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Typesofdrawingsforbuildingdesign
Contents
1Locationdrawingsandgeneralarrangementdrawings
1.1Blockplans
1.2Siteplans
1.3Floorplans
1.3.1Basicfloorplan
1.3.2Generalarrangementplans
1.4Elevations
1.5Estateroadlayout
2Assemblydrawings
3Componentdrawings
4Projections
4.1Orthographicprojection
4.2Axonometricprojection
4.3Isometricprojection
4.4Obliqueprojection
5Preliminarydrawings
6Sketchdrawings
7Workingdrawings
7.1Specification
7.2Billofquantities
8Findoutmore

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Relatedarticles
Asbuiltdrawingsandrecorddrawings.
Assemblydrawing.
Billofquantities.
Buildinginformationmodelling.
Componentdrawing.
Computeraideddesign.
Detaildrawing.
Generalarrangementdrawing.

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8.1RelatedarticlesonDesigningBuildingsWiki

Locationdrawingsandgeneralarrangementdrawings

Theinformationshownonalocatingdrawingwillbeoverallsizes,levelsandreferencesto
assemblydrawings.Theyareintendedtoshowthelocationoftheworks,notdetail(acommon
mistake).Thelocationdrawings,whichcanbeplans,elevationorsections,arenumbered
consecutivelywiththeprefixL.

Typically,locationdrawingswillinclude:
Blockplans.
Siteplans.
Floorplans.
Foundationsplans.
Roofplans.
Sectionthroughtheentirebuilding.
Elevations.

WithSpectreinthecinemas,readaboutTerry
Farrell'sdivisivepostmodernAztecdesignfor
theMI6headquarters.

Userstats

BritishStandardSpecification1192includesrecommendedorpreferredscalesforlocation
drawings.

Blockplans
BlockplansusuallyshowthesitingoftheprojectinrelationtoOrdnanceSurveyMaps.
Conventionsareusedtodepictboundaries,roadsandotherdetails.Recommendedscalesare:
1:2500
1:1250
1:500

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LatestDesigningBuildingsWikiinfographic
showinguserstatstoNovember.

Housing&FinanceInstituteplanstorevitalise
SMEhousebuilders

TheTreasurybackedinstitutehasannounced
theirplansto"sitinthemiddle"ofthe
housebuildingsupplychain.

BRE'sindepthreviewoftheBuilding16
project

Developingsystemintelligenceforthe
decarbonisationrevolution.Overthenext30
yearselectricitysupplywillgothrougha
revolutionasthegridessentiallybecomes
decarbonisedandlocalmicrogeneration
becomescommonplace.

Siteplans

InfrastructureCommission

Siteplansusuallyshowtheextentofthesitebutnosurroundingdetail.Recommendedscales
are:
1:500
1:200
Thefunctionofthesiteplanistoshow:
Thelocationofthebuildingorbuildingsinrelationtotheirsurroundings.
Thetopographyofthesite,withbothexistingandfinishedlevels.
Buildingstobedemolishedorremoved.
Theextentofearthworks,included,cuttingandfilling,andtheprovisionofbankandretaining
walls.
Roads,footpaths,hardstandingsandpavedareas.
Planting.
Thelayoutofexternalserviceruns,includingdrainage,water,gas,electricity,telephone,etc.
Thelayoutofexternallighting.
Fencing,wallsandgates.
Thelocationofmiscellaneousexternalcomponentsbollards,litterbins,etc.

LordAdonislaunchesacallforevidence,
focusingtheUKsmostcriticalinfrastructure
challenges.

Solidwallinsulation:Unlockingdemandand
drivingupstandards

ChiefconstructionadviserPeterHansford
delivershisrecommendationsonimproving
thecredibilityofsolidwallinsulation.

Cybercrime

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GreatBSRIAarticleaboutcyberthreatsto
buildingautomationandcontrolsystems.

Librarycasestudy

CIBSEreportontheUniversityofEast
LondonsnewlibraryinStratford.

Formorenews,gotothehomepage.

Floorplans
Floorplansusuallyshowthelayoutofrooms,keydimensionsandlevels,andmayalsouse
conventionsandsymbolstoshowmaterialsandlocationsoffittingsandappliances.
Recommendedscalesare:
1:200
1:100
1:50
Linetypesareusedtodifferentiateinformationinfloorplans.Hatchingorconventionsareused
toillustratematerials,whilesymbolsareusedtoshowfittingsandappliances,oftenwith
standardabbreviations.

