W04 –STUDIO REPORT TITLE BLOCK
Information found in the title block; a) The project name and number. b) Drawing orientation, displayed by a compass like symbol indicating the direction of North. c) A drawing number is given; this allows quick reference for enlarged sections or technical drawings. It is also useful when contacting someone regarding changes or elements within the plans. d) The edition of drawing is shown; this ensures that the most recent version of the plans is being used and indicates if any alterations have been made. e) Scale: Crucial for reference and to allow different views of the project e.g. broader site plans or more detailed sections. f) The contractors for the project along with the initials of the architect, project director and co-ordinators are indicated. g) A list of consultants and contact details is provided on each page. h) The client is also indicated.
DRAWING CONTENT - PLANS Information shown in the floor plans •
The floor plan gives a bird’s eye view of the interior of the building. It shows the layout of doors, walls, windows, vertical supports, and permanent furnishings and cabinetry.
Dimensions and grids There are some dimensions shown on the floor plans, these are primarily the floor area for each room and dimensions for the grid. •
• •
All measurements are in millimetres. This can vary depending on the scale of the image with much larger scale images such as site plans using metres. A grid has been overlayed onto the floor plans; this is also a method for ensuring quick reference of specific elements. The grid lines roughly divide the plans into rectangles. The lines are distinguishable from those indicating physical elements of the plans as they have a different line weight and are dashed. These lines then intersect letters or numbers which run along the opposite axes of the grid.
Legends and annotations •
•
•
A legend is used to provide further details on hatches and labelled elements. For each of these elements there is a corresponding explanation in the legend. Hatches are usually connected to the material used whereas labels will refer to an object or element. Annotations include the labels for rooms and explanations of certain elements. For the most part text involves labels referring to the legend or more detailed sections in other drawings. Usually labels referring to other pages are sections. In this case the symbols will have arrows indicating the direction in which the section is looking. This label contains the drawing number on which the sections appear.
Floors •
Floor levels are indicated by the acronym FFL (stands for), this is followed by the floor height above sea level.
Alterations •
Some areas within the plans are clouded. The purpose of this is to draw attention to any changes that have been made since previous editions.
DRAWING CONTENT - ELEVATIONS Information shown in an elevation •
Elevations show a vertical representation of the building’s exterior. These give more of an indication of aesthetic design than construction elements but are a good visual reference to achieve the finished product.
Dimensions and grids Windows and doors •
Windows are shown by lines which are thinner that the wall lines, they are also indicated by labels which number the widows. Doors have similar labels but are displayed by a symbol that expresses the door’s opening path; quarter circles facing in the direction the door opens.
•
•
Dimensions are once again show for the spacing between the grid lines. This grid directly corresponds to the grid on the floor plan with the exact same positioning and labelling of the axes. Levels are explicitly stated and often correspond with a line indicating the height at which that level begins.
Legends and annotations •
Specific elements of the façade such as materials are directly stated in annotations.
•
For other elements a similar labelling system as used in the floor plan is used to refer to additional information in the legend.
•
Windows and doors •
Elements such as windows and doors are for the most part portrayed as one would expect if they were looking directly at them. That is to say that the representation is literal in an elevation rather than symbolic such as in the floor plan.
DRAWING CONTENT - SECTIONS
DRAWING CONTENT - DETAILS Elements that are detailed •
Information shown in a section •
Sections show the structural elements present such as beams, joints and masonry. They also give a clearer indication of materials used. A section is essentially the view one would get if they were to cut through the building rather than looking at its exterior face like elevations.
Sections lines will often intersect with walls and supporting elements, cutting them open. In addition to this, sections will also show the background walls in similar detail to an elevation. The manner in which the ‘cut’ foreground and the elevation-like background are distinguished is through line weights. Lines in the foreground tend to be much clearer and heavier whereas the background draws less attention and has far weaker lines.
Complex structures, joints or areas with an abundance of different elements are often transferred into details; areas of a section which have been expanded to a larger scale to show (as the name suggests) details.
Break lines •
Distance and materials •
As there are a variety of different elements exposed by a section it is also important to differentiate between materials. This is done with ‘hatching’ the application of patterns which correspond to a specific material or function.
Break lines are a technique used to bring two connected elements of a section closer together when the space in between them is filled by a standard or repetitive element. This works well with the increased scale of the drawings, allowing them to fit together on the same page. It also helps to visualise the alignment between two separated objects.
Materials •
Much like the section hatches are used to distinguish different materials, the difference is that in a detail there are many more specific materials explained, linked to labels and a legend or specifications document.