Annotation Basics: Plans, Sections & Elevations

Annotate your drawings properly with the right line types and symbols on architectural plans, sections and elevations

Architectural drawings use various line types and symbols to convey information accurately.

Here are common line types and symbols for architectural plans, sections, and elevations:

Architectural Plans:

1. Wall Lines:

   • Solid thick lines for cut walls

   • Solid thin lines for uncut walls

   • Dashed lines for projected walls

   • Red lines for special walls (like fire rated walls)

2. Doors:

   • Symbolic representation with swing direction along walls indicated

   • Arcs or circles to represent doors in the closed position

   • Door tags to label the door type (to tally with door schedules)

   • Red lines for fire rated doors

3. Windows:

   • Symbolic representation with panel orientation within wall indicated

   • Window tags to label the window type (to tally with door schedules)

   • Arrows indicating window orientation and operation (if applicable, eg. sliding windows)

4. Stairs

   • Symbolic representation for stairs and landings, with arrows indicating the direction from bottom to top of stairs

   • Lines within staircase boundary lines showing location of step edges

   • Annotations for dimensions and details (riser height, tread depth, number of risers)

5. Furniture:

   • Symbols for furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E)

6. Rooms:

   • Outlined areas with tags for room names and dimensions

   • Room tags may also show key information such as area, finishes for floor, wall, structural or finished floor levels and ceiling and mode of ventilation.

7. Dimensions:

   • Dimension lines with arrows indicating the measurement direction (usually in mm)

   • Text annotations for dimension values

   • Clear width of doors, corridors etc

8. Floor Levels:

   1. Text box label with suffix (eg. SFL, FFL) and a number (eg. 4.00) representing the level at the particular location on plan.

   2. Placed within rooms and all key locations where there are varying levels (eg. Building apron, Lift lobby, Corridor)

9. Symbols for Key Elements:

   • Symbols for structural elements like beams, columns, and foundations

   • Symbols for fire-fighting equipment

   • Symbols for for landscaping elements such as trees and shrubs

10. Section/Elevation Lines:

    1. Symbol with line with arrow tail indicating location and orientation of section cut/elevation on plan.

    2. Text label within the symbol indicating drawing number and section/elevation number to tally with section/elevation drawing.

Architectural Sections:

1. Section Lines:

   • Solid thick lines with hatched area to indicate the cut section of wall / floor / ceiling

2. Materials and Textures:

   • Hatching or shading to represent different materials

   • Annotations specifying material types

Architectural Elevations:

1. Outline of Building:

   • Solid lines to outline the building

   • Dashed lines for obscured portions

2. Doors and Windows:

   • Symbols for doors and windows, similar to those in the plan

   • Indications of swing direction and operation

3. Roof Pitch and Shape:

   • Lines indicating the pitch and shape of the roof

   • Symbols for roof features like chimneys and vents

Drafting conventions may vary based on regional standards and individual project requirements. It's crucial to adhere to industry standards and communicate effectively through clear and standardized symbols and line types

Why do we need Tags & Labels?

Tags & labels are commonly seen for the following building elements:

• Doors

• Windows

• Walls

• Roller shutters

• Columns

• Beam

Schedules provide a tabular format for more information of each building element.

For example, you will see door schedules with corresponding labels on floor plan, that indicates the material, fire rating, width, height and other information specific to the door type.