U a

TECHNICAL DRAWING: PLANS

Technical Drawing: Plans
Table of Contents 

1. Technical Drawing: Plans

1.1. Types of Plans
1.1.1. Architectural planning drawings
1.1.2. Architectural Construction Drawings
1.2. The Floor Plan
1.2.1. Structural and non structural walls
1.2.2. Doors and windows
1.2.3. Stairs
1.2.4. Ramps
1.2.5. Levels
1.2.6. Dimensions
1.2.7. Items overhead
1.2.8. Accessibility
1.3. Floor Plan Checklist
1.3.1. General drawing
1.3.2. Annotations and labels
1.3.3. Dimensions
1.4. You Might Also Be Interested In:

In part one of our technical drawing series we looked at Layout, and

part 2 explored Labelling and Annotation. In this part of the
technical drawing series, we will look at Plans.

Depending on the nature and complexity of a project, the floor plan

can contain simple or complex information. It may be that a number
of different floor plans are needed to represent all of the
information required, or that just one floor plan will suffice. It is also
worth mentioning, that floor plans are required to show a different
level of information depending on the stage of the project. For
example, at early planning stages, plans tend to be more basic,
providing necessary information to a planning department in order
for them to decide whether they will grant permission for the
project. A construction drawing, on the other hand, will required
detailed information on how the building will be constructed,
focusing on many aspects of the project. 

When you start drawing your plans it is important to note the stage
of your project, and what information you are conveying, and to
whom.

Types of Plans
 

Architectural planning drawings

 

Let’s start with the basic floor plan. A planning drawing will be
required by a planning department in order for them to decide
whether to approve the application. 
 

The floor plan must contain some standard elements that will help
your reader understand the drawing. Some of these basic
requirements are:

Walls
Main openings in walls (window and doors)
Partitions or internal walls
Door swings
Room names
Grid reference if relevant
Stairs
Fixed furniture
Loose furniture suggestion
Sanitary fittings
Cupboards

Separate from the building itself, the drawing must show a north
point, which allows the reader to orientate the building, along with a
scale bar. It is also important to note on the plan the entrance to the
building using an arrow and “IN” or “ENTRANCE” label.
The scale at which you present the drawing will dictate how much
information will be shown on the drawing. For example, you could
consider including dimensions, annotations or labels where
necessary, hatching or shading, section markers. This information
would most certainly be included in construction drawings, but may
not be required at this stage. 

Architectural Construction Drawings

 

Construction drawings need to provide more detailed information

to the reader and will be used to gain building regulation approval,
and later to construct the building. Due to the amount of
information displayed, it is sometimes necessary to divide the
general arrangement floor plan into elements so that the
information remains clear to the reader. For example, services, such
as mechanical and electrical services may be displayed on a separate
floor plan for clarity. 

A small project can be displayed at a larger scale on the paper, and

therefore it is often possible to keep all of the information on one
plan.

If a complex project requires separating into a selection of drawings,

the content of these could be:

 
Primary elements (walls, frames etc)
Secondary elements (doors, internal walls, window information
etc, suspended ceilings)
Finishes
Services
Fixtures and Fittings
Other

The Floor Plan

 

A floor plan is considered a horizontal section of the space at about

1 – 1.2m height. Anything above the 1 – 1.2m height, should be
shown as a projected line of the element above this height, using a
dashed line. An example of this may be a kitchen. A standard floor
plan will show the kitchen worktop, sink, hob, but the elements
above the 1m line, ie, wall cupboards, cooker hood etc will be shown
as a dashed line, to indicate their position. It is fair to assume a
higher cutting plane in cases where there is a tall or high window to
ensure it is included on the plan.

 
Let’s take a look at the main elements we are representing on a floor
plan:

Structural and non structural walls

 

At planning stages we may only show the walls as simple thick lines
or hatch filled lines, but in later stages of design, we will show the
walls with hatch, denoting the material used in the construction.

In some cases, a key may be used to demonstrate the different wall

build ups, and a simple number reference added to the plan.

Walls are drawn with heavy lines so that the spaces stand out clearly,
built in furniture, and other objects are drawn with medium lines
which shows a level of hierarchy. In some cases, the furniture can be
drawn in a light grey (if using cad) which gives the suggestion of
furniture layout without detracting from the construction
information in the drawing.

Doors and windows

 

For planning drawings we will display a simple door with swing

showing which way the door will open and which side of the door the
hinges will be. Similarly, a window will be displayed in a simple
manner – like the images below.

For construction drawings we require more information about the

doors and windows. These can be represented in a number of ways.
Typically, the doors will be annotated with a door number, and
possibly further information. The doors will correlate with the door
schedule, which will list out all of the doors in the project,  by
number, and give further details of the door – ie, fire rating,
dimensions, glazing, ironmongery and so on.

