P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V.

, MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,

CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

8th Aug 2017

Students of Architecture : What are they lacking in terms of production of

drawings ? ( Meant to be read by the faculty as well as by the students)

I am generalizing the topic, not mentioning any name of institution.

I am just thinking aloud here, from what I have seen so far with the students.
Should be taken as a constructive narration (let me not use the word criticism).

Once again I say that it is my loud thinking - in the good interests of the students
as well as for the institution - how to improve the students. Let me first talk about
producing good drawings ( I am not talking about the design content at the
moment, but touching about it here & there). Let me cite two cases which is
happening in the real world too - a competent architect Vs an incompetent one.

1) Any competent or good architect conveys initial ideas to clients in the form of
concept drawings, physical models, 3d models and with presentation drawings in
such a manner that only a small explanation is required. The drawings must speak
for themselves. This reflects the competency & the knowledge of the architect.

2) Another case: ( please be certain that there really are B.Arch. graduates out
there - quite a number - who started private practice with no proper training & no
proper experience - YES, they do exist). What do they do ?

During discussions, clients keep asking the architect every minute what is what.
They are confused by the drawing. That reflects extremely poor quality of
drawings by the architect.

The drawing contains no proper information - even though it is done in a pretty &
colorful manner - result: it is more a graphic design than an informative drawing.

The drawing is not done to exact scale, does not contain proper labeling of the
spaces, many spaces do not have the dimensions written, and furniture /

Page 1 of 10
P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V., MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,
CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

appliances / fixtures are to unrealistic sizes - some times even half size EWCs &
Wash Basins in toilets, half size dining tables and half size beds in bed rooms. So a
small room looks on the plan, visually, large.

The stair would not reach the first floor - there are not enough number of steps
with standard treads & risers. The stair is too wide or too narrow for the type of
space in context.

Dwarfish room heights. Height of ceiling is not in context with the type of space /
size of space.

When there is a courtyard, it is so narrow and high, that it looks like a vertical
shaft. Talks philosophy to support the design which, in truth, is utter
nonsense.

Well, it is really easier to narrate about a competent, good architect than an

incompetent, devoid of knowledge architect.
------------------------------- --

Now let me start on the core subject of this document/paper: Concept

Drawings:

The first impression: One should realize the importance of a good drawing. The
first drawing, should be so effective, that it conveys all the information it needs to
convey, done in a neatly presentable form and also done in a very legible way. ( I
am not talking about the initial bubble diagrams, circulation diagrams etc. etc.
which are preliminary sketches to form a concept - but I am talking about the first
real scale drawing which puts all spaces together, and all elements like walls,
furniture, appliances. equipment etc, placed effectively and in a correct manner,
with sectional drawings and 2d elevation drawings to explain the concept).

If this drawing is not done properly and if it does not communicate to the viewer
the contents of the drawing in an explicit manner, then that drawing is a failure -
even if the initial concept was good, in preliminary rough sketches. I am just
talking about the drawings only now - not about the design content.

Page 2 of 10
P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V., MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,
CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

One must first learn to produce drawings that explicitly communicate the contents
of the drawing in a compelling manner. YES, in a compelling manner.

And, exactly, this is not what is happening with almost half of the students of
architecture. This is what is really lacking. (the other half is pretty good - but
needs further pushing). Once again let me say that I am not touching on the
design part of it excepting something here & there - that would be done at a later
stage as another paper.

DRAWING IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE ARCHITECT. Drawing is the

mode of communication with the client as well as with the builders. However good
the architect's idea / concept may be, if it is not presented in the form of legible,
informative manner and then articulated with shading or coloring to further
enhance the clarity of the drawing, whatever good idea the architect had, is not
conveyed to the client. Any amount of lengthy, verbal explanation of the ideas
would not sink into the client's mind if the drawing is of poor quality (please note
shading & coloring are for clarity - not for the visual effect of glamorizing the
drawing which many times becomes a gimmick and just a graphic design - but
these done in the right manner, automatically produces an impressive, informative
drawing). Without getting good grips of this language of drawing, communication
of the idea simply fails.

