Documentation Projects

DDR 3713 MEASURED DRAWINGS

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

Measured drawings are made by measuring each part of a building and conveying this information in graphic form. Analytically, measured drawings are, in a sense, the reverse of an architect's working drawings. Measured drawings depict a building in its existing state and show not only its "as-built" condition (which often differs markedly from the architect's or builder's original drawings), but also the effects of age and various alterations over time.

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

These drawings also measure and record the numerous quirks that all old buildings exhibit, such as uneven floors and out of plumb walls. Measured drawings have many advantages over photographs. Views of a building that cannot be portrayed by photographs, such as floor plans or sections, or features that are normally hidden from view, such as construction details, can accurately documented in measured drawings

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

In addition, the dimensions of various building features can be easily determined from measured drawings, making them an invaluable resource for restoration projects, especially if the building is ever badly damaged by fire or another disaster. They are also particularly helpful in obtaining more accurate and consistent bids for repair and restoration work.

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

Measured drawings are done in orthographic projection; that is, all lines and features are drawn in scale as they actually exist. The principle types of architectural drawings are plans, sections and elevations. A plan is a view looking down through a horizontal slice of a building. A section is a vertical slice through the building.

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

An elevation is a view of a vertical surface of a building.

Detail drawings are large-scale drawings of particular structural or decorative elements

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

Plans, sections and elevations are all essential to include in a documentation project.

Plans should be drawn first, starting with a foundation plan, first floor, gallery or loft (when applicable) and finally a roof plan.
Sections are the most difficult drawings to execute but are typically the most valuable to have.

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

They not only reveal the overall measurements, but also show the interior dimensions, proportions, finishes and often the wall, roof and floor construction. At least two sections to be drawn of a buildingone across the longer dimension and one across the shorter.

Complex buildings sometimes require more than two sections in order to record the various architectural features.

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

Elevations and detail drawings should follow the plans and sections.

Elevations should include each of the building's exterior facades, including those not normally seen by the public.
Detail drawings may focus on structural elements, such as the roof construction, or focus on architectural and decorative elements.

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

For documentation purposes, however, complex decorative features can often be more easily and better recorded through photography.

Documentation Projects, Part 2 MEASURED DRAWINGS

MEASURED DRAWINGS
Measured drawings are line drawings that follow standard drafting conventions to portray, in two dimensions, a three dimensional structure. They are similar to as-built architectural drawings, except that they are generally produced years after a structure is built, not immediately after construction. Measured drawings portray conditions at the time of documentation, including the accretions, alterations, and deletions that have occurred in the original. Hidden elements, exploded views, sequences of construction, and functional processes are easily portrayed in a drawing

EQUIPMENTS
Equipment needed to complete a basic set of measured drawings includes: a 25' measuring tape; a 100' tape for overall measurements; a plumb bob to check vertical walls, steeples, etc.; a level to establish horizontal reference (or datum) lines; an oversized clipboard; 11" x 14" graph paper (preferably with 12 squares per inch); a straight edge, such as a draftsman's triangle; soft 2H or H pencils; and, most importantly, an eraser. (As the celebrated 19th century architect H.H. Richardson said, "An eraser is the draftsman's best friend.") Other helpful tools include ladders, flashlights and binoculars

EQUIPMENTS
Another essential piece of equipment for most measuring projects is a profile gauge. A profile gauge is the most accurate tool commonly available to measure a complex molding in place, and it is usually necessary if a set of drawings will include anything beyond a bare outline of ornamental detail. Profile gauges are typically composed of a magnetic handle threaded with short, stiff wire rods. When a profile gauge is placed against a molding, the wire rods reproduce the profile of the molding. This shape is then traced from the profile gauge onto a sheet of paper and later incorporated (at a reduced scale) into the final drawings.

EQUIPMENTS
More sophisticated measuring equipment is available, such as electronic measuring devices and optical plumb bobs. Civil surveying equipment can also be extremely useful in establishing accurate reference points. X- ray techniques c also be helpful, when necessary, to examine hidden structural conditions, such as the interior of wall cavities. However, this is very expensive and should only be utilized when the condition of the building warrants the cost.

MEASURING TIPS
Approaching a large part of the building on the first day of measuring armed only with measuring tape, pencil and blank piece of graph paper can be intimidating, even for an experienced professional. It is important not to get muddled with excessive detail at the beginning of the project, and to focus on "the big picture." Using the grid paper, establish a rough scale for the field drawings. Establish reference points to measure from and think of the building in terms of vertical and horizontal planes.

MEASURING TIPS
For example, a water table, if level, may be a good reference line for vertical measurements. Approach the building in a systematic way. Start measuring from the left corner of the front facade (while facing the building) and work counter-clockwise around the building. Using this technique, all the measurements for the field notes and final drawings will be read from left to right.

