Introduction to Plan of a building

Instructor Engr Kamran Khan

Department of civil engineeringCity University Peshawar

Introduction In architecture  and building engineering,

a floor plan is a drawing to scale, showing a view from above, of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure.

Dimensions are usually drawn between the walls to specify room sizes and wall lengths.

Floor plans may also include details of fixtures like sinks, water heaters, furnaces, etc.

Floor plans may include notes for construction to specify finishes, construction methods, or symbols for electrical items.

Introduction In other words, a plan is a section viewed from

the top. In such views, the portion of the object above the plane (section) is omitted to reveal what lies beyond. In the case of a floor plan, the roof and upper portion of the walls may typically be omitted.

Roof plans are orthographic projections, but they are not sections as their viewing plane is outside of the object.

A plan is a common method of depicting the internal arrangement of a 3-dimensional object in two dimensions. It is often used in technical drawing.

Difference Between Plan and Map

The main Object of the survey is to develop a plan and a map.The results of surveys when drawn on a paper forms a plan or a map.

On a plan or a map only horizontal distances are shown.The plan or map is made according to some scale chosen.

If the scale is small, the representation is called map, while it is called plan if the scale is large.

We can understand this by considering that the map of a country is made to a very small scale. So that information represented should not exceed to the paper.

While the plan of the building is made large and large scale is chosen for that. Therefore the basic difference between plan and a map is that of scale.

Only horizontal distances are shown on a plan or a map.Vertical distances are correctly shown by means of vertical sections called sections.

How to create floor plan???

1) Sheet selection & OrientationTo make your own floor plans, use a sheet

of paper 24" by 36". Lay the sheet down on your working surface with the longest edge running horizontally.

The lower right hand corner of your drawing you will save for your title block. This is where you will write the name of the view you are drawing (floor plan, elevation, cross section), the scale of the drawing, the name of the house, designer's name and date.

2) Draw Exterior Walls Start by drawing the exterior walls of your

design. You will want to roughly center your first floor plan view in the space on the paper available excluding the title block. So before you draw your first wall, use your scale get a rough idea of how much space on the page your first floor plan will need.

3) Draw Interior Walls Draw both sides of each interior wall. Draw walls around any stairwell areas. If there will not be a

physical wall around the stairwell simply draw a faint dotted line.

Draw staircases and any mid-stair landings within these walls. Draw an arrow labeled "up" in the up direction of the stair.

4) Label RoomsIn the center of each room,

clearly label the room name.

5) Locate Appliances, Plumbing and Fixtures

Using your scale, symbols template and straight edge, draw the correct symbols for:

All appliances Built in furniture such as kitchen and bathroom cabinets Plumbing items such as sinks, toilets and tubs Fireplaces Equipment such as furnaces, air conditioning units and water tanks.

6) Draw Electrical Symbols

All electrical symbols should now be added to your plans.

Place the appropriate symbols along walls

7) Label Floor Surfaces Detail the plans by indicating for each room how the floors

will be finished and any required sub-flooring. For instance your plans may read:

3/4" hardwood flooring 1/4" tile over 1/2" plywood sub-flooring Carpet over 5/8" plywood sub-flooring

8) Dimension Your Plans The next step on your floor plan drawings is to draw accurate

dimension lines. You will need to draw dimension lines for: Each room Cabinet depths Sizes of tubs Distances from walls to edge of any appliances or fixtures.

9) Create Window and Door Schedule

The final step to make your own floor plan is to create a window and door schedule.

On your floor plan: Label each door and window with a number or letter. In a blank area to the right of the floor plan, create a

three column list. Put all the labels for your door and windows in the first

column. List window and door types in the second column (fixed,

single hung, etc.) List the exact window and door size in the third column.

THANKS