So, the first step a student of architecture has to take is to learn how to produce
good & compelling drawings ( apart from good free hand sketching, and visual
ideas the student has learned in the First Year).

Let me mention that I am not talking about the initial free hand concept sketches or
bubble diagrams or circulation diagrams or study sheets. I am talking about what
should happen after that. And also, I am not talking about detailed drawings
required for construction. I am talking about architectural drawings which convey
the idea and concept of the design / project at hand.

So, how to produce such compelling drawings ? Here are the requisites:
( whether done manually or with cad )

Page 3 of 10
P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V., MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,
CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

1) Presentation of the concept should not be in the form of plans alone. The basic
set of concept drawings must have plans, sections & elevations (2D elevations)
done in a very legible, communicative manner and they have to be precisely to
scale. It shall have enough information of dimensions and labeling of the different
spaces in plans & sections, to convey the idea. Unless the student has understood
the design as a whole building, mentally visualizing in 3d, production of correct
section & elevation drawings are next to impossible. ( This is the main deficiency
many students are having here ).

The section & elevation drawings too should have shading content to communicate
the design intent. Elevation drawings should have sciography done. The elevation
drawings should partially convey depth ( since it would never replace a 3d
perspective drawing). Partial conveyance of depth should be sufficient to be
communicative in production of these drawings.

2) Plan drawing: All walls that are cut ( i.e. which show as sections in plan view),
must have a heavier line thickness and be much darker than the elements seen as
elevation from top view - i.e. plan view. This does not mean that those seen as
elevation should be so faint as barely visible. These too must be dark enough
thinner lines which are clearly visible . To further enhance the visual clarity, the
cut walls should be shaded dark. The practice of doing this shall become habitual.
The respective teaching faculty in design studio shall guide the students on this.
OR , rather , insist & compel the students to do it this way.

Doors & windows shall be clearly drawn to scale with real world sizes/
dimensions. Door swing shall be clearly drawn. The door swing correctly drawn
on plan would make the student understand if the door in open position would
hinder placing of a furniture or hinder an activity. This is again a deficiency found
with a lot of students here. They simply place the door as an icon without realizing
the size of the door and the door swing which should be represented as quarter
circle or half circle as the case may be, is represented by many as a shallow arc
misrepresenting the door swing, thereby cheating oneself that there is sufficient
space when the door is in open position.

Page 4 of 10
P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V., MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,
CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

Many students are placing / showing windows just for the sake of placing some
windows here & there. Quite a few students are not even bothered to show
windows.

Windows are not being placed / shown consciously understanding the size of the
window with respect to the particular spatial size of the room/hall - but are being
placed randomly without meaning. Windows have to be drawn to scale and to real
world dimensions - both in plan as well as in sections & elevations.

They must understand the size of the windows - both width & height and apart
from the functionality of the window, also understand how the width to height
ratio would affect architecturally both in the interior as well as on the exterior. One
could have more number of narrow windows or lesser number of larger windows
to give the same lighting & ventilation, but how they are chosen affects the interior
& exterior design of the building.

Many students seem to have a lack of knowledge in this aspect. So, make them
draw windows properly to scale and in sufficient numbers in context with the
enclosed space which they serve to give light /ventilation. This is of utmost
importance.

Location of windows will have to be necessarily based on the interior furniture

lay-out. Location of doors and windows affect the furniture layout. Furniture shall
not be adjusted to suit doors & windows. It should be the other way - effective
furniture lay out shall be done first and then doors & windows shall be done to suit
this. Of course, one would have to go back & forth with this to achieve an effective
furniture layout with adequate windows and with the location/placement of
doorways. These too should be monitored / supervised / insisted upon by the
teaching faculty in charge of design studios.

Now, regarding the furniture part : These have to be to real world sizes and to
precise scale. They have to be meticulously drawn to scale and the spacing of the
furniture - the space in between a single piece and that of a cluster - shall be well
understood by the students. I am saying this that many are placing furniture in a
stray manner without giving any thoughts to their spacing, size etc.

Page 5 of 10
P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V., MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,
CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

While doing real designing of a building, they forget all the anthropometric
data which they had already learned. Circulation within each interior space is
also neglected.

