Zoning is of critical importance to the model. Too many zones and the model becomes overly complex, too few and detail is lost. Although the focus should be on capturing core functional spaces e.g. offices in commercial buildings or living rooms, bedrooms etc. in residential buildings - it is also necessary to capture the area/volume of other miscellaneous/ancillary spaces such as elevator shafts, restrooms, stairs etc.
The single most important aspect to note in relation to these space types is that they do not have to be represented exactly and individually. In other words, it is not necessary to model each and every restroom or elevator separately but instead zones can be outlined around each of these space types that capture all of the restrooms together or all of the elevators together.
The zoning (thermal block) requirements of NECB should also be kept in mind when creating the building geometry. It can also be helpful that defined zones are broken-down as per the list of space types used in the prototype data.
