Explore the intricacies of architectural dimensioning, with a detailed walkthrough of a building's measurements. Gain insights on different dimensioning methods for elements like outlets, windows, doors, and even curved walls in a building's design.
Key Insights:
- The article provides an in-depth explanation of dimensioning architectural drawings of a building, pointing out key features like total width, outlet positions, and the vertical height of the building.
- The architecture dimensions also extend to windows and doors, with details on their width, length, and their distances from other building elements. The text notes that these dimensions can sometimes be measured from the central line of the window or door to the end of the building.
- Unique architectural features like curved walls are also covered, explaining how to anchor radial dimensions, and how to interpret these dimensions in the construction process. The article highlights the importance of understanding these dimensions in the larger context of architectural drawings.
The building on the right has a series of dimension chains. There is one up here that shows that the total width of the building is 17 feet, 6 and a half inches. That goes from the end of the extension line down here to the end of the extension line where it meets the building down here.
So, the total width of the building is 17 feet, 6 and a half inches. There is an offset, our first notable break in the building, which is 7 feet 6 and a half inches. So that is again from the extension line down here, we read the dimension up here, to the extension line here.
On the left side, there is another chain of dimensions. We can see that the vertical height of the building is 17 feet 9. There is an offset measuring 11 feet 9 inches. And that goes from the end of this extension line down here, to the end of this extension line up here. We have different ways of dimensioning the windows.
So, what we know in this case, is that they are 2 feet 10 and a half inches from the end of this extension line here to the edge of the window here. The window is 6 feet wide and 2 feet 10 and a half inches from the end of the window to the end of the building. Here is another way of how a window can be dimensioned.
So, again, on this side, we see that we dimension from edge to edge of the window. And instead, here we are dimensioning from the end of the building to the central line of the window and to the central line of this other window. We are not indicating the dimensions of the windows in this drawing, but we would have a window symbol here or here.
%20(1).png)
Learn Blueprint Reading
- Nationally accredited
- Create your own portfolio
- Free student software
- Learn at your convenience
- Authorized Autodesk training center
That window symbol would refer to the Window Schedule. And within that schedule, we would have the lengths and widths of those windows. And when the Contractor is marking the openings for these windows, they would go to the Window Schedule.
In the same way, for this, we would indicate the widths on both sides of the window itself. But there would also be a window symbol here that would lead the Contractor to the Window Schedule to learn what they are doing. One thing that we include in this plan, just because it is really fun, is that we have a huge curved wall here, and you can see that the wall has a radius of 5 feet 0 inches.
So, from this central point right here, the radius of that wall is 5 feet. What we know is that the center of this curved wall is 5 feet 0 inches from the edge of the wall right here, and the center of this curved wall is a foot away from the end of the wall right here. This is what we call anchoring the radial dimensions.
One of the beauties is that, when you are designing the building, the Contractor can easily enter and discover, oh, this curved wall has a radius of 5 feet, the center of the point of the radius is a foot above the corner of the building that I have already marked, and it is also 5 feet from that same corner. For the dimension chain at the bottom of the plan, you can see that we are dimensioning from the end of the building to the edge of the door. We have our bar or tick marks, and therefore it is 4 feet 3 and a half inches from the end of the building to the edge of the door.
Then we indicate the width of the door as 3 feet, so, again, dimensioning from one side of the door, a frame, to the opposite frame. Then we have 10 feet 3 from the edge of this frame to the end of the building. I would like to call your attention to this note right here, 3 inches typical.
This is the space behind the door that goes to the frame of the door here. So, you can see that this is a 3-inch typical condition. When I look at this door up here, you can see that the distance behind the door is not dimensioned because this 3-inch typical rule also applies here.
So, please, take a moment, look at these dimensions and keep in mind that we will have a great time studying the dimensions throughout this course.