Lecture9 CivilEngineeringDrawings

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Types of Drawings used in Civil Engineering Construction
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Civil Engineering
Construction & Graphics
Types of Drawings used in
Civil Engineering Construction Lecture # 9
Engr. Shad Muhammad

Lecturer
Department of Civil Engineering
COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal Campus.
Types of Drawings used in Building Construction
Table of Content 2
• Types of Construction Drawings
1. Architectural Drawings
2. Structural Drawings
3. Electrical Drawings
4. Plumbing Drawings
5. Finishing Drawings
• How to Prepare Floor Plans
• Common Mistakes on Building Drawings
• Symbols used on Architectural Drawings
Engr. Shad Muhammad, Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University, Sahiwal. Website: www.mytrustworth.com
Types of Drawings used in Building Construction 3
✓ Different types of drawings is used in civil engineering construction such as architectural,

structural, electrical, plumbing, and finishing drawings. These drawings provides layout plans
and details for construction of each and every part of the building.
✓ Drawings plays an important role in the construction field to convey the ideologies and perspective
of the designer to the layman at site. The drawings may be used to indicate the overall appearance,
inside or outside the structure, or they may be used to indicate precise measurements and other
details for construction.
Types of Construction Drawings 4
✓ There are different type of drawing used for the construction process. Depending upon the purpose
they serve, construction drawings are divided into 5 types:
1. Architectural Drawings
2. Structural Drawings
3. Electrical Drawings
4. Plumbing Drawings
5. Finishing Drawings
Types of Construction Drawings
1. Architectural Drawing 5
✓ Architectural drawing can be termed as the mother drawing for all the other drawings used for
construction. It contains all the details of the project such as location / site plan, setting-out plan,
elevations, sections and other details.
1.1 Location Plan
✓ A location plan is a supporting document that

may be required by a planning authority as
part of a planning application.
✓ A location plan provides an illustration of the

proposed development in its surrounding
context.
1.2 Site Plan
✓ A site plan is a large-scale drawing that shows the full

extent of the site for an existing or proposed
development.
✓ Site plans, along with location plans, may be necessary
for planning applications.
✓ In most cases, site plans will be drawn up following a
series of desk studies and site investigations.
1.2 Site Plan
✓ This is primary drawing used for marking out the

plan on the ground.
✓ It represents the location, orientation and
information about the site’s topography,
landscaping utilities, and site work.
1.3 General Arrangement Drawings
✓ General arrangement drawings (GA’s,

sometimes referred to as Location Drawings)
present the overall composition of an object
such as a building.
✓ Depending on the complexity of the building, this
is likely to require a number of different
projections, such as plans, sections and
elevations, and may be spread across several
different drawings.
1.4 Working Plan
✓ This drawing gives the information of horizontal

dimensions of the building, thickness of walls,
clear spaces inside the building and column
locations.
✓ It also shows the openings required in the building
such as doors, windows, and ventilators.
1.4 Working Plan
1.4 Working Drawing
✓ Production Information is '...the information prepared by designers, which is passed to a
construction team to enable a project to be constructed’.
✓ Production information is incorporated into tender documentation and then the contract
documents for the construction works.
✓ Production information may include:

✓ Drawings, such as Working Drawings.
✓ Specifications.
✓ Bills of Quantities (BOQs) or Schedules of Work.
1.4 Working Drawing
✓ Working drawings provide dimensioned, graphical information that can be used; by a contractor to
construct the works, or by suppliers to fabricate components of the works or to assemble or install
components. They may include architectural drawings, structural drawings, civil drawings,
mechanical drawings, electrical drawings, and so on.
✓ Traditionally, working drawings consist of two-dimensional orthogonal projections of the building
or component they are describing, such as plans, sections and elevations. These may be drawn to
scale by hand, or prepared using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software.
1.4 Working Drawing
✓ However, increasingly, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is being used to create three-
dimensional representations of buildings and their components for construction. This may be
described as a Virtual Construction Model (VCM) and can comprise a number of different models
prepared by different members of the project team.
✓ Working drawings may include title blocks, dimensions, notation and symbols. It is important that
these are consistent with industry standards so that their precise meaning is clear and can be
understood.
✓ Specification information can be included on working drawings or in a separate specification, but
information should not be duplicated as this can become contradictory and may cause confusion.
1.4 Working Drawing
1.4 Working Drawing
✓ The scale at which drawings are prepared should reflect the level of detail of the information they are
required to convey.
✓ Different line thicknesses can be used to provide greater clarity for certain elements.
✓ It is important that the purpose of the drawings and the people that will use them are considered.
Working drawings might be prepared for; statutory approvals, for contractors to plan the
construction works, to provide instructions on site, for the procurement of components, for the
preparation of shop drawings, for the appointment of subcontractors and so on.
1.4 Working Drawing
✓ Drawings must be structured carefully so that they convey necessary information to carry out
particular parts of the works. To give greater clarity, they may be separated into packages, so that
information is specifically tailored to separate parts of the works, specific components, or
separate suppliers or trades.
✓ It may be necessary to produce some packages earlier than others, for example, for items with
long manufacturing times such as switchgear, chiller units, lifts, escalators or bespoke cladding
systems, or for front-end construction such as service diversions, demolition, setting out details,
underground drainage, piling and groundworks.
1.4 Working Drawing
✓ The quality of production information is extremely important. Unless it is prepared and co-ordinated
properly, there will be disputes and delays on site, and costs will be incurred.
✓ Common problems with working drawings include:

✓ Poor co-ordination of information.
✓ Errors and omissions.
✓ Information not getting to the right people.
✓ Poor presentation.
1.4 Working Drawing
✓ Responsibility for the preparation of production information will depend on the selected system of
procurement and the chosen form of contract.
✓ On traditional contracts (and management contracts and construction management contracts),
production information may be produced by a consultant team, working for the client.
✓ Some specialist elements of production information may be produced by specialist contractors,
co-ordinated by the lead designer.
✓ On other forms of contract, such as design and build, responsibility for preparing and co-ordinating
production information may lie with the main contractor.
✓ Working drawings may be updated when the works are complete to show ‘as constructed’
information, reflecting changes to the works that may have occurred during the construction process.
1.4 Working Plan – Floor Plans
✓ Floor plans are a form of orthographic projection that can be used to show the layout of rooms
within buildings, as seen from above.
✓ They may be prepared as part of the design process, or to provide instructions for construction,
often associated with other drawings, schedules, and specifications.
1.5 Section Drawings
✓ Section drawings represents the material of construction to be used, heights and measurement
of the different components of buildings, type of structural components such as type of slab, etc.
It represents the drawing when the building is cut through a vertical plane.
✓ A section drawing shows a view of a structure as though it had been sliced in half or cut along
another imaginary plane. This can be useful as it gives a view through the spaces and surrounding
structures (typically across a vertical plane) that can reveal the relationships between the different
parts of the buildings that might not be apparent on plan drawings.
✓ For buildings, this can be useful as it gives a view through the spaces and surrounding structures
(typically across a vertical plane) that can reveal the relationships between the different parts of
the buildings that might not be apparent on plan drawings.
✓ Plan drawings are in fact a type of section, but they cut through the building on a horizontal rather
than vertical plane.
✓ The direction of the plane through which the section is cut is often represented on plan drawings and
elevations by a line of long and short dashes, called a section plane. If there are a number of
sections, the line may have letters at each end indicating the name of the section drawing and an
arrow showing the direction that the view takes.
✓ The section line can take an indirect route through a building if this helps show the most important
features or junctions in the building, as illustrated on the drawing below.
✓ In this case, the section drawing would be named 'Section B-B'.
✓ Shading, cross hatching or other fill styles and / or thicker lines can be used to indicate parts
of the structure that have been cut through, such as walls, roofs and floors.
✓ The scale of a section drawing will depend on the size of the building being drawn and the level
of detail that needs to be shown.
✓ Sections may show the entire building, or may focus on a particular component, junction or
assembly. In this case they can be similar to assembly drawings but differ in that they don’t
usually include details of the actually assembly process.
✓ Different types of cross hatching can be used to differentiate between different types of component
on detailed sectional drawings. Standards exist for hatching that should be used on some common
materials, for example, double diagonal lines indicate brickwork, a wave indicates insulation and
so on.
✓ Perspective sections include 3D projection of the spaces beyond the section plane and can be
used to give a graphical illustration of the relationship between spaces and building components
as well as their depths that can be very helpful in trying to interpret a complex design.
✓ Increasingly, section drawings can be generated

automatically by 3D modelling software, including
perspective sections where required.
1.6 Elevation Drawing
✓ Elevation drawing represents the information of

openings, size and shape of external surface,
height of building and finish of the building
after completion.
✓ These drawings are made by having an aesthetic

view of the building.
✓ In the construction industry, the term ‘elevation’ refers to an orthographic projection of the exterior
(or sometimes the interior) faces of a building, that is a two-dimensional drawing of the building’s
façades.
✓ As buildings are rarely simple rectangular shapes in plan, an elevation drawing is a first angle
projection that shows all parts of the building as seen from a particular direction with the perspective
flattened. Generally, elevations are produced for four directional views, for example, north, south,
east, west.
✓ Simple elevation drawings might show:
✓ The outline of a building.
✓ Openings such as doors and windows.
✓ Roofing.
✓ Projections such as eves and pipes.
✓ Level datums such as finished ground level and floor positions.
✓ Key dimensions such as wall lengths and heights.
✓ Exterior features such as decks, porches and steps.
✓ Any portion of the foundation that may be visible.
✓ Exterior wall and roof finishes.
✓ Elevations might be prepared for a number of reasons, including:
✓ As part of a survey of existing buildings.
✓ To create a record of a building.
✓ To explore and communicate interior and exterior design options.
✓ To communicate construction information.
✓ As part of an application for planning permission.
✓ As part of an application for building regulations approval.
✓ For sales and marketing.
1.7 Detail Drawing
✓ Detail drawings provide a detailed description of the

geometric form of a part of an object such as a
building, bridge, tunnel, machine, plant, and so on.
✓ They tend to be large-scale drawings that show in detail

parts that may be included in less detail on general
arrangement drawings.
1.7 Detail Drawing
✓ Detail drawings may be used to demonstrate compliance with regulations and other requirements, to provide
information about assembly and the junctions between components, to show construction details, detailed
form, and so on, that would not be possible to include on more general drawings.
✓ They may include dimensions, tolerances, notation, symbols and specification information, but this should
not duplicate information included in separate specifications as this can become contradictory and may cause
confusion.
✓ They may consist of two-dimensional orthogonal projections showing plans, sections and elevations and may
be drawn to scale by hand, or prepared using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. However, increasingly,
building information modelling (BIM) is being used to create detailed three-dimensional representations of buildings
and their components.
1.7 Detail Drawing
✓ Detail drawings may be confused with ‘detailed design drawings’ which might describe the
drawings produced during the detailed design stage, (sometimes referred to as 'developed design' or
'definition’).
✓ Detailed design is the process developing the design so that it is dimensionally correct and co-
ordinated, describing all the main components of the building and how they fit together. Not all
drawings produced during this stage will necessarily be detail drawings.
✓ They are also distinct from the definition of ‘working drawings’ which provide dimensioned, graphical
information that can be used by a contractor to construct the works, by suppliers to fabricate
components of the works or to assemble or install components. Again, not all working drawings will
necessarily be detail drawings.
2. Structural Drawing 34
✓ Structural drawings can be termed as the

