Different Types of Construction Drawings and Their Purposes

When you are initiating a construction project it is important to prepare construction drawings. There are various types of multi-trade construction drawings required for multiple reasons. These drawings are beneficial and therefore essential to execute and complete a construction project flawlessly throughout the stages of the project.

What are Construction Drawings?

Pictorial Hand-drawn or, digital representation of a building structure including a detailed drawing of all building elements and materials is known as construction drawings. These drawings generally work as a guide to the construction process. It illustrates the dimensions of each element, installation materials, and other necessary factors that assure local agencies to grant permit approvals for a residential, commercial, infrastructural, healthcare, or, educational building project. These drawings are produced by the design team and are essential as it also includes detailed depictions of the structural, MEP design, details foundation, interior details and elevations, walls, floor, cabinetry, elevations, and ceiling plans.

Different types of Construction Drawings

Architectural Drawings

Architectural drawings are created by the architects following the set of conventions, which contain sheet sizes, units of measurement and scales, particular views (floor plan, section, etc.), annotation, and cross-referencing. There are different types of architectural drawings.

1.??????Concept Drawing: Concept drawings or sketches are freehand brief and simple drawings used to represent initial design concepts. These are not exact or detailed moreover, these are tools to research and communicate aesthetic concepts and design principles and

2.??????Floor Plan: Floor plans represent the detailed aerial view of a construction project without a roof. The floor plan includes the type of each room, stairs and their direction, dimensions of interior and exterior walls, material specifications, etc.

3.??????Site Plan: Site plans work as a map of the construction site. The site plan represents the existing condition of the construction site. It includes an illustration of the new building, nearby ongoing construction project, parking lot, seating area, topographical elements, and natural features (trees, foliage, change in land elevation, etc.).

4.??????Plot Plan/ Block Plan: Plot plans are similar to the site plan however, it is a more detailed drawing of the land where the building will be constructed. Plot plans are usually used to create the boundaries of the building and the whole purchased land area.

5.??????Elevation Drawings: Elevation drawings represents the height of the building and elevations of other building elements concerning the building structure. It also depicts the direction of the sun and the strength of the wind that the structure may experience. This helps structural engineers to identify required structural reinforcement according to the height of the building.

6.??????Cross Section Drawings: Cross-section drawings are the vertical plane cut-through representation of the section view of the building structure. These drawings are helpful to get a clear overview of the building and its components. Wall cross-section is another type of cross-section used to get a view of both sides of the wall.

7.??????Isometric Drawing: Isometric drawings are the 3-dimensional representation of a building structure and its elements on a 2D surface. These drawings are prepared using 30-degree angles with the plan grid therefore the final image is not distorted.

8.??????Axonometric Drawings: Axonometric projection is a sort of orthographic projection in which an item is rotated along one or more of its axes to display different sides, resulting in a pictorial drawing.

9.??????Presentation Drawings: ?Presentation drawings are created to express and illustrate a design concept or proposal for promotion purposes, for an exhibition, review, or publication.

10.??Survey Drawings: Survey drawings depict measurements of existing land, structures, and building elements. Architects utilize an accurate set of survey drawings as a base for their working drawings to incorporate exact dimensions for the construction process. Expert land surveyors are typically hired to measure and conduct surveys.

11.??Location Drawings: Location drawings are also known as general arrangement drawings. These drawings illustrate the location of each building element and include sections, elevations, and floor plans.

12.??Assembly Drawings: An assembly drawing depicts a building or products in use, with all of its components linked and in their respective functional locations. These components are made separately and assembled or installed together at their respective utility sites so that each section fits and matches the others.

13.??Parametric Drawing: Parametric drawing is a technique for creating structures that include topological or dimensional constraints. These limitations are applied to the elements in relation to other building components or references. If any one of the parameters in a parametric drawing changes, it automatically updates, which aids in retaining design intent.

14.??Design Drawing: Design drawings are used for design development, compare design change and communicate the development ideas with clients. During the early stage, these drawings simply demonstrate the concept to undertake the design project, further, it develops into a detailed technical drawing depicting every building element.

