Great way of explaining a programming language Borg. Even I could learn GDL that way
I can fully understand your problem with zones, and relate to it 100%, as my last 2 years where spend modeling building for construction caliber quantity takeoff purposes.
I do not see any way of extracting the info you need directly from the model, without going through some extra modeling work (for instance, dividing the zone into 3 with zone limit lines) and then working with the resulting data on a spreadsheet software (Excel for instance).
If money is not an issue (!), I would recommend using VICO Takeoff Manager. This software allows you to import ArchiCAD models and assign takeoff items to surfaces of elements (painting). Thus, it would be possible to paint partial surfaces of zones (or walls) and assign wallpaper to them. The interface is very easy to learn and intuitive, and you have instant feedback between the 3D window and the BOQ.
http://www.vicosoftware.com/products/3d-bim-software-quantity-takeoff/tabid/229123/Default.aspx?sour...