MEASURING TIPS
When measuring, take cumulative or "running" measurements. Hold the measuring tape at one corner or "datum point" and read all desired points along that line without moving the tape, rather than continually moving the tape and taking each measurement from the last reading.

MEASURING TIPS
This prevents the accumulation of small errors and makes any measuring errors quickly apparent. As a way of verifying the accuracy of the exterior measurements, make checks from the interior once the wall thickness is determined. After the building's main dimensions are established, go back for detailed measurements of typical features, such as windows, columns and pinnacles.

ABOUT THE PROCESS

The drawing process typically begins with measuring each building by hand to produce field records. Supplemented by field photography, these notes are used to construct the preliminary penciling and produce drawings. Recording tools also include photogrammetric, a means of extracting measurements from photographs.

ABOUT THE PROCESS

Although detailed hand-measuring and delineation is still the backbone of the drawings program, students are encouraged to employs computer-aided drafting (CAD) to document such structures. Large buildings with complex repetitive details are ideally suited for this process.

OTHER TIPS
Don't assume that rooms or buildings are square, walls are plumb, or floors are level. Take diagonal measurements and check walls and floors to determine distortion early in the documentation project. Establish datum lines and planes as reference points. Cumulative measurements are more accurate than consecutive measurements because they use a common zero point and thus do not require the tape to be relocated after each measurement.

OTHER TIPS
Hold the tape taut when making measurements. Temperatures, tension and wind can affect the accuracy of tape measurements by causing the tape to stretch, shrink or sag. Know where the zero point is on the tape. It is not always at the end. Horizontal distances must be measured with the tape held level. Use a plumb line to measure points displaced vertically.

OTHER TIPS
Access to roofs, vaulted ceilings, steeples and crawl space is often a major difficulty. However, it is vitally important that these areas are measured. Vital information, such as the thickness of the wall, the structure of the ceiling, and the pitch of the roof and its structural framing, can often only be determined by taking measurements in attics or crawl spaces.

OTHER TIPS
The process of measuring a building can be simplified if a construction project is in progress. Scaffolding and cherry pickers allow access to otherwise hard to reach parts of the building. If the walls need to be opened up in order to replace mechanical systems or investigate structural problems, use the opportunity to examine and measure the internal construction of the wall

OTHER TIPS
The drawings should first be traced in pencil on vellum and reviewed by someone experienced with documentation projects. Final drawings should be traced in ink on Mylar.

TYPES OF DRAWING
Each set of drawings generally includes plans, elevations, sections, details and a cover sheet with a site plan and written information

TYPES OF DRAWING - plan

Plans are an essential element of measured drawings. Plan drawings are horizontal cuts through a structure that portray the arrangement and progression of spaces. Plans are cut at a consistent height; the convention is to cut through openings such as doors, windows, and fireplaces. Plans should be projected views; that is, where "horizontal" surfaces are inclined or curve, as in the deck of a ship, they should be projected into a horizontal plane. Building plans are recorded from foundation to roof (although most sets of floor plans include only basement to top floor).

TYPES OF DRAWING - elevation

Elevations show facades, room elevations, and other vertical elements of a structure projected into a vertical plane. Elevations show structures upright and facing straight ahead (but without perspective). The elevation drawing is typically the most familiar and recognizable to laymen. The illusion of depth is provided by varying line weights, not by diminishing size as in a perspective drawing. Typically buildings have four facades and, if possible, all four should be drawn.

TYPES OF DRAWING - section

Sections are vertical cuts through a structure that show the arrangement of spaces and objects. What you see in a section drawing of a building is a series of room elevations in accurate relation to one another but separated by walls, floors, and ceilings. They are cut in a plane but may jog horizontally from floor to floor to reveal different information.

TYPES OF DRAWING - section

The locations of section cuts are indicated on each floor plan. Section drawings are useful because they provide vertical information: floor-to-floor heights, ceiling heights, roof height, and the vertical progression of spaces. They are also valuable for structural details, interior decorative finishes, the relation of functions, and the relationship between interior and exterior spaces

TYPES OF DRAWING - detailing

Large-scale details explain how objects fit or together or relate to one another. A door or window detail may include a plan; interior and exterior elevations; and jamb, lintel, and sill sections. Exploded-view drawings show how an object's component parts fit together. Often an exploded view is the only way to explain the intricacies of a heavytimber framing joint or a pin connection in a bridge truss. Large-scale drawings are appropriate for depicting complex objects, such as machines, that cannot be delineated adequately at a small scale

TYPES OF DRAWING - others

Landscapes include a whole range of resources including site vegetation (typically recorded with a historic structure), classical gardens and parks, industrial and engineering landscapes, cultural landscapes, and parkways.