Question-and-Answer Resource for the Building Energy Modeling Community
 | 1 | initial version |
The easiest with the SketchUp Plugin and the OpenStudio Application is to not model the extra rooms (above, or on either side of the lab spaces). Instead, override the lab RoofCeilings' (and/or Walls') "Outside Boundary Condition" to "Adiabatic" (instead of eg "Outdoors"). See Field: Outside Boundary Condition here.
An alternative is "OtherSideCoefficients". It is certainly more detailed and flexible, yet more cumbersome to set up with the Plugin/Application (as I don't believe the SurfacePropertyOtherSideCoefficients class is currently mapped). You would need to do this by hand (or preferably develop a Measure).
When does it make more sense to rely on OtherSideCoefficients? Adiabatic conditions make sense when thermal conditions on either side of a surface are +/- the same. OtherSideCoefficients would be preferred if the surface separates lab spaces from a refrigerated storage space, for instance. Hope this helps.
