Enclosure

Enclosure Quantity Takeoffs

The building enclosure is divided into three components: solid exterior wall, transparent exterior wall, and roofing. The area of each is calculated based on user inputs for building floor area, number of floors, floor-to-floor height, window-to-wall ratio (WWR), and building perimeter. C.Scale makes a preliminary estimate of floor-to-floor height, WWR, and building perimeter (assuming a square building), which the user can refine in the "overrides" panel in the base case tab.

Enclosure \ area = Perimeter \ \ast \ F2F \ Height \ \ast \ Number \ of \ floors

Transparent \ Exterior \ Wall \ area = WWR \ \ast \ Perimeter \ \ast \ F2F \ Height \ \ast \ Number \ of \ floors

Solid \ Exterior \ Wall \ area = (1-WWR) \ \ast \ Perimeter \ \ast \ F2F \ Height \ \ast \ Number \ of \ floors

Roof \ area = Building \ Footprint

Floor-to-Floor Height

Floor-to-floor (F2F) height can be set for each floor individually (if using the stacked BuildingForm object) or for all floors together (in the simple BuildingForm object). Default values are set by use type, as described in the table below.

Use Categories	Default F2F Height (ft)	Default F2F Height (m)
Dormitory, Hotel, Multifamily Housing, Senior Care Facility, Single Family Home	11.5 feet	3.5 meters
Fitness Center, K-12 School, Medical Clinic, Office, Pre-school / Day Care, Restaurant, Retail Store, University/College	13 feet	4.0 meters
Aquarium, Hospital, Laboratory, Library, Museum, Performing Arts, Post Office, Stadium, Transit Station, Worship Facility, Zoo	15 feet	4.6 meters
Convention Center	18 feet	5.5 meters
Distribution Center, Warehouse	20 feet	6.1 meters

Enclosure Assemblies

All enclosure components are modeled on an area basis. In both editing modes, C.Scale populates a full material inventory for each assembly based on user selections. Assembly quantities are based on industry guidance and standard North American construction practice. Detailed assembly descriptions and reference specification language are available in detailed view.

Simple Editing View

In the simple editing view, users select a general type for each enclosure category — a cladding type for the solid exterior wall, a system type for the transparent exterior wall, and a membrane type for roofing. C.Scale then generates a complete schematic material inventory for each assembly.

Detailed Editing View

In the detailed editing view, users can configure each enclosure assembly layer by layer. C.Scale generates a full material inventory based on those selections, which users can then convert to a user-described assembly and further customize by editing individual materials — adjusting material selection or quantity — using C.Scale's library of over 150 generic enclosure materials. Assemblies can be renamed and saved to the project scenario.

The configurable layers for each enclosure component are:

Solid Exterior Wall

Cladding assemblies available:

Brick Masonry
Cement Stucco
Composite Metal Panel Rainscreen
EIFS
Fiber Cement Rainscreen
Formed Steel Panel Rainscreen
Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) Rainscreen
Stone Veneer Rainscreen
Terracotta Rainscreen
Thin Brick Masonry Veneer
Thin Brick Rainscreen
Wood Rainscreen
Paint on structure

Transparent Exterior Wall

Glazing types available:

Punched windows
Curtainwall

Roofing

Roofing types available:

Standing Seam Metal Roofing
Built-Up Roofing (BUR)
APP Modified Bitumen Roofing
SBS Modified Bitumen Roofing
Adhered Single-Ply EPDM Roofing
Ballasted Single-Ply EPDM Roofing
Single-Ply TPO Roofing
PVC Membrane Roofing
Asphalt Shingles
Clay Tile
Natural Slate Tile
Synthetic Slate Tile

The C.Scale enclosure model uses Payette Kaleidoscope takeoffs data for some assemblies by permission. Find the full citation for these data in the Reference Data section of the methodology. Other assembly information is sourced from Product literature and industry guidance.

Default Insulating Values

The declared R-value of the assembly is used to calculate the amount of exterior insulation required. R-values for framing assemblies are de-rated following ASHRAE 90.1-2019 Appendix A. If no R-value is declared, the default is set by climate zone. These defaults can be overridden in the detailed editing view.

ASHRAE Climate Zone	Enclosure R-Value Default	Roofing R-Value Default
Climate Zone 0	18	30
Climate Zone 1	18	30
Climate Zone 2	18	30
Climate Zone 3	20	30
Climate Zone 4	21	33
Climate Zone 5	21	33
Climate Zone 6	26	36
Climate Zone 7	26	41
Climate Zone 8	29	41

Enclosure Materials

For each assembly, C.Scale calculates material quantities per unit of assembly area. C.Scale automatically multiplies these per-area quantities by the total assembly area to produce a consistent material inventory for the project. This allows models to be updated easily as takeoffs evolve throughout the design process.

Generic materials are based on North American industry-average EPDs wherever available, and are reported per the declared unit of the relevant Product Category Rule (PCR) to support material substitution and comparison with product-specific EPDs within a category.

Updates and Improvements

Coming soon: C.Scale is actively expanding its transparent wall assembly library to include a broader range of glazing system types, including storefronts, glazed entrances, window walls, and curtainwall variants. These additions will allow for more precise carbon accounting across the full range of building envelope glazing assemblies.

Don't see an assembly or material you need? Reach out to our team — we're continually expanding our enclosure library and welcome requests.