So, even a plan drawing, if shown with correct line thicknesses, shading etc.,
haphazard placement of doors & windows & furniture - and at times out of scale
furniture, kills the communicative part, even if the student had a good idea of the
concept. Here again the studio faculty has to take the responsibility of guiding the
students. Be insistent. Be pushy. Push them to their limits - that is how one
makes the student learn architecture ! ( It is needless to say that the student also
must be inclined to learn architecture !! )

Proverbs:

One could lead the horse to water but it has to drink by itself !

The Teacher opens the door, but the student has to enter by himself !

So students !! Start walking through the door without any delay !

-----------
Coming back to the subject:

In a good plan drawing, even the furniture are shaded to enhance clarity - no fancy
textures are necessary here - simple shading / coloring would do. What I am trying
to convey is that, the student need not overdo such things which waste time in
producing the drawing - giving him/her more time to think on the design part.

If it is a large scale building / institutional building etc. circulation spaces are to be

clearly shaded with a different color and it has to be the same color every where so
that the viewer knows clearly how much space the circulation area occupies.

When there are different levels in the concrete ceiling ( I am not talking about false
ceiling), owing to the first floor spaces, these levels could be shaded in different
colors - lightly - to explicitly make clear that there are level differences in the
ceiling and the level differences have to be written in the Legend with the color

Page 6 of 10
P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V., MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,
CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

patch next to it. So the viewer instantly realizes that the ceiling is not at the same
level. Another important element is that all the structural members supporting the
structure, columns, beams, lintels, etc. must be clearly shown in all the drawings
including section drawings.

In the concept drawing, writing the window/door sizes is not a real necessity - but
they must represent the correct sizes in the drawing. Too much of clutter with
dimensions and other lines would make the understanding of the concept a bit
difficult. Which is precisely why separate detailed drawings are made after the
concept drawings are completed and approved.

3) Section drawing: Most of whatever I have said regarding the plan drawing
applies to Sections also - where the section cut lines are bold & thicker & shaded
and the elevation lines are thinner, but still clearly visible. Sciography may be
applied - but not a real necessity. By shading them with different intensities, the
depth could be mimicked in the section drawings. Showing the furniture in the
concept drawing in sections also is necessary. Place " human scale " figures here &
there in all the spaces which would make the viewer understand the scale of the
spaces relative to the human scale. The student too would understand the
proportion of the floor space with respect to the height of the ceiling in a better
manner if done so. Entourage outside the building & inside if there are courtyards
should also be shown. Please be insistent on this too.

I see many students doing the ground line touching both the extreme end walls
alone - which makes the building appear to be floating in air. They have to extend
the ground lines beyond the walls and do some shading to the ground to make the
drawing understand easier.

Here, heights of ceilings have to be certainly written for each room/hall in an

unobtrusive manner which would not hinder the conceptual section drawings.

And, of course, all doors and windows, openings, etc. shall be shown to precise
scale and size at precise locations conforming to the plans. These are a must.

Page 7 of 10
P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V., MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,
CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

4) Elevation drawings: (2d) : What I find with many students, they simply project
the lines from the plan and create an elevation drawing. Also, again, all openings
have to be precisely shown on the elevation drawings. Many fail to do so - or, the
positioning/location do not correspond with the plan. They do not seem to
understand that when they do the sections & elevation drawings, they are also
showing the architectural design of the building - the concept explained in 2D

drawings. (yes, they fail to realize this).

If they had done so, it is a clear indication that they had not conceived the building
as a whole. They might have done some mass model sketches - but these mass
model sketches do not show windows, doors or openings. So, without these shown,
the mass appears interesting enough. But once they did the windows and other
openings, the intent of the design of the interesting massing just vanishes into
thin air and the resulting architecture is chaotic.

They would realize it when they do the elevation drawings, if they did them the
way I have mentioned - which is the correct way of doing it.

So, the faculty in charge have to force the students to do study sections & elevation
drawings as sketches in the preliminary design stages itself

Showing sciography and shading different depths to different intensities to give an

illusion of depth to elevation drawings is mandatory - once again, we are talking
about concept drawings - not detailed drawings.

