ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Instructor: Architect Eva Maria Villanueva

FLOOR PLAN
a drawing of the outline and partitions of a building as you would see
them at the building were cut horizontally at about 4 feet or 1.20m
the plan is the beginning of the building. It is the foundation upon which
the scheme of the structure rests. It relates the various units to each other
the design process should always proceed from within to without
2 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING A PLAN
1. the arrangement of the units according to practical requirements
2. the arrangement according to the rule of abstract design
FLOOR PLAN SKETCHING
1. Preliminary sketching
shows desirable size proportion and relationship of each room to the
entire plan
offsets and indentations are smoothed by increasing the dimensions of
some rooms and changing slightly the arrangement of the others
modular sizes are established
exact positions and sizes of doors and windows are determined
2. Final sketching
single line sketches are change to define wall thickness and include
property features
location of shrubbery, trees, patios, driveways, gardens, etc. are included

STEPS IN DRAWING FLOOR PLANS

1. block the overall dimensions of the house and add the thickness of the
outside walls with a hard pencil
2. layout the position of interior partitions
3. locate the position of doors and windows by center line and by their
widths
4. darken the object lines with an F pencil
5. add doors and window symbols with a 2H pencil
6. add symbols for stairwells
7. erase extraneous lines if they are too heavy. If they are extremely light,
they can remain
8. draw the outlines of the furniture and fixtures
9. add the symbols and sections for any masonry work such as planters
10. dimension the drawing
DOORS AND WINDOWS IN PLAN
1. show normally swinging doors at 90 opening
2. doors swings are shown with light lines and quarter symbols
3. door type is not illustrated in plan, only in elevational views
4. window type cannot be explained in plan except for width and location :
window type and height are shown in elevational views
5. show sill lines with a lighter line weight than wals, jambs and glass, since
sills are not in fact cut through
WALL INDIATIONS
- note that what is cut through in plan (walls, columns, etc.) takes
precedence and should be dominating value; what is seen within plan
(flooring, counters, furniture, etc.) should be lighter in value

the position of the cutting plane is shown by the cutting plane line. A
cutting plane line is a long heavy line followed by two dashes. It is placed
in the part to be sectioned, and the arrows at its ends show the direction
from which the section is to be viewed
the cutting plane line often interferes with dimensions, notes and
details. In this case, an alternative method wherein only the extremes of
the cutting plane line are used. The cutting plane line is then assumed to
be straight

RULES FOR DIMENSIONING FLOOR PLANS

1. architectural dimension lines are unbroken lines with dimensions placed
above the lines. Arrowheads, dots, small circles and diagonal lines are
used to denote the termination of the dimension line. Dots are used when
the area to be dimensioned is too small for arrowheads. Arrowheads
may also be placed outside the extension lines when the area is too small
2. dimensions should be placed to read from the right or from the bottom
of the drawing. The numerals should always be written above the lines
3. dimension lines are placed about 3/8 apart. To avoid crossing extension
and dimension lines, place the longer dimensions farther away from the
plan. Overall building dimensions are placed outside all other dimensions

KINDS OF SECTIONS
FULL SECTION
- a section cut through the entire building or component
a. cross section a section showing a crosswise cut through the

4. when the area to be dimensioned is too small for the numerals, they are
placed outside the dimension lines. Do not try to fancy up dimensions
with artistic numerals, legibility is the only concern
5. rooms are dimensioned form the center line of partitions. In some cases,

building
b.
longitudinal section a section showing a transverse or
lengthwise cut through building
OFFSET SECTION

they may be dimensioned from wall to wall, exclusive of wall thickness

6. in dimensioning stairs, the number of risers is placed on a line with an
arrow indicating the direction (up or down)
7. architectural dimensions always refer to the actual size of the building
regardless of the scale of the drawing
8. never crowd dimensions. To free the plan of excessive dimensions, the
sizes of doors and windows are given in the door and window schedule.
All obvious dimensions are also omitted

- a section with a cutting plane line offset to permit it to cut through

necessary features
HALF SECTION

SECTIONS
architectural sections are drawings that show a building cut in half by
an imaginary plane called a cutting plane. All the material on one side of
the cut is removed so that the interior can be studied

- a cut to remove only one quarter of a symmetrical component. Thus

both exterior and interior can be shown in one view
POINTS TO REMEMBER IN DRAWING SECTIONS
1. a building material is only sectioned when the cutting plane line passes
through it. The outline of all other materials visible behind the plane of
projection must also be drawn in their proper position and scale
2. as with floor plans, whatever is cut through in taking a section (floor,
walls, roof structure, etc.) is profiled with a heavy line

3. cut sections through major elements in a building (major window

openings, doorways, changes in roof and floor levels, roof opening, etc.).
never cut through columns
4. it is good practice to include people in building design section to give a
scale to the spaces
5. the physical context of the building should always be shown buy
indicating the earth upon which it sits, which is also cut through
6. construction details and foundations need not be indicated in design
sections
RULES FOR DIMENSIONING SECTIONS
1. vertical dimensions should be read from the right of the drawing
2. levels to be dimensions should be labeled with a note, term or
abbreviation
3. room heights are shown by dimensioning from the floor line to the ceiling
line
4. the height of windows and doors are dimensioned from the floor line to
the top of windows and doors. Windows and doors may be indexed to a
door and window schedule, or the style of the windows and doors may be
shown on the sectional drawing.
5. sectional dimensions show only vertical distances. horizontal distances
are shown in the floor plan
6. dimensions for small, complex, or obscure areas should be indicated to a
separate detail
7. overall height dimensions are placed on the outside of subdimensions
ELEVATIONS
- the main feature of the outside of a building are shown on the elevation
drawings. Elevation drawings are orthographic drawings of the exterior of a

building. They are prepared to show the design, materials, dimensions, and final
appearance of the exterior of a building
- only horizontal distances can be established in the floor plan. Thus, the
vertical height such as the height of windows and doors must be shown on the
elevations
4 TYPES OF ELEVATION ACCORDING TO FUNCTIONAL ORIENTATION
front elevation

