In the elevation view in Figure 5.2 we can see the grid line locations E through A at the top. To the left of its title, this building section lists all of the drawings from which this section is cut. The building elevations are indicated at the right side of this drawing. Another section cut, 2/A3.6, is also named; this section cut will give us a close up of that wall, allowing us to see more information about how this building is put together. These listings provide detail layering. For example, in this section 2/A3.6, we will find more details called out, providing us even closer views of particular areas of the structure.
Refer back to the floor plan in Figure 5.1. The building section A/A3.3 is located at the bottom of this plan view, just to the right of grid line 18. Section A/A3.3 is cut through the entire building, from below grid line F up to above grid line A. The circle or ‘detail bubble’ around the call out A/A3.3 has a darkened triangle underneath the left side half of the circle. This triangle is pointing to the left (or west) of the page, indicating that the user should look to the left (or west) side of the building to see what the designer is trying to show. Note also that the grid line A is at the top right hand side of the plan.
Figure 5.4 Elevations and parapets
In Figure 5.2, this same grid line A is shown at the top right of the page. The proximity of these grid lines helps you see how the section is cut to make sure you are viewing it correctly. For example, if the section were cut at the plan view looking to the right or east end of the building, the grid line A at the elevation view would then be at the top left of the page.
In Figure 5.3—the elevation cut through the wall—we can see the glazing (windows) that interrupt the vertical plane of the wall, set at about mid-span between the first and second floors, and then again above the second floor, below the roof. We can see the suspended ceiling below the 2nd floor. We can see the steel beams just under the 2nd floor and also just under the roof, set just to the left of the wall.
The elevations are the dimensions that are taken “above sea level” (see Figure 5.4). These elevations can be used to calculate the dimension between the first and second floor, and from second floor to the top of parapet. The parapet is the section of the wall that extends above the roof level. In looking at the parapet, we see additional elevations. From this observation, we know that the parapet elevations vary in this building.
In Figure 5.4, detail 2/A3.6 circles the wall itself using a broken line to indicate that there is a larger view of this area of the wall. In looking at the wall section 2/A3.6, more detail areas are cut at the specific floor and roof levels.
From Figure 5.3, we can see that more information will be shown at the foundation level (1/A6.1, Figure 5.5), floor level (8/A6.1, Figure 5.6), and roof level (1/A7.2, Figure 5.7). This information enables the architect to tell us in more detail how this building is built.
Starting at the bottom and working our way up, Figure 5.5 shows us the foundation detail 1/A6.1, the concrete curb on which the wall sits. Notice the insulation that is outside the curb (the 1 1/2” thick rigid perimeter insulation area is indicated by the little squares), and also the siding and insulation (indicated by the radius lines) sitting on top of the wall. The indicators 4A, 4B, and 4C in the diamonds joined by the horizontal line that touches the wall refer to drawing notes provided elsewhere in the drawing set. We have not shown those sheets here as they all refer to items that are not steel. We talk about them here to help you understand what the detail is intended to show the reader.
The bent sheet metal pieces that support and enclose the siding and the insulation—the cont (continuous) sealant, the 4” rubber case, the continuous resilient channel, the continuous prefinished metal drip flashing, the neoprene profile closure—all these items make up the base of the wall that we saw in Section cut 2/A3.3, Exterior Wall Section, Figure 5.4.
Figure 5.5 Foundation detail 1/A6.1
As you look back and forth between 2/A3.3 and this detail, you will become more familiar with how this detail is used to show more closely what the physical makeup is of this part of the building. What is important to the fabricator on this detail is that no additional steel is shown here.
The detail 8/S6.1 (see Figure 5.6) shows the framing as it exists on the 2nd floor.
We see the same information for the 2nd floor with regard to the siding, insulation, and flashing that we saw in Figure 5.5 for the foundation. We see the end view of a steel beam with another beam framing into it just under the concrete floor. This is our first look at the steel in this building and how it looks in relation to the rest of the building that the framing supports.
Because this drawing is an architectural one, the structural steel framing will not be identified here. Instead, the steel is identified in the structural set of drawings, set aside specifically for that purpose. The dimensioning shown for these close-up areas help the individual trades know how and where their materials are to be placed.
Figure 5.6 Second floor detail 8/S6.1
Having the structural steel, mechanical, and electrical drawings separate from the architectural plans allows for a more organized and specific presentation of the information, especially when the architect displays the entire make-up of the building.
Figure 5.7 shows the detail 1/A7.2, the building’s roof level. We can see the steel beam at the roof coming at us in the page, as well as the side view or elevation of the beam that frames into it. Behind the beam, we can see the metal siding, wall panels, and insulation. We can also see the roof decking with the roof board on top, the 5/8” gypsum sheathing, the roof membrane, and the makeup of the parapet.
Figure 5.7 Roof level detail 1/A7.2
The conditions we have just reviewed are the same conditions by which we will read the structural drawings. First we will review the plan views. Next, we will go to the elevation cuts, and then the individual detail cuts so we can understand how the building is structured. This format is standard for drawing presentation. Although every building is different, how the designers show the detailed information is generally the same.
The designers do try to show all the information