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MODULE

Introduction
Drawing Set Organization is a standardized method for organizing information about a facility
that is presented graphically. Effective organization facilitates accurate communication between
the drawing creator and those who use that drawing. Organization also promotes information
retrieval and preservation.
Organization standards affect production, delivery, and identification of hardcopy drawings as
well as electronic (CAD) drawings. A solitary determination made on how or where to display
information has a domino effect on multiple aspects of the drawing set.
The Drawing Set Organization Module provides a consistent, familiar environment for producing
and viewing construction drawings. Particularly suited to buildings, the standards easily adapt to
other types of facilities including civil and process dominant projects.
The following brief synopsis provides an overview of where to look for help in making decisions
about organizing a drawing set.

Set Content and Order

Organizes graphical information into subsets to create convenient work partitions for
multiple design and construction disciplines

INTRODUCTION

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Sheet: As a delivery media, the document

sheet is the hardcopy representation of
information presented on a vellum or mylar
original or tracing. In an electronic
media sense, the document sheet is the screen
window.
Discipline Designator: The first
component of the sheet identification format,
based on the traditional system of
alphabetical discipline designators.
Modifier: The second character of a
two-character discipline designator,
used to further subdivide the discipline
for a specific use or purpose.

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Provides an order for displaying subsets in a logical sequence for review and
construction

Identifies types of electronic files (or sheets) that best illustrate categories of drawing
information

Utilizes an electronic model concept to share information common to multiple

disciplines without duplicating work

Sheet Identification

Provides a list of discipline designators and modifiers

Organizes the categories of information into drawing sheet types

Provides guidelines for a sheet numbering sequence

File Naming

Handles special situations created by internal and external influences

Identifies drawing categories

Project files for project specific drawings and sheets; used once
Library files for generic drawings and master sheet or template files; used many times

Provides file naming standards for different types of project files

Model
Details
Sheet
Schedules
Text
Database

Provides file management strategies for each category

Provides additional references for easy reading

INTRODUCTION

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Influences
Provides a table illustrating how various factors influence drawing set content and order, sheet
identification, and the naming of files.

INTRODUCTION

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Set Content and Order

The organization of a drawing set should support the requirements and facilitate the production
efforts of the design and construction team. The organization system must be flexible and
adaptive to the influences of project size and complexity, including delivery requirements.
Uniform Drawing System (UDS) provides the methodology to organize drawing sets in the
following manner:

Procurement Drawings: Drawings

issued for bidding or negotiating before
signing of an agreement.
Contract Drawings: Drawings that
describe the work of the project.
Resource Drawings: Drawings that
show existing conditions, or new construction
related to the work, but are not included
in the contract.
Addenda and Modification Drawings:
Collectively known as Supplemental
Drawings.

Segregate the information by disciplines (both design and construction) to form subsets
of the total drawing package

Order the subsets to correspond to the natural sequence of construction, closely

associating disciplines where topics are similar

Collect and present each drawing (plan, elevation, section ...) on a sheet dedicated to
that drawing type so that different drawing types may be combined for small projects

Present information within each subset from general to specific

A drawing set for a project or a facility must also provide for the inclusion of each of the various
types of construction drawings, as follows:
Procurement Drawings
Contract Drawings
Resource Drawings
Addenda Drawings
Modification Drawings

Although the initial purpose of construction drawings is to build or modify a facility, portions of
a drawing set can be reused for facility management or for future projects. Logical set
organization and sheet identification procedures facilitate retrieval and use of information.

SET CONTENT AND ORDER

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Subsets
Following the cover sheet, sheets should be organized into subsets in the order illustrated in
Figure 01.1. All of the subsets may not apply, or more specific additional categories may be
required depending on the size, scope, and complexity of the project.

Figure 01.1 Illustration of a typical drawing set.

SET CONTENT AND ORDER

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Electronic Models
The use of electronic models is a common method of sharing information among design
disciplines when using CAD to produce construction drawings. A model file contains elements of
a facility that are created by one designer and referenced but not modified by another. One
example is simply the floor plan that is used to overlay the duct work or electrical power
information. That floor plan can contain the reflected ceiling grid or the grid can be referenced
also. The AIA CAD Layer Guidelines is a valuable tool in segregating information in a model
because it organizes information into subsets similar to those described above.