- the view projected from the front of a building

rear elevation
- the view projected from the rear of a building
right side elevation
- the view projected from the right side of a building
left side elevation
- the view projected form the left side of a building

ELEVATIONS ACCORDING TO COMPASS ORIENTAITON

- a method of projecting the elevations of a building with no so-called front
or rear view
STEPS IN PROJECTING ELEVATIONS
The major lines of an elevation are derived by projecting vertical lines
from the floor plan, and measuring the position of the horizontal lines from the
ground line
vertical line projection
- vertical lines represents the main lines of a building should first
be projected. These lines show the overall length or width of the building.
They also show the major parts or offsets of the building. The position of
the doors and windows are also projected from the floor plan
horizontal line projection

- horizontal lines that represents the height of the eave line and
ridge line above the ground are measured, then drawn to intersect with
the vertical lines drawn from the floor plan. The intersection of these lines
provide the overall outline for the elevation

- this center is built around the sink and its adjoining counter
space

KITCHENS
A well planned kitchen is efficient, attractive and easy to maintain. In
designing an efficient kitchen, the following must be considered:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

function
basic shape
dcor
size
location of equipment

FUNCTION OF A KITCHEN
The basic function of a kitchen is food preparation. In some cases, the
kitchen is also used as an informal dining area and as a laundry area
THREE AREAS OF THE KITCHEN
storage center
- the focal point of the storage center is the refrigerator, although

many cabinets for non-refrigerated food, dishes and utensils must be

provided. The refrigerator may be free-standing, built-in or suspended
from a wall
- to save steps, the refrigerator may be located near the delivery
door, or nearest the door to the living/dining area
preparation and cleaning center

- the preparation and cleaning center may also include a wastedisposal unit, an automatic dishwasher, and cabinets for storing brushes,
towels and cleaning supplies
cooking center
- the cooking center is grouped around the range/stove. Rangeoven combinations are often 36 inches or 0.90 meter high, so counters
should be designed at the same height
- the cooking center should also include countertop workspaces,
as well as storage for small appliances and cooking utensils that will be
used in the area. The cooking center must have an adequate supply of
electrical outlets for the minor appliances used in cooking

WORK TRIANGLE
If you draw a line connecting the three centers of the kitchen, a triangle is
formed. This is called a work triangle. The perimeter of an efficient work triangle
should be between 12 and 22 feet or 3.7 and 6.7 meters
BASIC SHPAES OF THE KITCHEN
1. PULLMAN
- this shape of kitchen, consisting of a long corridor with utilities
on either side, is often used when space is at a premium. Doors may be
at either end or one end only.
- this shape of kitchen is unsatisfactory if a considerable traffic
passes through the work triangle
- a Pullman kitchen produces one of the most efficient work
triangles of all the arrangement
2. U-SHAPED

- this type of kitchen has cabinets on three walls, the sink usually
in the middle, and the refrigerator and stoves on opposite sides. This plan
is adaptable for both small and large rooms
- in this arrangement, traffic passing through the kitchen is
completely separated from the work triangle
- the open space between the sides may be 4 or 5 (1.2 or 1.5m)
3. L-SHAPED
- probably the most commonly used arrangement, the L-shaped
kitchen is efficient because it allows for two doors without any interruption
of countertop area
- this type of plan has continuous counters and appliances and
equipment on two adjoining walls. The work triangle is not often used for
other kitchen facilities, such as dining and laundry
- if the walls of an L-shaped kitchen are too long, the efficiency is
destroyed
4. PENINSULA
- the peninsula kitchen is similar to the U kitchen. However, one
end of the U is not enclosed with a wall. The peninsula is often used to
adjoin the kitchen to the dining or family rooms
- this kind of layout may be used only with large rooms. It is called
peninsula when the bar runs perpendicular to a wall, and an island when
it is freestanding
5. ONE-WALL
- this layout is used when a kitchen must be fitted in a long,
narrow space such as in small apartments, cabins or houses where little
space is available

- the work centers are located in an efficient although not ideal

arrangement. In planning the one-wall kitchen, the designer must be very
careful to avoid having the wall too long, and must provide adequate
storage facilities
LOCATION OF THE KITCHEN
The kitchen must be located near the service entrance and near the
waste disposal area. If possible, the childrens play area should also be visible
from the kitchen. The kitchen must always be adjacent to the dining area or when
provided, outdoor dining areas.
GUIDES IN PLANNING A KITCHEN
1. the traffic lane is clear of the work triangle
2. the work areas include all necessary appliances and facilities. Electrical
outlets must be provided for the appliances. There must be adequate
storage centers for all work areas
3. the kitchen is located adjacent to the dining area and near the childrens
area
4. the work triangle measures less than 22 or 6.7m
5. shadowless and glareless light is provided and is concentrated on each
work center
6. adequate counter space is provided for meal preparation
7. ventilation is adequate
8. the oven/range/stove is separated from the refrigerator by at least one
cabinet
9. working height for counter is 36 or 0.90m
10. the combination of base cabinets, wall cabinets, and appliances provides
a consistent standard unit without gaps or awkward extension or
depressions