Plans, Elevations and Their Relationship
≈ 40 minPlans, Elevations and Their Relationship
Grade 10 took a building from foundation to slab. Grade 11 goes up to ceiling level, and the drawings must now agree with one another across a whole set.
The floor plan is a horizontal section about a metre above floor level. Elevations are external views of each face — north, south, east and west, named for the direction they face. Sectional elevations are vertical cuts showing the build-up.
The views are linked. A window in the plan must appear in the corresponding elevation, at the height shown on the sectional elevation, at the same horizontal position. Projecting between views is not optional tidiness — it is how the set stays consistent.
Worked example. A window shown 1 200 mm wide in the plan but drawn 900 mm wide in the elevation describes two different buildings. On site the bricklayer builds from the plan and the window supplier quotes from the elevation, and the frame does not fit the opening.
Core checkpoint: Project features between plan and elevation rather than measuring each view independently. Independent measurement is how sets drift apart.
How are elevations conventionally named on a South African building plan?
A window is 1 200 mm wide in the plan but drawn 900 mm wide in the elevation. What is the practical consequence?
Why should features be projected between plan and elevation rather than measured separately in each view?
Which drawing in the set gives the height at which a window sits?