ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STEPS IN DRAWING FLOOR PLANS

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
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 90º 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
 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
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, 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
 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
 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
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 building
b. longitudinal section – a section showing
a transverse or lengthwise cut through
building
 OFFSET SECTION
- a section with a cutting plane line offset to permit
it to cut through necessary features
 HALF SECTION
- 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
 KITCHENS cooking utensils that will be used in the area. The
A well planned kitchen is efficient, attractive and easy to cooking center must have an adequate supply of
maintain. In designing an efficient kitchen, the following must be electrical outlets for the minor appliances used in
considered: cooking

a. function WORK TRIANGLE

b. basic shape If you draw a line connecting the three centers of
c. décor the kitchen, a triangle is formed. This is called a work
d. size triangle. The perimeter of an efficient work triangle should
e. location of equipment be between 12 and 22 feet or 3.7 and 6.7 meters

FUNCTION OF A KITCHEN BASIC SHPAES OF THE 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
- this center is built around the sink and its
adjoining counter space
- the preparation and cleaning center may also
include a waste-disposal unit, an automatic dishwasher, and
cabinets for storing brushes, towels and cleaning supplies
 cooking center
- the cooking center is grouped around the
range/stove. Range-oven 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
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
3. the kitchen is located adjacent to the dining area
and near the children’s 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

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 children’s 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