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Therearethreesituationsthatmustbeconsidered:
Generalarrangement(location)drawingsdesignedtoshowasinglebuildingelementand
whatitshouldcontain.
Generalarrangementdrawingsdesignedtobecompleteinthemselves(clearlythistypeof
drawingwouldonlyariseonthesmallestandsimplestofprojects.)
Basicfloorplandrawingsthedrawingswhichprovidethefundamentalandminimal
informationwhichwillappearastheframeworkforeachindividualelementalplan.Thebasic
drawing,infact,fromwhichfuturedrawingcontainingelementalinformationwillbetaken.
Basicfloorplan
Ifasetofworkingdrawingsforaprojectisprepared,thefloorplansmaybedividedintofive
elementsinthefollowingmanner:

(2)Primaryelements
(3)Secondaryelements
(5)Services(pipedandducted)
(6)Services(electrical)
(7)Fittings
Generalarrangementplans
WheretheelementalplansaretobedrawnbyCADormanually,youmustfistconsiderwhat
commonfeaturesoftheplanswillneedtoappearinallfiveelementalisedplansgiveninthe
exampleabove.Itisclearlyimportantthattheinformationcarriedbythebasenegative,(manual)
orlayerscommontoalldrawingsinaCADsetshallbe,nottoolittle,andnottoomuch.Belowis

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achecklistofwhatthebasicplanshouldcontainandalistofthoseitemswhichmoreoftenthan
notgetaddedtotheoriginalneedlesslyandsuperfluouslytothesubsequentinconvenienceof
everyone.

Tobeincluded:
Walls
Mainopeningsinwalls(i.e.doorsandwindows)
Partitions
Mainopeningsinpartitions(doors)
Doorswing
Roomnamesandnumbers
Gridreferences(whenapplicable)
Stairs(inoutline)
Fixedfurniture(includingloosefurniturewhereitsdispositioninaroomispredetermined
e.g.deskssetoutonamodulargird,etc.)
Sanitaryfittings
Cupboards
Northpoint
Itemswhichtendtobeincluded,butshouldnotbe:
Dimensions
Annotations
Detailsofconstructione.g.cavitywallconstruction
Hatchingandshading
Loosefurniturewhereitsdispositionisnotpredetermined
Sectionindications
Auniformlinethicknessshouldbeusedthroughoutandthemiddleofthethreelinethickness
forthescaletobeusedontheplanisrecommended.
Recommendedpensize/linesizesareasfollows:
Drawingstoascaleof1:50andless

(a)

Drawingstoascale1:20to1:5

(b)

(c)

(a)

(b)

(c)

(a)

(b)

(c)

Drawingstoascalelargerthan1:5
PensizeRange1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.7

PenSizeRange2(ISO91751)*

0.18

0.25

0.35

0.5

0.7

*PenssizerangefollowsthesamesizeratioprincipleusedfortheinternationalAseriespaper
size(ISO216).Thestandardsizes(ISO91751)differbyafactor2.Thesepensare:2.00mm,
1.40mm,1.00mm,0.70mm,0.50mm,0.35mm,0.25mm,0.18mmand0.13mm.Soafter
drawingwitha0.35mmpenonA3paperandreducingittoA4,youcancontinuewiththe0.25
mmpen.(ISO91751).Othersizesofpensareavailable,however,tokeepthesamefactor
whenworkingbetweendifferentsizesheets,thestandardsizesofpensshouldbeused.

Elevations
Elevationsusuallyshowtheoutlineofthebuilding,openingdetailsandsizes,leveldatumsand
floorposition.Anelevationshouldgiveanimpressionofhowonefaceofthebuildingwilllook
fromtheoutside.

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Estateroadlayout
Shouldbeateither1:1250or1:500scales.Linetypeswillfulfilanimportantroleinthistypeof
locationdrawing.Theidentityofburieditemswillbeindicatedbydifferentlinetypes.
Conventionsandsymbolswillindicatehardandsoftlandscapedetailsandstreetfurnitureshould
beindicatedbysymbols.

Assemblydrawings

Thepurposeofassemblydrawingsistoshowhowthebuildingiserectedonsite.Informationwill
includecomponentidentificationandreference,assemblydimensionsandtoleranceswith
referencetocomponentdrawings.

