Background information

In this project a building is constructed at the University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus next to
the Beharry Dorms. Drafts of different types of plans are presented to show the outline of the
building. On the plan, you’ll notice several different types of lines. These lines indicate
everything from the visible and invisible sides of objects to the dimensions and center axes of
objects.

Understanding Your Building Plans

In this building plan you’ll find details on the cross sections, exterior and interior elevations, the
floor plans, foundation plans, building sections and details, roof plans, cabinet layouts and
electrical locations, etc.

Exterior elevations provide side views of the building. This provides information regarding
where the windows, doors, and exterior trim is found, as well as illustrations on the wall heights,
roof pitches, and ridge heights. Interior elevations show the height and placement of cabinets,
countertops, and detailing, such as tiles on bathroom walls. 

Floor plans are architectural plans that show the layout of each level of the structure. The draft of
the plan shows the layout from an overhead perspective that omits the roof and any upper floors.
The floor plan illustrates the design of internal walls, doors, windows, and wall insets. It also
indicates the placement of permanent fixtures, such as bathrooms, major appliances, and internal
structures (stairways). Each floor has a floor plan that includes a description of the intended uses
of rooms or other internal spaces. The designer indicates both door and window sizes and give
dimensions, including lengths, widths, and internal square footages.
Foundation plan illustrates the foundation of the home, including structural beams and footings.
It also shows the sizes, shapes, thicknesses, configurations, and elevations of foundation walls,
including interior load-bearing walls and exterior post footings. The foundation plan also shows
the positioning of reinforcing bars and the connections and attachments via anchor bolts or weld
plates between the foundation’s structural members.

Building sections and details shows how the different levels and areas of the plan work in
conjunction with each other.
Cross sections are also a kind of side view, but these represent a vertical slice through the
building which will show all internal components. A cross section details both visible
components, such as stairs, sidings, and roofing, and concealed components, such as framing
members, headers, and insulation.

The roof plan provides a bird’s eye view of the home. This drawing shows the ridges, hips and
valleys, it also indicates the roofing material and slopes of roof surfaces and also shows each
rafter or truss. 
Walls, Windows, and Doors - Plan Symbols and Features

Walls are represented by parallel lines and are solid or filled with a pattern. Breaks in walls
indicate doors, windows and openings between rooms. Door floor plans are drawn as thin
rectangles and include an arc to indicate the swing direction. Windows are breaks in walls
crossed by thin lines showing the glass and the frame. Swinging windows (casements) shows a
line or an arc to indicate the direction that the window opens.

Stairs

Stairs are drawn as a series of rectangles (usually with a direction arrow indicating whether the
stairs travel up to the next higher floor or down). Where the stair rises three feet above the floor
it is cut with a diagonal line. Stairs above the “cut line” are shown with dashed lines.

Fixtures, Fittings, and Finishes

The location of sinks, toilets, and other important fixtures are located on the floor plans, key
fixtures and appliances will be pretty easy to spot because the symbol shows the fixture itself.

Measurements - Size and Width, Furniture and Use

The floor plans include “dimension strings” to locate windows, doors, walls and other
architectural elements. Dimension strings are drawn parallel to the element with 45º “hash
marks” at each end of the dimension string indicating where the measurement starts and ends.
Furniture is added to the floor plans to help you imagine how a space is furnished.

Room sizes

All dimensions are presented in feet and inches. Room dimensions are presented in width by the
length. For example, a room has a dimension of 12' x 16' means it's 12 feet wide (from side to
side) by 16 feet long (from top to bottom).

Kitchen and Bathroom Details

The floor plans show the locations of the range and cook top, oven, fridge and freezers,
microwave, sink, and dishwasher. All of these details are shown and labeled to help visualize the
space.
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showing symbols that is use in building plans