Once again, the sciography must be more or less realistic. An East facing or West
facing building cannot have shadows at 45 degrees.

And, here again in the elevation drawing, I am seeing quite a number of students
drawing the ground line only between the two extreme end walls. Again, like in
the section drawings, the ground line has to extend on both sides and the ground
line has to a a thick solid line. The 2D elevation drawing should at least half mimic
a 3d effect. Human scale figures should be populated appropriately.

Page 8 of 10
P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V., MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,
CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

There are so many such drawings found in architectural magazines & web
sites. Students have to take pains and efforts to study these. ( I shall also give
you some sample drawings from my own projects).

In today's context, when so much is available for self learning, the students, taking
cue from their guides, have to learn many facets of design & drawing by
themselves. Not every little aspect could be spoon fed to them. And they too

should not expect it. Teachers should play the role of guiding the students to this
effect and they should also follow up on whether they are doing so. Where some
spoon feeding is required, it has to be done. But not constantly.

5) Site Plan: Before going into this, let me emphatically say that all projects -
large and small - have to follow building norms and rules stipulated by the
respective state governments. Open space regulation, FSI, Parking standards,
Drive way standards, OSR in case of large sites - all have to be incorporated.

The architectural site plan must show the site boundary in BOLD line. Abutting
roads shall be clearly shown and also written on the drawings - road widths also
have to be written on the drawings. Compound wall, gate openings have to be
shown. Gate opening shall not just be an indication (which is what many students
are doing) - it shall be precisely done and located carefully based on the open
space circulation of the building complex. Size of the gate opening shall be to
scale and the gate size shall have bearing on the size of the site and the type of
building complex on hand. ( This applies even for a single house - of course at a
much smaller level).

Internal driveways must be clearly marked mentioning the width of the drive ways,
parking lots marked to scale as per the rules & norms. Drive ways & parking lots
shall be shaded appropriately for easy visibility on the site plan. Other landscaping
and entourage shown clearly with different intensities/color shading.

Building outlines have to be done with thick lines making the building stand out
from the other elements and suitably shaded with color. It is better that the site
plan has the ground floor plan also instead of showing the top view of the terraces.

Page 9 of 10
P.R.S. Sivakumar, B.Arch., F.I.I.A., F.I.V., MANI RAM DESIGN DEN,
CONSULTING ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER & /
7 1-D, Mahal Vadampokki street,
REGISTERED VALUER MADURAI - 625 001 Ph: 2334447

Showing the ground floor plan clearly shows how the entry points of the building
relate to the site and how the drive ways lead to the entry. Vehicle turning radius
as per standards have to be adopted. By looking at the site plan one must be able to
comprehend how the site planning has been done.

Quite a number of students are doing poor site planning. Deep thought is not given
to site planning and site circulation. Haphazard planning of the site is being done.
And there is no clarity in the site plan. Guiding them to do the site plan as per what

I have mentioned above, would vastly increase their thoughts input on the site
plan.

Let me conclude this article (or whatever this is) by once again saying that this is
meant chiefly on production of concept drawings on paper. I have only lightly
touched here & there on the design aspect.

Even though this is a lengthy document, one need not be discouraged. Production
of such quality drawings mentioned here is not really that hard ! Describing &
writing on how to do it is the harder part !

And one plea from me to the faculty: Let the students spend less time in case
studies & data collection (in today's information age, data collection should not
take much time ). My own opinion is that the students seem to be spending
unnecessarily very long time in case studies and also spending lot of time in
producing drawings on case studies instead of spending time on designing the
project. Please kindly change this system. Give them more time for designing.
Restrict their case study time & data collection time by giving them a firm dead
line. Too many data collection sheets and too many case study sheets are not
necessary. They should put lot more effort & spend more time in designing and
producing drawings of the project and come out with more number of meaningful
drawings.

Written with great passion for the benefit of architecture students:

P.R.S. Sivakumar - Architect
Also Prof. Design Chair, TCE. Arch. Dept.

Page 10 of 10