INTRODUCTION

FLOOR PLAN

One of the major tools in architectural design is the floor plan. This diagram shows the
relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure.
Dimensions are usually drawn between the walls to specify room sizes and wall lengths. Floor
plans will also include details of fixtures like sinks, water heaters, furnaces, etc. Floor plans will
include notes to specify finishes, construction methods, or symbols for electrical items.

Similar to a map in a floor plan the orientation of the view is downward from above, but unlike a
conventional map, a plan is understood to be drawn at a particular vertical position (commonly at
about 4 feet above the floor). Objects below this level are seen, objects at this level are shown
'cut' in plan-section, and objects above this vertical position within the structure are omitted or
shown dashed. Plan view or "planform" is defined as a vertical orthographic projection of an
object on a horizontal plane, like a map.
BEAM

A beam is a structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting against
bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external
loads, own weight, span and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment. Beams
are characterized by their profile (shape of cross-section), their length, and their material.

Beams are traditionally descriptions of building or civil engineering structural elements, but
smaller structures such as truck or automobile frames, machine frames, and other mechanical or
structural systems contain beam structures that are designed and analyzed in a similar fashion.

A statically determinate beam, bending (sagging) under a uniformly distributed load

COLUMN

A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that

transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements
below. In other words, a column is a compression member. The term column applies especially
to a large round support (the shaft of the column) with a capital and a base or pedestal and made
of stone, or appearing to be so. A small wooden or metal support is typically called a post, and
supports with a rectangular or other non-round section are usually called piers. For the purpose
of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces. Other
compression members are often termed "columns" because of the similar stress conditions.
Columns are frequently used to support beams or arches on which the upper parts of walls or
ceilings rest. In architecture, "column" refers to such a structural element that also has certain
proportional and decorative features. A column might also be a decorative element not needed
for structural purposes; many columns are "engaged", that is to say form part of a wall.

National Capitol Columns at the United States National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

Columns found at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi

CONCLUSION

BEAM

Historically beams were squared timbers but are also metal, stone, or combinations of wood and
metal such as a flitch beam. Beams generally carry vertical gravitational forces but can also be
used to carry horizontal loads (e.g., loads due to an earthquake or wind or in tension to resist
rafter thrust as a tie beam or (usually) compression as a collar beam). The loads carried by a
beam are transferred to columns, walls, or girders, which then transfer the force to adjacent
structural compression members. In light frame construction joists may rest on beams.

In carpentry a beam is called a plate as in a sill plate or wall plate, beam as in a summer beam or
dragon beam.

ROOF
A roof is part of a building envelope. It is the covering on the uppermost part of a building or
shelter which provides protection from animals and weather, notably rain or snow, but also heat,
wind and sunlight. The word also denotes the framing or structure which supports that covering.

The characteristics of a roof are dependent upon the purpose of the building that it covers, the
available roofing materials and the local traditions of construction and wider concepts of
architectural design and practice and may also be governed by local or national legislation. In
most countries a roof protects primarily against rain. A verandah may be roofed with material
that protects against sunlight but admits the other elements. The roof of a garden conservatory
protects plants from cold, wind, and rain, but admits light.

ARCHITECTURAL PLAN
In the field of architecture an architectural plan is a design and planning for a building, and can
contain architectural drawings, specifications of the design, calculations, time planning of the
building process, and other documentation.
Architectural drawings are used by architects and others for a number of purposes: to develop a
design idea into a coherent proposal, to communicate ideas and concepts, to convince clients of
the merits of a design, to enable a building contractor to construct it, as a record of the completed
work, and to make a record of a building that already exists.

Architectural drawings are made according to a set of conventions, which include particular
views (floor plan, section etc.), sheet sizes, units of measurement and scales, annotation and
cross referencing. Conventionally, drawings were made in ink on paper or a similar material, and
any copies required had to be laboriously made by hand. The twentieth century saw a shift to
drawing on tracing paper, so that mechanical copies could be run off efficiently.