Theassemblydrawingscanbe:
Plans
Elevations
Section
TheassemblydrawingnumberisprefixedbytheletterA.Standarddetailsneedanefficient
librarycodingsystemtoaidretrievalandsorting,andtheCommonArrangementofWorkSection
(CAWS)referencesystemfoundinthestandardoldMethodofMeasurement(SMM7now
replacedbytheNMR2andUniclass).Someassemblydrawingswillshow:
Substructuresection
Externalwalldetails
Wallopeningssuchashead,sillandjambsections,plans
Eavesdetails
Internalwalls
Stairdetails
Thestructuringofdrawninformationintospecificsheetshelpsthesearchpatternsoftheend
user.Someunenlighteneddesignerswillfillthedrawingsheetwithamixtureofplans,elevations
and,ifthereisroom,detailedsections.Thetitledchosenforthedrawingsheetisthefirst
indicationofthecontentofthesheet.Searchproceduresbytheendusersfollowapatternand
thedrawingsshouldbestructuredandtitledtomaximisethisprocedure.Recommendedscales
foreassemblydrawingsare:1:501:201:10.

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Thedrawingswillcompriseplanviewandsections,andthethicknessoflineswilldependonthe
informationhierarchy.Outlinesanddifferentcomponentsdrawnwiththickerlinesalerttheuserto
keyinformationastheeyescanstheentiredrawing.Theplacingofthesectiononthedrawing
sheetshouldbecarefullylaidouttominimisesearchtimefortheenduser.

Identificationofmaterialsusingstandardconventionswillcomplementtheannotationand
conveytheextentofthematerialsusedintheassemblydetail.

Theamountoftextanddimensionsincludedonthesheetshouldbejustenoughtoachievethe
purposeofthedrawing.Forexample,adrawingofasubstructuredetailshouldnotincludetextor
specificationrelatingtotheroof.Whenplacingtextanddimensionsontothesheet,itisbestto
assisttheenduserbyleavingthedrawingareauncluttered.Thefocalpointisthedrawndetail.
Oncethediagramhasbeenassimilated,furtherinformationissought,withtheeyeradiatingout
formthefocusdiagram.Thediagramshouldthereforebeencircledwithdimensionsandtext,and
thetextshouldbelegible,conciseandaccurate.

Codereferencesdirecttheusertofurtherdrawninformationsuchascomponentdrawingsorto
thebillofquantities.Thespecificationorthemeasuredsectionofthebillofquantitiesshould
explainthequalityofthematerialorworkmanship.Thiswillavoidexpensiveduplicationof
specificationsonthedrawings,reducingthepossibilityofdiscrepanciesbetweentenderand
contractdocuments.

Componentdrawings

Thistypeofdrawingshowsindividualcomponentsintheunfixedstate.Informationwillinclude
componentsizes,toleranceandspecificationwithreferencetothebillofquantity.

ThecomponentdrawingnumberisprefixedbytheletterC,andtypicalcomponentdetailsare:
Woodwindowheaddetail
Specialdoorconstruction
Sill
Copingstone

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Componentdrawingsareoftenlargescale,sometimefullsizeddrawingsshowingindividual
components.Assemblydrawingswillcontainseveralcomponents,showinghowtheindividual
componentsfittogethertomakeabuildingelement.

Recommendedscalesare:
1:10
1:5
1:2
1:1
Thecomponentdrawingswillcontaindimensionsandsometext,butthematerialspecification
andtheminimumacceptablequalitywillbedefinedinthespecificationsectionofthebillof
quantities.TheCAWSreferencecodewilldirecttheendusertothecorrectpartofthebillof
quantities.

Projections
Orthographicprojection

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Orthographicprojectionisawayofillustratingthreedimensionalobjectsinatwodimensional
drawing.Thebasicdrawinglayoutsareshownbelow.

DrawingprojectionsmustcomplywiththerelevantBritishStandardtopreventmisunderstanding
andavoiderrorsininterpretingthedrawing.TheorthographicprojectioncommonlyusedinBritain
iscalledthefirstangleprojection,butthereareotherlesscommonprojectionsthatcanbeused
toillustrateathreedimensionalobject.

Axonometricprojection
Theadvantageofanaxonometricprojectionisthetrueplansetat45degrees.Itissuitablefor
interiorandkitchenlayout.Planningdrawingsareeffectiveasaxonometricprojectiontoshowthe
relationshipofexistingbuildings,topographyandtheproposedbuilding.

Isometricprojection
Unliketheaxonometricprojection,theisometricplanviewisslightlydistortedandcanbeusedto
showthenatureofthedesignmoreclearlythananorthographicprojection.Itissometimesused
duringtheconceptualisationofthedesigntohelptheclientgraspthemassoftheproposal.

Obliqueprojection
Whenprimaryinformationisdrawninelevation,theinterpretationcanbeenhancedbyanoblique
projection.