SET CONTENT AND ORDER

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Sheet Identification
The sheet identification format has its roots in traditional construction drawing techniques.
However, the advent of systems methods, overlay drafting, and CAD has demanded more
consistency in labeling and organizing sheets. These technologies have also provided an
opportunity to expand the role of the sheet identifier. Accordingly, the sheet identification format
is a key part of UDS.

AA

NNN

Discipline Designator

AA NNN
Hyphen

AA

NNN

Sheet Type Designator

AA

NNN

Sheet Sequence Number

A = alphabetical character
N = numerical character

Standard Sheet Identification

The sheet identification format is applicable to both manual and CAD drawing production. It is
consistent, yet flexible enough for a wide range of project scopes. The UDS sheet identification
format depicted here has four components:

the discipline designator, consisting of one or two alphabetical characters

the hyphen separates the disciplined designator from the sheet type designator

the sheet type designator, consisting of one numerical character

the sheet sequence number, consisting of two numerical characters

The one- or two-character discipline designator identifies the sheet as a member of a subset.
A sheet type designator that identifies the type of information on the sheet is followed by
the sheet sequence number.
Recognizing the wide variance in project complexity, UDS allows two levels of sheet
identification. Either of these or a combination of the two can be used to suit the project or the
intended use of the drawings. Level 1 offers the simplest identification format and would be
suitable for all but the most complex projects. Level 2 provides guidance for complex or special
types of projects. Refer to Appendix A for examples of the two levels of sheet identification.

SHEET IDENTIFICATION

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NNN

Level 1 Discipline Designator

AA

NNN

Level 2 Discipline Designator

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Note that the hyphen in the Level 1 discipline designator is a required place holder in the absence
of the second character. The hyphen is preferred rather than a decimal point due to the use of the
dot in electronic file names. Alternatively, an underscore may be used to replace the hyphen
when a particular operating system does not accept hyphens in file names.

Abbreviated Sheet Identification

UDS also provides for an abbreviated sheet identification format. While a large, complex project
can obviously make use of the full set of discipline designators, sheet type designator, and sheet
sequence numbers, a small projects one sheet could simply use the identifier A-1. For example,
A-1 represents the designation A- - -1 with the modifier character, sheet type designator, and the
first of the two sheet sequence numbers as an understood entity. The lack of the second, third,
and fourth characters in the middle does not make finding a particular piece of information more
difficult because all the information is contained on one sheet. For this reason, and because
understood place holders may be misinterpreted, the standard sheet identification format makes
use of all designators.

Discipline Designator
Discipline Designator

A
Discipline Character

The first component of the sheet identification format, the discipline designator, is based on the
traditional system of alphabetical discipline designators, using either a single alphabetical
character with a hyphen (Level 1) or two alphabetical characters (Level 2).
The discipline designator denotes the category of subject matter contained in the file or on the
layer designated. A dash always follows the discipline designator, to separate the one- or twocharacter discipline designator from the sheet number.

A
Modifier Character

SHEET IDENTIFICATION

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LEVEL 1 DISCIPLINE DESIGNATORS

G
H
V
B
W
C
L
S
A
I
Q
F
P
D
M
E
T
R
X
Z
O

General
Hazardous Materials
Survey/Mapping
Geotechnical
Civil Works
Civil
Landscape
Structural
Architectural
Interiors
Equipment
Fire Protection
Plumbing
Process
Mechanical
Electrical
Telecommunications
Resource
Other Disciplines
Contractor/Shop Drawings
Operations

