Interpret Project Drawings
Chapter B1 – Interprets Project Drawings
Key Competencies
The NOA for Carpenter (2013) identifies the required competencies (skills) for the task of interpreting project drawings. These are:
- Use drafting instruments such as protractors and scale rulers to determine measurements from project drawings
- Locate information such as details, elevations, sections, door and window schedules and other locations for layout
- Relay drawing information to co-workers or others using sketches
- Recognize conflicts within a set of project drawings taking into consideration the priority of different drawings such as structural, architectural, electrical and mechanical drawings
- Visualize two-dimensional information into a three-dimensional space
- Identify grid lines to determine the distances and locations of key building components for layout (NOA, p. 23).
This outcome will primarily focus on blueprints, specifications and building codes for residential and commercial projects.
Various documents are used throughout the construction process. These include national building, electrical and fire codes as well as municipal codes. An architect or draftsperson will rely on these codes for the creation of the construction documents the carpenter will use. These include blueprints and specifications. Traditionally, blueprints were sets of two-dimensional drawings. However, software allows for building information modeling systems to be utilized which include not only the blueprints and specifications but also scheduling and costing information.
Blueprints contain a plot plan, elevation drawings, floor plans, framing plans as well as schedules, details and section views which contain the information needed to complete the project. Specifications are documents which contain high level detail regarding the type and quality of materials and installation processes to be used to complete the project. Specifications will detail who (owner, architect, general contractor, subcontractor, supplier) is responsible for what parts of the project.
Topic 1 – Types of Views, Lines, and Symbols
Architects can use several types of views to depict a building, each of which has a unique purpose and set of information.
- A pictoral view is drawn with perspective, meaning lines converge on the vanishing point. The drawback of this drawing is that lines get smaller the further away they are from the viewer to create a perception of distance. Pictoral views and presentations drawings can be artistic in nature and are used more for marketing purposes
- Multiview drawings are useful for building because they contain measurements and other physical information. There are three types: plan, elevation, section, and details.
- A plan view is further subdivided into types:
- Plot plan
- Foundation plan
- Floor plan
- Framing plan
- Elevation drawings show the shape and size of exterior vertical finishings. These also can be used to describe kitchen and bathroom cabinet layouts.
- Section view details part of another view. The section reference line indicates what part of the view is being detailed
- Details views are used for intricate or complicated construction. They are drawn at a larger scale to clearly depict every dimension or detail.
A schedule is an attached document which gives detailed information about some repetitive aspects of a plan. For example, a particular door and frame in a commercial building may be used one hundred times. Rather than detailing the door on the plan each time, the door is referenced to a schedule. The details for that particular application are listed once in the schedule.
For details and drawings, refer to the textbook, Carpentry
- “Architectural Plans”
- “Types of Views”
- “Schedules”
Types of Views
They way objects are drawn on a print follow three particular views.
They are:
- Oblique
- Isometric
- Orthographic
Oblique- this drawing has the front of the object drawn along a horizontal base line square to the page. Usually, the largest side showing the most detail is selected for the front view. The side is drawn receding back at an angle of 45 degrees
Isometric – An isometric drawing has three base lines, one vertical at 90° to the horizontal, and two at 30° to the horizontal. Contours of the object recede to the left and to the right
Perspective – Perspective drawings are the most realistic to look at, but the hardest to draw. The angled lines in the drawing are not parallel they meet at a vanishing point if extended far enough. Some drawings may have only one vanishing point, while others may have two vanishing points