Civil Engineering Department

CE013 – Building Systems Design Laboratory Manual

Design Plate No. II
FLOOR PLAN
1. Objective(s):
The activity aims to introduce the basic concepts, significance and procedures for the drafting of
a building floor plan which will serve as the basis for the development of their technical plans.
2. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs):
The students shall be able to:
2.1 Familiarize the basic operations and functions used in drafting a building floor plan.
2.2 Determine the technical descriptions involved in the development of a floor plan
2.3 Conduct the actual drafting of the floor plan.
3. Discussion:
Floor Plan is a scaled-drawing that shows a detailed view from above which defines the
relationships between rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other physical features at one level of a
structure. Sometimes referred to as the master plan, it is further defined as a visual presentation of
conceptual ideas supported by mathematical calculations aimed at giving convenience and comfort to
the users or occupants.

In developing floor plans, the designer must ensure that all the incorporated features inside the
floor plan must be thoroughly analyzed and planned to produce quality plans for the client/s. There
are a lot of aspects to consider when it comes to planning for a floor plan design. Sound planning
involves the integration of the following: Distribution; Circulation; Light and Ventilation; Sizes, areas,
and shape; Orientation; Zoning Laws; Height; Electrical and mechanical facilities; Location of doors
and windows, and; Superstition.

Distribution refers to the arrangement of each room unit in relation with its placement and position
with each other as to functions and coordination.

Circulation pertains to the movement of the occupants inside the building or structure. This should
not be hindered by any obstruction or any foreseeable instance that would hamper the occupants
inside a building or structure.

Light and Ventilation tackles mainly the inclusion of natural or artificial lighting and natural or
artificial ventilation inside a building or structure. Usually, artificial lighting or ventilation is more costly
than utilizing the natural method of lighting or ventilation.

Sizes, Areas, and Shape describes the adequacy of the floor plan to accommodate all intended
sets of furniture and appliances inside the building or structure while considering the amount of space
required for each person, and; the coordinated shape of the building or structure must always conform
to strict functionality rather than just plain fancy aesthetics without adequate purpose.

Orientation defines the consideration of environmental factors which may directly or indirectly
affect certain building features especially in determining the position of definite aspects of a building
or structure. Specifically, this refers to the position and direction of the sunrise and sunset, and; the
prevailing wind directions in the area.

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 Civil Engineering Department
CE013 – Building Systems Design Laboratory Manual
Zoning Laws regulates the construction of various buildings or structures within a specific area of
jurisdiction i.e. industrial parks, residential area, special economic zone. Zoning Laws also maintain
proper urban planning by encapsulating all buildings with similar occupancy type within a particular
area within a local municipality or city. Industrial parks predominantly built with manufacturing plants
and factories must not be constructed with any residential building within its area. As such, Business
districts is expected to have more commercial and business establishments than residential type;
residential buildings are of mid-rise to high-rise type rather than a private single unit type.

Height pinpoints the adequacy of the floor-to-ceiling distance to aid the interior design of the room
in a building or structure. Usually, a moderately high ceiling allows adequate air circulation and a
comfortable atmosphere while preserving the aesthetic value of the room. Rooms having low ceilings
has a warmer inner atmosphere which requires artificial ventilation.

Electrical Layout shows the proper arrangement of all the components of the installed electrical
systems in a building or structure which includes but not limited to the positions and locations of
switches, outlets, wiring conduits.

Location of Doors and Windows provides the positions and locations of all doors and windows in
the building or structure including its detailed specification of the units or materials used for each
component.

Superstitions are the beliefs of past, aged, up to the ancient people who tend to provide an
empirical and satirical explanation towards the uncertainty of a particular action, event, or idea. Feng
Shui has a strong foundation of beliefs that has transpired through all the ages and has been passed
on from one generation to the other.
4. Resources:
AutoCAD 2017 version or lower
5. Procedure:
Initial Preparations
1. From the previous lot plan activity, plot the lot using the sample land title provided.
2. Enhance and improve your lot by providing the necessary details in the plan.
3. Carefully plan on how you would fully utilize the lot considering that a two-storey residential house
with roofdeck shall be constructed inside the lot.

After plotting your lot

1. Create a floor plan of a two-storey residential house with roofdeck given that the following
requirements shall be evident in your designs:
a. One master's bedroom and two regular bedrooms
b. The master’s bedroom shall have its own bathroom inside
c. A balcony shall be constructed on the second floor
d. Two regular bathrooms shall be constructed; one for each floor level
2. In relation to the aforementioned requirements, take note of the following considerations that shall
be evident in your design:
a. All adjacent lots have been occupied with a bungalow-type residential house
b. All adjacent houses have been constructed with their firewalls extended along the extreme
boundary of their respective property lines

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CE013 – Building Systems Design Laboratory Manual
3. In developing your designs, consider all applicable provisions from the National Building Code of
the Philippines which includes the following but are not limited to:
a. Minimum floor areas i.e. for rooms, for bathrooms
b. Minimum width of stairs
c. Openings for light and ventilation

Reminders in drafting the floor plan

1. Use aligned dimension lines to properly define the distances between essential plotted lines.
2. Properly define the dimension lines to be utilized in the floor plan by adjusting the necessary
numbers of decimal places which includes the unit to be considered; ensure that the dimension
values are aligned to the direction of the dimension lines; provide adequate gap between the line
to be measured and the end lines of the dimension lines which serves as the boundary of the side
being measured.
3. Properly label the rooms according to its intended function. Adjust the size of the label and its
location within the floor plan to ensure readability and neatness.
4. Label the installed doors and windows by utilizing hexagons with numbers inscribed inside as the
corresponding window item, and; by utilizing circles with numbers inscribed as the corresponding
door item. Adjust the size of the label and its location within its corresponding drawing symbol
(hexagon or circular) to ensure readability and neatness. Doors with the same specification will
be labelled with the same door number; same goes for windows with the same specifications.

6. Data and Results:

Send your furnished plates through the TIP Canvas LMS