
Here is our Field Guide to the Signs and Symbols of Architectural Drawings: Keynotes These square-enclosed numbers always refer to the numbered list of notes running down the right hand side of the same page they appear on. There is a new set of keynotes (starting from 01) on nearly every page in the drawing set.
What is a keynote in a construction drawing?
Reference Keynotes, or “keynotes,” are the single most important element of construction drawings that tie the drawings to the specifications. Keynotes identify materials and products on the drawings and, by looking at the keynotes, the reader should be able to determine where to find the requirements in the specifications.
How should general notes used on drawings be written?
General notes used on drawings should be carefully selected and written so as not to duplicate, paraphrase, or contradict other contract documents. 1 Keynotes No. 3, "Drawing Notations," Spring 2010.
What are the four columns of keynotes on a drawing sheet?
With the exception of detail or wall section sheets, each drawing sheet has a column of keynotes on its right-hand edge composed of four sub-columns: A column for revision deltas, a column for the keynote symbol, a column for the specification section reference, and a column for the note description. Like this: Click to zoom.
What is an example of an actual note in construction?
An example of this problem is illustrated in the following actual note used on the first sheet of mechanical drawings in a set of construction drawings: The mechanical contractor shall be familiar with all contract documents for all trades and shall coordinate with other contractors.

What are key notes in a blueprint?
Reference Keynotes, or “keynotes,” are the single most important element of construction drawings that tie the drawings to the specifications.
What are the parts of an architectural drawing?
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.
What are the three basic types of architectural drawings?
11 Types of Architecture Drawings:Site plan drawings. The site plan provides an aerial view of the building and its surrounding property. ... Floor plan drawings. ... Cross-sectional drawings. ... Elevation drawings. ... Finishing drawings. ... Landscape drawings. ... Detail drawings. ... Asbuilt drawings.More items...•
What are the 2 main purposes of architectural drawings?
They are widely 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 the clients of the merits of a design, or to make a record of a completed construction project.
What are the 4 parts of architectural plans?
Plot Plan (site plan) 3. Elevations 4. Foundation Plan 5. Floor Framing Plans 6.
What are the 5 basic components of construction drawings?
The types of drawings, such as blueprints, plans, working drawings, and are quite confusing....5 Types of Construction Drawings Used in Commercial Construction1 Architectural Drawings: ... Structural Drawings: ... Electrical Drawings: ... Plumbing and Sanitary Drawings: ... Finishing Drawing:
What are the 5 types of drawing?
Types of drawingCaricature drawing. Caricature drawings are images that depict their subjects in oversimplified or overdramatized manners. ... Cartoon drawing. ... Figure drawing. ... Gesture drawing. ... Line drawing. ... Perspective drawing. ... Photorealism. ... Pointillism.More items...•
What is the order of architectural drawings?
The General Order of Drawings in a Set of Construction PlansG for General Sheets: Cover sheet, plan index, and location plans.A for Site and Architectural Plans: Floor plans, ceiling plans, roof plans, elevations, sections, wall sections, and others, depending on the architect's chosen level of detail.More items...•
What are the 6 types of construction drawings?
What Are the Six Types of Construction Drawings?Plans.Interior and exterior elevations.Building and wall sections.Interior and exterior details.Schedules and room finishes.Framing and utility plans.
What are the five parts of an architectural plan?
They are (in order) Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding, and Construction Administration. These phases are the breakdown of how architects define their design services.
Which element is not present in architectural drawings?
Exercise :: Architectural Working Drawings - True or False1.Blocks are not an important element of architectural drawings.A. True B. False Answer: Option B Explanation: No answer description available for this question. Let us discuss. Workspace Report errors ... Name : Email: View Answer Discuss
What are architect drawings called?
An architectural drawing is an illustration of a building or structure that an architect creates in the design process.
What are the five parts of an architectural plan?
They are (in order) Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding, and Construction Administration. These phases are the breakdown of how architects define their design services.
What is the order of architectural drawings?
The General Order of Drawings in a Set of Construction PlansG for General Sheets: Cover sheet, plan index, and location plans.A for Site and Architectural Plans: Floor plans, ceiling plans, roof plans, elevations, sections, wall sections, and others, depending on the architect's chosen level of detail.More items...•
What are the 6 types of construction drawings?
What Are the Six Types of Construction Drawings?Plans.Interior and exterior elevations.Building and wall sections.Interior and exterior details.Schedules and room finishes.Framing and utility plans.
How do you describe architectural drawings?
In other words, they are a set of sketches, diagrams, and plans, used to design, construct, and document buildings. It's a schematic representation of a building. Architectural drawings are created to develop a design concept into a logical set of working drawing steps.
What is a keynote?
Keynotes are a way to clean up drawings to not have so much annotation.
What is drawing sheet space?
drawing sheet space is a premium space and key notes also help save space.