15.??Reflected ceiling drawing: Reflected ceiling drawings represents the ceiling view from the floor. These drawings provide detailed information on the design of visible columns, light fixtures of the ceiling, and aesthetic features of the cornice.

16.??Finishing drawings: Likewise detail drawing finishing drawings also represent a smaller part of a construction project. Whereas these drawings extensively focus on design elements like wall paint color, floor patterns, plaster texture, etc.

17.??Record Drawings: Record drawings are the final set of drawings prepared by an architect. sketches of the final building and its elements, clarifications, and other modifications made by the architect during the construction, and any changes in the construction work according to the as-built drawings shown by contractors must be included in record drawings for further renovation, maintenance, and facility management.

Structural Drawings

A structural drawing is an engineering drawing prepared by professional structural engineers and is a design or set of plans and details that depict the way of building or other building elements will be constructed. The drawings are prepared based on information provided by architects and the design team. The load-bearing components of a structure are the main focus of the structural drawings. They specify the size and types of materials to be used, as well as the overall connectivity requirements.

18.??General Notes: General Notes are part of structural engineering drawings. This set of drawings contains the design codes and building's by-laws but no details of drawings. General material properties like concrete strength, wood or, steel grade, etc, construction requirements like weld procedures, soil compaction, etc, and design criteria wind loading, seismic, and, gravity is also depicted in structural notes.

19.??Section Plan: Section plans are linked with the plan view drawings. It demonstrates information about those items which not visible in plan drawings. The sections are generally cut through atypical walls or structural components, which the builder must be aware of during construction.

20.??Detail Drawings: Detail drawings exhibit a small part of the construction on a bigger scale to depict how the structural elements fit together. These drawings are also utilized to highlight small surface elements.

21.??Component Drawing: Components are usually an autonomous part of the structural drawing. These drawings contain detailed information about the single unit and are provided by a single supplier for the entire unit.

22.??Excavation Plan: The excavation drawing depicts the dimensions of a building foundation. These drawings help construction staff to identify the depth and width of the excavation. Component dimensions, tolerances, fabrication, and other relevant details are included in the drawing and thus provide detailed intuition into its designs and different sub-parts.

23.??Column Layout: Column layout is the set of plans that demonstrates the design, pattern, and dimensions of the floorwise columns of the whole building structure. This layout drawing further depicts the distance between each column and helps contractors to understand the whole building structure layout.

24.??Plinth Beam Layout: Plinth beams are usually reinforced concrete beams and are constructed between the wall and foundation. The plinth beam layout depicts the location, dimensions, and sectional design of the plinth beams.

25.??Lintel Beam Layout: Lintel beams are usually prestressed concrete beams built above entrances, windows, doors, fireplaces, etc. that bear the load to ensure the integrity of the wall. Lintel Beam Layout drawings represent the exact location, number, and dimensions of the lintels.

26.??Roof Beam and Shuttering Layout: Roof beams are the load-bearing element that supports the floor and roofs above while supporting walls, joists, trusses, and other roof elements to strengthen the building structure. While shuttering is the process of arranging vertical space to support wet concrete till it reaches the desired strength. Therefore, roof beam and shuttering drawings depict the reinforcement and sections of roof beams and detailed shuttering information.

27.??Roof Slab Layout: Roof slabs are the topmost component of a structure and are made up of reinforced concrete slabs. The slab layout drawings provide clear information about the roof faces, floors, and precise edge information of other surfaces.

28.??Framing Plan: Framing plans represent the position, dimension, and number of the structural elements (wood or, steel) in the framework. There is a possibility to prepare multiple framing drawings for a building structure for the walls, floors, and roofs which are not typical.

29.??Engineering Drawing: Engineering drawings are technical drawings that are utilized to demonstrate the requirement of engineering building elements. These drawings precisely demonstrate the geometric features of building components that are utilized by manufacturers and contractors.

