Zone Volume Calculation not including Window Recess

[Anonymous]

Hi there, can anyone help me with this issue:

I am trying to get accurate Volume information from my ArchiCAD model to use with PHPP (Passivhaus) spreadsheet. With the right Zone Preferences settings, I see I can get the measured area to include the additional floor area AND volume of a window recess (See below). However this only seems to work when the base of the window is set at the base of the wall / zone. If I have a raised window base / sill (see last image below - window base raised to 200mm), ArchiCAD no longer calculates the zone volume to include the extra window recess volume. Is there a workaround to this? Or will it only ever include windows / door openings without a raised base in the volume calculation?

Thanks

Dan Coyle

[Laszlo Nagy]

Yes, unfortunately it considers Doors/Windows recesses only if the bottom of the Window or Door is at the floor level (the same level as the Zone).

You could make a wish about this. It may becoming a more important issue now that accurate energy calcultions are required more and more.

[hozec76]

Hello,

there doesn´t seem to be succesfull solution regarding the calculation of the window recesses into zone areas. I have checked in Archicad 25 and although the door recesses are properly included in the zone floor area / volume (if properly checked in settings), the window recesses are calculated only if the windowsill level is equal to wall foot. It doesn´t seem to matter, whether the zone is at the same level as the wall foot or floor level (i.e. beacause of floor slab), only the level of windowsill needs to be the same as wall foot. While this might make sense regarding the floor area of the zones, it doesn´t make sense regarding the volumes.

[Laszlo Nagy]

In the case of Windows, try to play with the Wall Inset depth value, set it to a value so that the Wall Inset goes all the way to the inside frame of the Window. Bae on my tests, the Zone will fill out the area of the Wall Inset.

[hozec76]

Thanks fot the reply, but I think there is a misunderstanding. I was refering to a problem with zones not calculating the volume nor the floor area of windows, which have no wall inset or which are going (the window, not the wall inset) to the floor level. By floor level I mean the floor surface level, while the wall foot is recessed to aligne with the top surface of load bearing floor slab structure.
Please take a look at the attachech images:

Case 1. Big window / glazed wall to the exterrior terrace:
1.01 The model how I wish it to be constructed:
- the wall foot is equal to the top level of load bearing structure (reinforced concrete slab here), as it would be constructed on site in real world
- the window (leading to terrace) bottom is recessed under the floor finish level to rest on the concrete slab (i.e. the bottom of the window is equal to the wall foot), using the "bottom tolerance" parameter
- the ZONE volume / floor area is somehow calculated, but the volume incorrectly
1.02 The model configuration set up so the ZONE calculations work properly:
- the wall foot is equal to the floor finish level / floor level / zone foot

- the window bottom is equal to all mentioned above - wall foot, floor finish level / floor level, zone foot

- the ZONE volume and floor area are calculated properly

- this configutation doesn´t make sense regarding the 3D model structure - doesn´t correspond to the real world at all
1.03 Standard model configuration:
- wall foot rests on the concrete slab (the same as for situation 1)
- the window bottom is euqal to floor level / floor finish level

- the ZONE volume is NOT calculated at all nor the floor area

Case 2. Standard window:
2.01 Standard window set up:

- window sill is at certain level from the floor level / floor finish level

- there is NO wall inset as there should not be any

- the zone floor area is not calculated - CORRECT!

- the zone volume of the window niche is not calculated - INCORRECT!

2.02 Alternative window set up:

- window sill is at certain level from the floor level / floor finish level

- there IS a wall inset (which should not be there)

- both the zone floor area / volume is calculated - CORRECTLY

- the only problem remaining is, that this is not the configuration which should be in the model - there should NOT be ANY wall inset under the window sill