Zoning is of critical importance to the model. Too many zones and the model becomes over complex, too few and detail is lost. Although the main 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, toilets, 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 to effectively convey the energy consumption of the building. In other words it is not necessary to model each and every space separately but instead zones can be outlined around each of these space types that capture all of a space type together.
Each zone should represent a single activity or zone purpose. During the configuration of the Proposed model, you will be assigning a room type (or activity) to each zone. You can also do this during the Real model phase using the Building Template Manager, Building Regulations grid:
