Civil Engineering Department

CE013 – Building Systems Design Laboratory Manual

Design Plate No. I
LOT PLAN
1. Objective(s):
The activity aims to introduce the basic concepts, significance and procedures for the drafting of
a lot plan which will serve as the basis for the development of their technical plans.
2. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs):
The students shall be able to:
2.1 Familiarize the basic operations and functions used in drafting a simple lot from its technical
descriptions in land titles.
2.2 Determine the technical descriptions involved in the development of the lot plan
2.3 Conduct the actual drafting of the lot plan.
3. Discussion:
Lot Plan is a scale drawing of a property lot that shows its size, dimensions, and properties of the
boundaries of the lot. The main function of a lot plan is to determine the placement of the lot on the
ground as it sits in reference to the boundaries of the lot. A properly drafted lot plan enables the
draftsman to properly plan the building in reference to various constraints such as adjacent lot features
and structures, orientation to the movement of the sun, and orientation to the pathway or road.
4. Resources:
AutoCAD 2017 version or lower
5. Procedure:
Initial Preparations
1. Prepare your land title by securing its completeness especially the technical descriptions of the lot
boundaries and adjacent entities.
2. Enlist all required lot boundaries sequentially according to its proper order. Some technical plans
use numbers i.e. 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 in arranging it lot boundaries; other use letters i.e. A-B, B-C, C-D.
3. Incomplete details found in the land title i.e. missing distance, missing bearing angle, missing units
must be confirmed to the local building official for authenticity and veracity.

After opening and setting up your AutoCAD

1. Look for the phrase “Beginning at the point marked 1…” or any similar phrase at the beginning of
the technical description of the lot boundaries. Determine the distance of that Point 1 from its
referenced point (benchmark) and its bearing angle.
2. Use either the LINE function or the POLYLINE function to start creating your lot. After typing the
function, click on any part on the workspace to mark the starting point of your plot.
3. Type in the aforementioned distance. Then press TAB to enable you to key in the bearing angle.
4. In typing in the bearing angle, follow this format: N 45°15’ W shall be typed in as N45d15’W
accordingly. Then press ENTER. Note that “d” refers to the degree, apostrophe sign (‘) for minutes,
N for north, S for south, E for east, and W for west.
5. In plotting the next lot boundaries, look for the lot boundary’s distance from the corner points of
the lot and its corresponding bearing. After pressing ENTER to key in the previous lot boundary,
type in the distance, then press TAB upon typing in its bearing angle.
6. Repeat the aforementioned steps until you reach the last lot boundary.
7. Press C to close the lot.

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CE013 – Building Systems Design Laboratory Manual
After plotting the lot
1. Enhance your lot by citing the adjacent entities surrounding your lot in its corresponding lot
boundary. For instance, a vacant lot named “LOT 17-A” is bounded by Points 1-2. This means
that outside the lot boundary bound by Points 1 and 2, there is a lot that you should identify and
plot.
2. Instead of using dimensional lines to define the distances of your lot boundaries, type in the
distance and it corresponding bearing angle of the lot boundaries at the outside center portion of
the lot boundary.
3. Determine the area of your lot using the AREA function and check if it matches the lot area stated
in the land title. Type in the name of the lot (lot number) and its lot area found in the land title
inside the lot using TEXT or MTEXT function, then HATCH the inner lot area using any appropriate
hatch design. Be careful not to include the text in hatching.
4. Note that there will be cases that the starting lot boundary of within the lot and the last lot boundary
will not be closing in one exact point. Some might be intersecting and extending a few lines, while
some will not even close or even intersect. A quick remedy in determining the area using the
AREA function is to click only the inner portions of the lot boundaries, ignoring the outside
extension lines made by the intersected lot boundaries.
5. Enhance the over-all look of your lot plan by plotting in the existing buildings and other entities
within your lot. Pin point the probable location of your proposed project/s inside the lot by creating
the possible building footprint of your project/s. Label the building/s accordingly.
6. Data and Results:

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CE013 – Building Systems Design Laboratory Manual
7. Conclusion:

The use of AutoCAD software, in the field of engineering and architecture is

highly important. It allows designers to meticulously plan and visualize systems,
such as buildings, mechanical parts and electrical layouts. AutoCAD not
simplifies the design process. Also ensures precision reducing mistakes and
rework. Additionally, it promotes collaboration among teams from disciplines by
providing a platform for sharing and editing designs facilitating efficient
communication. The software’s ability to generate diagrams and blueprints
enhances project clarity and understanding. Therefore, AutoCAD plays a role,
in optimizing efficiency, accuracy and collaboration in the fields of engineering
and architecture.

The design of building systems made easier, with the help of software is
extremely important in engineering. AutoCAD provides designers and
engineers with accurate tools that allow them to carefully plan, visualize and
construct systems with exceptional efficiency. It simplifies the design process
from concept to final execution ensuring accuracy and minimizing costly errors
that may require rework. Additionally, AutoCAD’s collaborative features
promote teamwork and communication among project stakeholders improving
project coordination and speeding up timelines. Apart from these benefits
having proficiency in AutoCAD gives professionals in the industry an advantage
and opens up various career opportunities.

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CE013 – Building Systems Design Laboratory Manual
8. Assessment:
VERY
UNSATISFACTORY DEVELOPING SATISFACTORY EXEMPLARY
CRITERIA SATISFACTORY SCORE
1 2 3 5
4

design a Clearly and

system, Clearly effectively
component, or Communicates communicates communicates
Communicates
process to Does not important the main idea the main idea
information as
meet desired communicate information but or theme and or theme and
isolated ideas
needs within his ideas not a clear provides provides
realistic in a random
clearly theme or over suitable support that
constraints, in fashion
all structure support and contains rich,
accordance detail vivid, and
with standards powerful detail
Presents
understand Presents Presents
information in a Presents
the impact of information in information in a
Does not style and tone information in a
civil a style and style and tone
demonstrate inappropriate style and tone
engineering tone that effectively
the ability to for the consistent with
solutions in a inappropriate capitalized on
adjust tone or audience’s the audience’s
global, for both the audience’s
style for level of interest level of interest
economic, audience’s level of interest
environmental, different or the and level of
level of interest and level of
and societal audiences audience’s knowledge or
and level of knowledge or
context level of understanding
knowledge understanding
knowledge
Uses only one
method of
Uses multiple
use communication Uses of two
methods of
techniques, when more Attempts to use different
Uses one communication,
skills, and than one two methods of methods of
method and applying the
modern method is communication, communication,
correctly conventions
engineering clearly needed but does not applying the
tools
applies the and rules of
or requested apply the conventions
necessary for conventions those methods
and does not conventions and rules of
civil and rules of in highly
correctly apply and rules of those methods
engineering that method creative and
the those methods in customary
practice imaginative
conventions ways
ways
and rules of
that method
Other Comments/Observations: Total Score
𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔
(𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒)
= × 100
15

9. Reference(s):
Geren, Roland L. (2016). Applying the Building Code. Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Ching, Francis D.K. (2016). Building Codes Illustrated. Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Ching, Francis D.K. (2014). Building Structures Illustrated. Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kuuba, Sam A.A. (2009). Blueprint Reading: Construction Drawings for the Building Trades.