Windows will also be displayed with a number and possible

additional information (dimensions or perhaps sill height). The
windows will again correlate with the window schedule, where each
window in the project is listed out by number, with further details.
Some window and door schedules include examples of how the
window is displayed in plan, elevation, and in 3d, but we will get to
that later.

Stairs
Stairs are shown on floor plans in different ways according to the
complexity and detail required. A stair will show an UP arrow,
showing the direction travelled to go up the stairs. If we are looking
at a floor plan at ground level, with a stair going to first floor level,
the lower half of the stair will be drawn using a solid line, at the point
we go above our 1m height, the stair will be drawn as a dashed line,
or with less detail. Break lines are also used to distinguish between
different stairs. Some examples of stairs are shown below.
When showing a stair from the first floor, going down to the ground
floor, we still show the upward arrow. The lower part of the stair is
then greyed out.

Ramps
Similar to stairs, ramps are shown with an arrow in the upward
direction. The ramp can also be labelled with the gradient, and any
other relevant information.
Levels
Our floor plans will show finished floor levels, changes in levels, and
ceiling heights. These can be demonstrated in a number of ways. An
area of the plan that is clear to annotate, can simply have the word
FFL: 0 (finished floor level), or a symbol marker can be used, see
below.

If there is a small level change on the same floor plan, it is good

practice to show the finished floor level for both sides of that level
change.
 

For ceiling heights, it is common to see CH +2400 (ceiling height

2400mm). However you choose to show the levels, make sure you
remain consistent throughout your drawings.

Dimensions
 

The floor plan should include dimensions of wall locations, wall

thickness, openings and distances between structural elements.

How these are displayed can very. There is a fine line between
providing relevant dimensions and complicating the plan with
necessary information.

Dimensions between walls can be from the structural frame (ie,

excluding finishes) or from finished surface. The structural option
gives the builder the exact location of studs, columns, beams etc.
Make sure the dimensioning option used is displayed on the drawing
notes. Centre lines are also used for dimensions.
Dimension lines are drafted in a lighter line weight as not to be
confused with structural elements. Where possible dimension lines
should be placed externally, to keep the inside of the building
uncluttered for other information. Internal dimensions will be
placed within the building.

Generally, dimensioning a building will require two or three

continuous dimension lines to locate exterior walls, interior walls,
windows, doors, and other elements. When placing the dimensions
on the exterior of the building, the outermost dimension will give the
overall building dimension. The next line, moving inward toward the
plan, will provide wall locations, and doors and windows. If required,
a third dimension line can show other details.
If your dimensions are cluttering the floor plan too much, you could
consider having a separate dimensioned plan, and keep just a few
key dimensions on your main plan. It is not necessary to dimension
everything in the plan, make sure you don’t dimension the same
measurement twice or over clutter with unnecessary dimensions.

Items overhead
 

Similar to the kitchen unit example we used earlier, any items

overhead, such as changes in ceiling height, can be displayed using a
dashed line, usually with a label to provide further information.

Accessibility
 
Demonstrate wheelchair access / turning circles, where appropriate,
showing a dashed line circle with dimension according to building
regulation requirements.

Floor Plan Checklist

 

General drawing
Drawing sheet title block
Drawing Title
Scale and north point
Doors with directions of swing
Windows
Door and window labels/numbering
Room names / numbers clearly labelled
Stairs clearly indicating ‘up’ or ‘down’ with appropriate dashed
lines above 1m
 Overhead dashed lines indicating objects or ceiling changes
overhead
Accessibility information, such as turning circle for wheelchairs

Annotations and labels

Floor levels
Changes in levels, steps, stairs and ramps
Label main components or reference them to a key/legend
Note ceiling heights / changes in height (if project is small and
doesn’t require reflected ceiling plan)

 
Dimensions
Dimension wall locations (and note whether the dimension is
taken from face of wall, centre line or other surface)
Dimension walls to structural components
Give angles in degrees if necessary (ie, walls not at right angles)
Give diameter of any circular elements, curved walls or similar
Dimension stairs
Dimension openings
Dimension built in items, cabinetry, partitions (or on separate
plan)

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Recent Posts
Detail Library – New Details for June

Toffu Vector Downloads

 Stair Design Guide 03 – Regulations

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment
data is processed.

MY FAVOURITE TOOLS AND RESOURCES

I have curated a list of some of the tools and resources I would
strongly recommend for anyone studying or working in
Architecture.
 Check it Out

JOIN US
Join over 20,000+ active members of the FIA community and sign up to my
newsletter to get all the latest news!

First Name Email Address

Subscribe

SOCIALS

Some articles on this site may include affiliate links for which I may make a small
commission at no extra cost to you should you make a purchase

Terms and Conditions

Work With Me
Terms of Use
Cookies and Privacy Policy

Returns Policy
Contact

© First in Architecture | All rights reserved | Owned by Archiwork Ltd | Company Number

12667397