backbone drawing of the building.
✓ It consists all the information about the

structural intervention that are coming on a
building. It contains many type of drawing
with very minute details and description.
2.1 General Note
✓ This is more of a codes and by laws of the buildings.
✓ No drawing is found in this, but the details of all the

structural drawings are mentioned in this such as
concrete mix, lapping length, curing time,
abbreviation, codes and other work procedures.
2.2 Excavation Drawing
✓ This drawing represents the footing excavation

dimension, column position, footing plan and grid
lines of column.
2.3 Column Layout
✓ This drawing represents the position and

orientation of columns and column
reinforcement details.
2.4 Plinth Beam Layout
✓ This drawing represents the dimensions, position

and section of plinth beam and the details of
reinforcement in plinth beam.
2.4 Plinth Beam Layout
2.5 Lintel Beam Layout
✓ This drawing represents the dimensions, position and

section of lintel beam and the details of reinforcement
in lintel beam.
2.6 Roof Beam and Shuttering Layout
✓ This drawing represents the details of reinforcement of

roof beam, its section, and shuttering details.
2.7 Roof Slab Layout
✓ This drawing represents the details of

reinforcement of roof slab, its section and
openings in the roof for various purpose such as
stairs or skylight.
3. Electrical Drawings 44
✓ Electrical drawing represent the details of

electrical fixtures, location of switches, fan,
light and others.
✓ It also represents the load calculation,

tapping for electricity, wiring path and other
interventions such as AC and UPS and its
components.
✓ An electrical drawing, also known as a wiring

diagram, is a type of technical drawing that
provides visual representation and information
relating to an electrical system or circuit.
✓ They are used to convey the engineering

design to the electricians or other workers
who will use them to help install the electrical
system.
✓ A set of electrical drawings on a project might

include:
✓ A site plan which shows the location of the
building and any external wiring.
✓ Floor plans which show the positions of
electrical systems on each floor.
✓ Wiring diagrams which show the physical
connections and layout of electrical circuits.
✓ Schedules and other information.
✓ Electrical drawings for buildings tend to include the following details:
➢ How the electrical wires and other parts of the system are interconnected and switched.
➢ Where fixtures and other components connect to the system.
➢ Incoming power lines and their voltage, size, capacity and rating.
➢ Power transformers and their winding connection and means of grounding.
➢ The main switches, fused switches and tie breakers.
➢ Equipment such as batteries, air conditioning, solar panels, generators, and so on, including their
voltage and size.
➢ The typically feature complex symbols and annotation to represent and explain components of
the system.
4. Plumbing Drawings 48
✓ Plumbing drawings give the location of

sanitary, piping for water supply system,
fixture, and the process to connect every
fixture.
4. Plumbing Drawings 49
✓ A plumbing drawing is a type of technical drawing that provides visual representation and information
relating to a plumbing system. It is used to convey the engineering design to plumbers or other
workers who will use them to help install the plumbing system.
✓ A plumbing drawing is used to show clearly the location of fixtures, sanitaryware, pipework, valves
and so on, and illustrates how fresh water is to be supplied into a building and waste water
removed.
✓ To illustrate the separate hot and cold water supply, the pipe runs will usually be coloured red and blue
respectively. Drainage pipes should be illustrated with the grade (slope) indicated. Where manholes are
included, a manhole schedule should detail the name, invert level, cover level, and depth.
5. Finishing Drawings 50
✓ Finishing drawings represents the finish type of every component of the building such as flooring
pattern, painting color, false ceiling shape, plastering texture and elevation design. These details
are sometime given in elevation drawings also.
✓ There is no standard rule of drawings required for a project. Depending upon the type of building and
requirement, types of drawings are made and issued .
How to Prepare Floor Plans 51
✓ Orthographic projection is a technique for drawing a

three dimensional object in two dimensions, by
‘projecting’ its surfaces into a two dimensional
representation, where the projection lines are
orthogonal to (perpendicular to) the projection plane
(that is, there is no foreshortening or perspective).
✓ Floor plans are a form of orthographic projection that can be used to show the layout of rooms
within buildings, as seen from above. They may be prepared as part of the design process, or to provide
instructions for construction, often associated with other drawings, schedules, and specifications.
✓ Floor plans may include key dimensions and levels, and may also use, hatching, symbols and other
standard annotations and abbreviations to indicate materials, fittings and appliances, etc.
✓ Depending on the size of the building, floor plans are typically drawn at scales of between 1:200 and
1:20.
✓ Different line types, colors and weights can be used to differentiate between the types of drawn
information they include.
✓ Floor plans can be drawn for whole buildings, a single floor of a building, or just a single room. The
more detailed the floor plan is in terms of layout, fittings and so on, the more useful and instructive it will
be for the project. However, if spaces are complex, it is normal for separate drawings to be prepared for
different trades, such as electrical and lighting drawings, plumbing drawings, and so on.
✓ The lower-right-hand corner of the sheet is typically reserved for a title block. This provides a space
to record the name of the project, the name of the drawing, the scale, the originators name, the date,
revision history, and so on.
✓ The floor plan view should be roughly centered on the sheet, with the front of the building typically
drawn along the lower side of the sheet. A north point may be included to show the orientation of
the floor plan.
✓ Typically, the outside walls are drawn first, to lay the plan out on the sheet, then the internal walls,
then windows, doors, stairs, lifts, ramps, and so on, are added. An arrow is used to indicate the
upward direction of stairs and ramps. It is usual for a faint dotted line to be drawn around stairs
(or other openings) where they are open at ceiling level.
✓ Rooms should be clearly labelled, with block lettering in the centre of each room. The correct
symbols should be added for elements such as; appliances, fixed furniture, fittings, building
services, and so on.
✓ Electrical symbols should be added to the drawing, indicating; power sockets, light switches, wall
and ceiling lights, detectors and alarms, extract fans, and so on.
✓ Items that are ceiling mounted, are generally drawn on the floor below their place of installation.
✓ Dimension may be added to indicate the size and location of key elements such as; rooms, fittings,
appliances or fixtures, external walls, window and door openings, and so on.
✓ Section lines may be added where there are section drawings associated with the floor plan. Grid
references may also be added to help co-ordinate the floor plan with other drawings.
✓ Some floor plans may include notional furniture to help gauge the likely size of circulation spaces.
✓ If a window or door schedule is to be prepared, doors and windows may be labelled with a
number or letter, corresponding to an item on the schedule.
✓ Floor plans should not duplicate information that is presented in specifications or schedules
because of the potential for conflict. Instead they should refer to the specification or schedule.
Common Mistakes on Building Drawings 57
✓ Many types of drawing can be used during the design and construction of buildings, often prepared by
different disciplines or teams, working separately from one another. There are several common
mistakes that can be made when producing or interpreting drawings that can lead to costly delays and
avoidable remedial work.
✓ A simple but common mistake is drawings not being complete. This can be a particular problem where
designers do not have the necessary experience, supervision, quality systems or time to produce the
drawings required. Incomplete drawings can lead to requests for information and change orders when
the work starts on site.
✓ Designers may also omit some detailing during the design process, such as window details or
roof construction details, intending to complete them later, and will instead provide notes about what
that portion of the construction should consist of. This can become a problem If they do not return to
update the drawings before construction begins.
✓ Drawings may not be coordinated, in particular if they are prepared by different teams, for
example, the information on structural drawings may not be consistent with ductwork drawings. This
can result in 'clashes', such as ventilation ducts running through structural beams (a hard clash), or
insufficient space for installation works or access for maintenance (a soft clash).
✓ To try and void this problem, the design team should regularly review all up-to-date working drawings to
ensure that they coordinate accurately.
✓ Building information modelling (BIM) can help prevent clashes. Clash detection software can
identify clashes between different disciplines' BIM data and generate clash reports. However, this
should not be relied upon as a fail-safe check, and should not be used to justify poor design co-
ordination processes.
✓ There may also be inconsistencies between drawn information and written information, such as
schedules or specifications. It is important therefore that information is not duplicated between
different types of document, but rather that one refers to the other. For example, a drawing may include
notes referring to additional details in specification clauses.
✓ In terms of personal drawing style, designers may have in-house habits that are not understood by
other teams or disciplines. This can lead to misinterpretation and mistakes.
✓ It is important therefore that drawings adopt standard methods and procedures for preparation,
symbols, hatching, annotation and so on. These should be agreed at the outset so that early drawings
do not have to be corrected. This is particularly important when drawings are prepared using computer
aided design (CAD) or BIM. BIM can involve the federation of information prepared by multiple teams
to create a single model. If the information is not created consistently, incompatibilities can emerge that
can be costly and time consuming to correct.
✓ In terms of technical details, common mistakes include:

✓ Incorrect or inconsistent scales being used across drawings.
✓ Doors opening the wrong way or with insufficient opening space (i.e. opening into other doors,
cabinets, windows, etc.).
✓ Facilities located in impractical places.
✓ Undersized, impractical or awkward spaces.
✓ Poorly detailed junctions or abutments between different components or systems.
✓ Incorrect symbols.
✓ Inconsistent revision numbers.
✓ Poor reproduction.
✓ File exchange or conversion errors.
✓ Software incompatibilities.
✓ Un-buildable, or difficult to build elements.
✓ Missing components.
✓ Inconsistent information.
✓ Illegible writing.
✓ The use of acronyms that are not understood.
✓ Notes that are not understood.
Symbols on Architectural Drawings 63
Typical Papers Sizes for Printing Drawings 69
Thank-you for Listening! 70
The third stage of learning, bring happiness and feeling of gratitude!

(Shad)
Engr. Shad Muhammad, Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University, Sahiwal.
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Website: www.mytrustworth.com

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Types of Drawings used in Civil Engineering Construction

Presentation · May 2020

Civil Engineering Construction View project

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Engr. Shad Muhammad

• How to Prepare Floor Plans

• Common Mistakes on Building Drawings

• Symbols used on Architectural Drawings

✓ Different types of drawings is used in civil engineering construction such as architectural,

✓ A location plan is a supporting document that

✓ A location plan provides an illustration of the

✓ A site plan is a large-scale drawing that shows the full

✓ This is primary drawing used for marking out the

✓ General arrangement drawings (GA’s,

✓ This drawing gives the information of horizontal

✓ Production information may include:

✓ Common problems with working drawings include:

✓ Increasingly, section drawings can be generated

✓ Elevation drawing represents the information of

✓ These drawings are made by having an aesthetic

✓ Detail drawings provide a detailed description of the

✓ They tend to be large-scale drawings that show in detail

✓ Structural drawings can be termed as the

✓ It consists all the information about the

✓ This is more of a codes and by laws of the buildings.

✓ No drawing is found in this, but the details of all the

✓ This drawing represents the footing excavation

✓ This drawing represents the position and

✓ This drawing represents the dimensions, position

✓ This drawing represents the dimensions, position and

✓ This drawing represents the details of reinforcement of

✓ This drawing represents the details of

✓ Electrical drawing represent the details of

✓ It also represents the load calculation,

✓ An electrical drawing, also known as a wiring

✓ They are used to convey the engineering

✓ A set of electrical drawings on a project might

✓ Plumbing drawings give the location of

✓ Orthographic projection is a technique for drawing a

✓ In terms of technical details, common mistakes include:

The third stage of learning, bring happiness and feeling of gratitude!

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