Preliminarydrawings

Thesedrawingsareoftenrefereedtoasthinkingdrawings,andillustrateelementsofthedesign.
Thefreehandsketchesarebroadstrokeswithlittledetailandillustratemass,proportionorother
aestheticprinciples.Softpencilorafinelinerpenondetailpaperisthepreferredmedium.To
avoiddeceptionthedetailpaperisoftengridpapertoensureacorrectproportionofimages.The
focalpointofthebuildingcanbequicklyillustratedbyapreliminarysketch.Simplicityand
avoidanceofdetailarethemainaspectsofagoodpreliminarydrawing.

Sketchdrawings

Theentirerangeofdrawingscanbeillustratedassketchdrawings.Alocationdrawingcanbe
keyorcontroldrawing,showingcontroldimensionsorlevels.Asketchedassemblydrawingcan
beusedbythearchitecttoinstructthetechnicianpreparingtheinknegative.Toavoid

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misinterpretationofsize,itisadvantageoustouseamodular,gridruledplan,inwhichthemain
gridis300mm,withasecondarygridof100mm.

Workingdrawings

Thesearethefinaldrawninstructionswhichthebuilderwilluseonsitetoconvertthedesign
ideasintoarealbuilding,andcaremustbetakentoensureaccuracyofdimensionsand
specification.Inpreparingthelocationplanitisbesttouseacontrolboxwhenhanddrawinga
workingdrawingthatis,maximumdesignlengthandwidtharedrawnonthetracingfilm.All
detailsshouldfitwithinthiscontrolbox,andifyoufindyouaredrawingoutsidethecontrolbox
youshouldstopimmediatelyasthisindicatesanerrorinthedetailedmeasurements.Oncethe
drawinghasbeencompletedinink,cleanupthedrawinganderasethecontrolbox.

Whenadrawingisbeingproduced,thoughtmustbegiventothestructuringofinformation.A
drawingcontainscertaininformationthatmustbeobserved.Thisisprimaryinformation,shown
bythickerlinesand/orhighintensity.Secondaryinformationwillbeshownbylinesofmedium
thickness,whiletertiaryinformationwillbeindicatedbythinlines.Withinkdrawingsonfilmor
tracingpaper,differentpenthicknesswillachievethenecessaryinformationhierarchy.

Specification
Alldrawingsrequireannotationdescribingtheelementsoridentifyingthecomponents.Asthese
descriptivenotesandwordsmustbeclearlyunderstood,itisessentialtoaimforlegibilityifthey
arehandwritten,whichmeanstakingtimeto:
Formandshapeeachindividualletter.
Spacelettersandwordscorrectly.

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Arrangethetexttohelptheenduser.
Arrangethetextinhierarchicalcontext.
Tohelpachieveclarityofspecification,stencilsanddrylettertransfersareavailable.When
usingCAD,takethetimetoselectaclearandsuitablefont.FontslikeComicSansshouldnever
beusedonanyformaldocuments,signage,publicationsordrawings.

Billofquantities
Thebillofquantitieswhichis,first,avitaltenderdocument,thenacontractdocumentshould
beanaccuratedescriptionandquantificationoftheproject.Thereshouldthereforebeacross
referencetothetenderdrawingandarchitectsnotesorspecifications.

BasedontheoldSMM7,someofthemaincrossreferencesare:
Concretework:
1. ConcretefoundationE10.1
2. Concretebed(floor)E10.4
3. ConcretecavityfillingE30.8
1.
2.
3.
4.

Masonry
ClaybrickworkinwallF10.1
CavitiesF30.1.1
Dampproofcourse,verticalF30.2.1
Dampproofcourse,horizontalF30.2.3

1.
2.
3.
4.

Carcasstimber
RafterG20.92
FloorjoistG20.6
FloorboardingK20.2
TrussedrafterG20.2

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Finishingjoinery
WoodwindowL20.1
DoubleglazingL40.2
WooddoorframeL20.7
WooddoorL20.1
ArchitraveP20.1

Roofing
1. ConcreterooftilesH60.1
Plastering
1. PlasterboardandskimM20.2
2. PlastertowallsM20.1
3. FloorscreedM10.5
(Thisinformationandcrossreferencingshouldhavebeenappliedtoolderarchitecturaldrawings.)

Findoutmore
RelatedarticlesonDesigningBuildingsWiki
Asbuiltdrawingsandrecorddrawings.
Assemblydrawing.
Billofquantities.
Buildinginformationmodelling.
Componentdrawing.
Computeraideddesign.
Detaildrawing.
Generalarrangementdrawing.
Installationdrawings.
NorthAmericanPaperSizes
Notationandsymbols.
Papersizes(ISO216A,BandCseries)
Productioninformation.
Shopdrawings.
Specification.
Technicaldrawing.
Workingdrawing.

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