Building Envelope
The Basics
The “building envelope” is the space that separates the interior, or conditioned space, from the exterior, or outside, of a building. Areas without heating or cooling sources are considered to be outside of the building envelope. For example, walls separating an unheated garage from a heated living area are part of the building envelope whereas walls between an unheated garage and the outside are not.
- Structural – Foundation, roof, walls
- Systems – HVAC/air exchanging/ventilation, plumbing, electrical, low voltage, solar, gray water, radiant heating, hot water heating
- Doors and windows
