Sound Smarter on the Jobsite: More Than "Plans"

And they're not "blueprints"

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They're not "plans" or "blueprints" they're *drawings.* "Plans" are only one type of drawing in a set. "Blueprints" haven't been used for 30 years. They're technically called CDs [Contract Documents], but don't call em that on the jobsite.

Drawings. They're drawings.

So if “plans” are only one type of drawing in a set, what are the other drawings?

• Plans

  Plans are an orthographic [a 3D object represented in 2D] slice through the building horizontally, 4’ above the floor they’re showing, looking down. Anything that’s shown as a solid line is something that the slice is cutting through. Stuff that’s dashed is above that 4’ cutline. Most people are at least somewhat familiar with what a plan looks like and how to read one.

  

  Plan drawing.

• Sections

  Sections are an orthographic slice through the building vertically. Picture a dollhouse - one wall is peeled off, and you can see inside all of the rooms from the side, and see what’s inside the walls and floors themselves. They are taken at certain important spots in the building, like through a stair. They are indicated on the plan drawing with symbols that tell you which way the section is “looking,” and where in the drawing set to find the section.

  

  Section 1:A2.2 from the plan drawing above.

• Elevations

  Elevations are a head-on view of a wall - they can be of the entire exterior facade of a building, they can be an interior view of cabinetry in a kitchen, they can be zoomed in on a particular detail.

  

  Interior elevation of kitchen cabinetry, closet doors, and stair rail.

  

  Exterior elevation showing one side of a house.

• Details

  Detail drawings can be enlarged versions of any of the above drawing types, depending on what you need to communicate. These are crucial to explain weatherproofing details [around windows and doors], intersection of finishes on the interior, exterior cladding/trim, structural information, mechanical/electrical/plumbing integration, etc. On even a small project, there can be 100s of details. Good architects have a suite of tried and true details that they use over and over, and can deploy quickly on a variety of projects - but that still need to be checked and revised, one by one, to make sure they’re appropriate for each project.

  

  Fire separation detail in section, showing a particular condition on a project.

That’s it, those are the basic drawing types! Just about every other drawing is a variation on those, depending on the information that needs to be communicated and the professional who’s creating the drawings. The larger and more complicated the project, the more drawings you’ll have. They might include:

• MEP [mechanical/electrical/plumbing] plans, details, specs

• FP/FA [fire protection/fire alarm] plans, details, specs

• Site plan

• Grading plan

• Utility plan

• Site, building, wall, detail sections

• Zoning analysis and calculations

• Building code analysis

• Finish/equipment/fixture schedules

• Reflected ceiling plans [showing what’s going on at the ceiling - light fixtures, sprinkler heads, etc]

• Specialty equipment/layout/system plans/sections/details [elevators, pools, etc]

• Switch/lighting plans

• Fire/egress plans

• 3D details [axonometrics]

• and more!

The key to getting a good set of drawings is making sure you’re working with an architect who has solid construction experience - either first hand, or because they’ve done a bunch of projects. They know what needs to be drawn, and what *doesn’t* need to be drawn, and won’t waste time and money drawing the wrong stuff.

That said, most people are surprised how many drawings are actually needed to properly document a building for construction. Keep in mind that everything *will* have to be figured out, whether it’s drawn or not. Owners can either pay the architect now to figure out a bunch of stuff, or suffer delays and confusion during construction when the GC is asking a bunch of questions because the drawing set is incomplete.

And finally, remember: none of these drawings correlates to how our eyes see, so when designing a building, it’s best to work in 3D where possible, and/or be very practiced at reading and interpreting 2D drawings. I’ve seen many mistakes in buildings caused by obsessing over an orthographic projection rather than thinking about how the building will actually work/be perceived in 3D. Remember that construction drawings are for communicating construction information, not for communicating how the space will feel.

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