How to Draw Architectural Floor Plans: What is a Floor Plan? Floorplans for Architecture Students

Summary

Kyle introduces a beginner-friendly series on architectural drawing, focusing on floor plans. He explains that floor plans are two-dimensional, top-down representations of three-dimensional spaces, typically created by slicing a building horizontally at 1200 mm (47 inches) above the ground. The video distinguishes between different types of floor plans—diagrammatic, sketch, visualization, and construction—and emphasizes that floor plans use parallel projection, meaning all elements remain the same size without perspective distortion. Kyle provides clear analogies to help viewers grasp these concepts and encourages them to subscribe, like, and share, teasing a follow-up video on understanding scale in architectural drawings.

Takeaways

• 😀 Floor plans are two-dimensional drawings of three-dimensional spaces.
• 😀 Different types of floor plans include diagrammatic, sketch, visualization/rendered, and documentation plans.
• 😀 A floor plan typically represents a horizontal slice at 1200 mm (47 inches) above the ground floor.
• 😀 Floor plans are drawn using parallel projections, meaning no depth or perspective is shown.
• 😀 Unlike perspective drawings, floor plans do not show vanishing points or depth.
• 😀 The key difficulty in floor plan drawing is understanding how to represent a space without the usual depth seen with the human eye.
• 😀 To visualize a floor plan, imagine slicing a building horizontally at 1200 mm and looking directly down at it.
• 😀 A parallel projection shows a flat view of the space, with no size changes based on distance.
• 😀 Floor plans provide a top-down view, offering a simplified and standardized way to represent architectural spaces.
• 😀 The next video in the series will explain the concept of scale in architectural drawings, which is crucial for accuracy.

Q & A

Who is presenting the video series on architectural drawing?

Kyle is the presenter of the video series on architectural drawing.

What is the main topic of the first video in the series?

The first video focuses on understanding and drawing floor plans.

What are the different types of floor plans mentioned in the video?

The video mentions diagrammatic plans (not to scale), sketch plans (to scale), visualization and rendered plans, and documentation/construction plans.

How does Kyle define a floor plan?

A floor plan is a two-dimensional drawing of a three-dimensional space, such as a building, landscape, or room, viewed from above with a horizontal cut typically at 1200 millimeters (47 inches) above the floor.

What is the significance of the 1200 millimeter (47 inches) cut in a floor plan?

This horizontal cut is the standard height at which a floor plan is sliced to remove the upper portion of the building, allowing a clear view of the interior layout below.

What does Kyle explain about 2D vs perspective drawings?

Kyle explains that 2D floor plans lack depth and perspective, unlike the human eye which sees in perspective with vanishing points and horizon lines. Floor plans use parallel projection to maintain size and alignment without distortion.

What is a parallel projection and why is it used in floor plans?

Parallel projection is a method where lines of sight remain parallel, producing a flat, top-down 2D view. It is used in floor plans to accurately represent spatial layouts without perspective distortion.

How does slicing the building help in drawing a floor plan?

By slicing the building at a specific height, everything above the cut is removed, and the interior layout below is clearly visible. This allows the floor plan to show a flat, top-down representation of the space.

What is the next topic in the series after floor plans?

The next video will cover 'Understanding Scale in Architectural Drawings,' which explains how scale is applied to floor plans and other architectural drawings.

Why does Kyle emphasize understanding different types of floor plans?

Understanding the different types of floor plans is important because each serves a different purpose, from conceptual visualization to construction documentation, and knowing the distinctions helps in creating accurate and appropriate drawings.

What advice does Kyle give to viewers regarding engagement with the video series?

Kyle encourages viewers to subscribe to the channel, click the notification bell, like the video, and share it with other students to keep up with the series and support his content.