30.??Installation Drawings: Installation drawings depict multi-trade detailed information required for installation purposes. These drawings are essential to install critical building parts and elements for complex projects of data centers, plant rooms, underfloor heating, ventilation systems, etc.

MEP Drawings

MEP drawings are one of the most essential parts of the preconstruction stage. These drawings are the coordination drawings that are prepared by resolving the critical spacial issues due to multi-disciplinary clashes. These drawings are very helpful for mechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and, Fire protection system and element installation.

31.??Mechanical System Drawing: Mechanical system drawings are technical drawings that depict detailed information related to heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), elevators, lifts, escalators, etc. These drawings are essential for any HVAC work during construction and necessary to apply for a building permit.

32.??Piping Spool Drawings: Plumbers use the pipe spool drawings as a guideline to join pipes which are divided into multiple sections, named as spools. With the help of an elbow, tees and other elements plumber joins the spools on the construction site. Detailed spool information is used by fabricators, manufacturers, and suppliers to produce spools, fittings, flanges, and pipes.

33.??Plumbing and Drainage System Drawing: Plumbing and drainage system drawings show the water movement across the building therefore, the drawings provide the exact location and dimensions of fixtures like pipes, water tanks, pumps, drains, vents, etc.

34.??Electrical Drawings: Electrical drawings are wiring diagrams and technical drawings that depict detailed information about the electrical circuit. The 2D representation of electrical wiring and circuit are essential for electricians and construction staff for wiring and installing the electrical system.

35.??Fire Fighting Drawings: Firefighting drawings are the detailed representation of a fire protection system in 2 dimensions. These drawings depict the location, number, and dimensions of firefighting system elements like fire alarms, sprinklers, Heat detectors, smoke detectors, flame detectors, Automatic Suppression Systems, etc.

Few more Construction Drawings

36.??Production Drawings: Production drawings are beneficial for manufacturers and suppliers. These drawings illustrate the manufacturing process, dimensions, materials, and finishes of the product. Therefore these drawings work as reference documents for workers and supervisors.

37.??Location Plan: Location plans are the supporting document that provides an overview of the proposed development around the construction site.

38.??Shop Drawings / Fabrication Drawings: Shop drawings are also known as fabrication drawings and are utilized by manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors to pre-fabricate building components. These drawings provide a clear overview of how the products have to be installed or, manufactured. The drawings are prepared following project specifications and design intent.

39.??Scale Drawings: Scale drawings represent building components at a lesser or, larger size than the actual.

40.??Perspective Drawings: Perspective drawing is a drawing method that uses the eye level of the viewer and vanishing point/(s) to depict 3D volumes and spatial relationships. It creates a realistic representation of how a volume or shape will appear in real life.

41.??Working Drawings: Working drawings are the 2-dimensional orthogonal representation of a building and its elements incorporating plans, sections, and elevations. These drawings include not only architectural drawings but also multidisciplinary engineering drawings utilized by contractors, fabricators, and suppliers.

42.??Technical Drawing: Most of the construction drawings are considered technical drawings. These drawings are prepared during the preconstruction stage and illustrate the functionalities and installation process of building elements.

43.??Environmental Plan: Some projects are designed to build near rivers or streams. In that instance, the environmental plans reveal how erosion and sedimentation will be dealt with. Not only that, but these designs also provide detailed plant removal and chemical disposal procedures. It also has procedures and plans in place to mitigate the negative effects.

44.??As-built drawings: As-built drawing represents the built-in condition of a building. Preparing as-built drawings are ongoing process through the construction phase. Any modification, addition, deletion, and, alteration that took place during the construction process must be marked in the drawings along with comments by the contractors. These drawings are further used for maintenance, facility operation management, asset management, and renovation purposes.

Winding-up

Each of the above-described construction documents consists of several benefits which are utilized at the various stages of a construction project lifecycle. Starting from the conceptual designing stage to project handover construction drawings are essential to execute and deliver a construction project flawlessly.