For example, the electrical engineer may be the designer for a telephone system. The drawings
required may be included on the E (Electrical) sheets along with the rest of the drawings
produced by that designer. If the level of detail demands it, the electrical engineer may decide to
segregate the telephone system information onto sheets with the Level 2 designator ET
(Electrical Telecommunications).
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For an even more complex project involving voice, data, security, and signal systems, separate
drawings for each communications system may be required, perhaps even produced by a network
specialist. In this case the discipline designator T (Telecommunications) could be used,
combined with specific modifier characters to create the Level 2 discipline designators TN
(Telecommunications Network), TT (Telecommunications Telephone), or TY (Telecommunications Security).
For additional examples of discipline designators for other disciplines, refer to Appendix A. A
detailed example of discipline designators based on the Telecommunications discipline follows.
Designator
Level 1

Description of
Level 2 Suggested Name

Content

Telecommunications

TA

Audio Visual

Cable, music, and closed-circuit television

(CCTV) systems

TC

Clock and Program

Time generators and bell program systems

TI

Intercom

Intercom and public address systems

TM

Monitoring

Monitoring and alarm systems

TN

Data Networks

Network cabling and equipment

TT

Telephone

Telephone systems, wiring, and equipment

TY

Security

Access control and alarm systems

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Sheet Type Designator

AA

NNN

The second component of the sheet identification format is the sheet type designator. The sheet
type is identified by a single numerical character. All sheet types may apply to all discipline
designators. It is not necessary to use all the sheet types for a project or within a discipline.

Sheet Type Designator

SHEET TYPE DESIGNATORS

0

General (symbols legend, notes, etc.)

Plans (horizontal views)

Elevations (vertical views)

Sections (sectional views, wall sections)

Large-Scale Views (plans, elevations, stair sections, or sections that are not details)

Details

6
8

Schedules and Diagrams

User Defined (for types that do not fall in other categories, including typical detail
sheets)
User Defined (for types that do not fall in other categories)

3D Representations (isometrics, perspectives, photographs)

The use of sheet type designators does not preclude combining different types of drawings on the
same sheet for simplicity. For instance, it is acceptable to

Place profile drawings on sanitary sewer or road plan sheets

Place same scale sections on the same sheet as large-scale plans of stairs or escalators

Place schedules on a plan sheet when the information is closely associated

Different types of drawings may be combined on the same sheet on small projects

When the type of drawings on a sheet is mixed, clearly identify all of the drawings contained on
the sheet in the sheet title block.

SHEET IDENTIFICATION

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Sheet Sequence Number

AA

The third component of the sheet identification format, a two-digit sheet sequence number,
identifies each sheet in a series of the same discipline and sheet type. Sequence numbering starts
with 01; sheet number 00 is not permitted. The first sheet of each series is numbered 01,
followed by 02 through 99. Sequence numbers need not be sequential, to permit future insertion
of sheets during design. While many projects may not require more than a single digit,
standardization of a two-digit sequence number allows for efficient electronic file sorting and
facility management databases.

NNN

Sheet Sequence Number

AA

UUU

NNN

User-Defined Designators

On plan sheets, it may be desirable to replicate the floor name within each discipline. This makes
sheets A-102, M-102, and E-102 the second floor plan for each of the various disciplines. This
system may become cumbersome when basements and mezzanines or split-level plans are
involved. Evaluate each project carefully before deciding to implement this option.
Additional drawings inserted in a set of drawings after a sheet identification organization has
already been established can be identified with a suffix. This suffix may be comprised of three
user-defined designators.

1 0 2

R 1

A-102-R1 for a partially revised floor plan.

1 0 2

X 1

A-102-X1 for a totally revised floor plan.

1 0 2

Supplemental Drawings
Small changes on a drawing are normally accomplished with the use of revision clouds and
numbers accompanied with a brief description in the revision block. Occasionally an entire
drawing must be altered and reissued for supplementary work involving a change in scope. When
this occurs, a user-defined suffix character to the sheet identifier may be introduced. Descriptors
include R for revised issues of similar scope, X for complete changes, and A, B, C... for phased
work where multiple versions of the same drawing are expected. A dash always follows the sheet
sequence number to separate it from the numbering for supplemental drawings.

A 1

A-102-A1 for Phase 1 of a sequenced con-

struction floor plan.

SHEET IDENTIFICATION

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