilled the standard technical requirements. The detailed pre-production LCA study proved that the fabrication of one panel of the curtain wall system being developed causes significantly lower environmental impact compared with a panel of a common aluminium curtain wall system.