We are working on an eQuest model of a very unusual building. It was constructed in 1911. The original building had a lower level, first and second floor in the main wing and four stories of library stacks in the west wing.

The building has been renovated to include a balcony in the main wing and the west wing has been converted from four floors to three floors. The exterior envelope dimensions have not changed.

The original windows now span several floors in various areas. The ceiling has been boxed out to allow light from the windows to enter the space. Above the suspended ceilings are unconditioned plenums.

As you might know, eQuest does not allow a window to be located in a plenum space. Accordingly, we have defined zones around each window that span the plenum or floor so that we could insert the actual window dimensions.

In the west wing, the second floor is suspended. It is attached to the building on the east and west sides. We have an atrium on the north and south sides that extends from the first floor to the roof. This atrium is conditioned on the first floor, is semi-conditioned on the second floor, which is isolated from the atrium by plate glass walls which are not air-tight, and is unconditioned above the second floor to the roof.

We have built as accurate a model as possible within the limitations of eQuest. We are concerned that the GBCI might reject this model. Has anyone submitted a model of such a non-standard building design to the GBCI and how was it received?