Why are Internal Partitions Not Accessible at Zone Level?

A common question on our Support Desk is about why partition and other internal surface attributes aren’t available for editing at the zone level. 

The reason behind this relates to avoiding ambiguity when different settings are made in adjacent zones. To understand it, consider a case where there is a partition between two adjacent zones A and B, and the construction type of the internal partition in zone A is set to be ‘aerated concrete block’, while in zone B it is set to be ‘hollow concrete block’. Based on the inheritance rules, the shared partition could either inherit the data from zone A (‘aerated concrete block’) or zone B (‘hollow concrete block’). DesignBuilder prevents any such uncertainties from entering the modelling process by hiding the Internal partitions setting at the zone level.
 
If you need to apply different settings for internal partitions, glazing, doors, vents etc. then it is usually best to make the changes at a surface level so that the change is automatically applied to the corresponding surface on the other side and there can be no ambiguity.
 
If you want to apply different settings to multiple internal surfaces or openings across your model, then you should consider using the Model data grid tool to speed up the process by making the required changes at once.

You can read more detailed guidance on setting data for internal surface and opening attributes here in the Program help.