What is the specification section for Roof Eave above?
Even very generalized notes, such as ‘Roof eave above’ refer back to specification section 01 10 00 , which has extensive notes directing the contractor to pay attention to alignments, proper fit of components, etc.
How many columns are there in a drawing sheet?
With the exception of detail or wall section sheets, each drawing sheet has a column of keynotes on its right-hand edge composed of four sub-columns: A column for revision deltas, a column for the keynote symbol, a column for the specification section reference, and a column for the note description. Like this:
What is specification section?
The specification section leads the notation with a hyphen between, which creates a clear separation between the specification reference and the description of the component. Also, I tend to kick as many detailed notes back to the large format drawings, which minimizes duplication of data and makes it easier to perform subtle edits. For instance, in this detail, I don’t need to tell the contractor the precise texture and color of the exterior cement plaster finish; that’s on the exterior elevations. All (s)he needs to know for the purpose of this drawing is that it’s a 7/8 inch thick layer of the stuff… (S)he already saw it’s color and texture called out on the elevations. Another side note on details; I like to give each detail an individual number, no matter what sheet it occurs on. By never duplicating a detail number, you’ll have no confusion even if there’s an error in the detail bubble’s sheet reference. It also makes it easier to write each detail to a computer file without having to track it’s location in the drawing set (i.e., 001.dwg, 002.dwg,….. 099.dwg, 100.dwg, etc.)
Can you change a material in a keynote?
This has the same benefit as the normal keynotes; You can change a material or finish specification without having to ‘chase’ it through the drawing set.
Is the key number boxed?
It’s slightly different than the normal keynote list. The key numbers are not boxed, so that they can be inserted in the Room Finish Schedule as normal text. Also, this same column of notes is placed on the interior elevation sheets, and the key numbers are used to call out items on the elevations like this:
Do keynote markers have note numbers?
Notice that the keynote marker description clearly states that the keynotes listed on any particular page apply to that page only. That way, you don’t have to try to track note numbers through the entire set. That’s a departure from the ConDoc / NCS standard, which tries to use the six-digit CSI numbers as keynote numbers (which are very cumbersome to read).
Why are notations used in building drawings?
Notations are used to identify elements on the drawings, but the notations do not provide detailed information —that is the purpose of the specifications. Specifications provide the qualitative requirements for the materials, components, and systems selected for a given building.
Why is it important to place sheet specifications within a set of drawings?
The location of sheet specifications within a set of drawings needs to be considered carefully in order to prevent the potential loss of information that comes with the splitting of a drawing set among the various subcontractors on a project ; however, this is less of a concern when electronic documents are used.
Why are drawings and specifications important?
Of these documents, the drawings and specifications provide essential information for the building design. Therefore, the drawings and specifications usually receive a lot of attention when problems arise during construction.
What is master guide specification?
A master guide specification section provides all of the requirements and options that could be applicable to the work result of that section. "Could be" needs to be emphasized, since not everything within a master guide specification section is necessary for every installation. For example, there is no need to retain performance, product, and installation requirements for fire-rated door assemblies when no fire-rated doors are required on the project, or for listing door hardware products in the hardware schedule and not specifying any minimum requirements in PART 2 of the specification section. Specifications such as these create ambiguous requirements that will likely lead to confusion and RFIs.
What is specification writing?
There are two writing styles used in specification writing: the indicative mood and the imperative mood.
What are construction documents?
Construction documents, as defined by CSI, are "the written and graphic documents prepared for communicating the project design for construction and administering the construction contract." They consist of the drawings, specifications, contracting requirements, procurement requirements, modifications and addenda, and resource drawings. Some of these documents are used for procurement of a construction contract ( i.e. bidding and negotiation) and some are used for the construction contract ( i.e. contract documents). Of these documents, the drawings and specifications provide essential information for the building design. Therefore, the drawings and specifications usually receive a lot of attention when problems arise during construction.
How to identify divisions in a book?
Division Titles: Identify each division with the number and title in capital letters ( e.g. "01 – GENERAL REQUIREMENTS"). Provide two extra lines between the division title and previous text, and left-justify the text.
Why is it important to place sheet specifications within a set of drawings?
The location of sheet specifications within a set of drawings needs to be considered carefully in order to prevent the potential loss of information that comes with the splitting of a drawing set among the various subcontractors on a project ; however, this is less of a concern when electronic documents are used.
What is the minimum font size for drawing notations?
Font: The UDS recommends that lettering for drawing notations be 3/32-inch high, which is roughly equivalent to a 7-point font. However, for specifications in a project manual, the recommended minimum font is 10-point.
What is the sequence number of a sheet of specifications?
The three-digit sheet sequence number that follows the double- or single-letter designator should begin with a zero to indicate it is a "General" sheet per the UDS guidelines. The remaining two digits are sequential numbers starting with "01" up to "99"; however, it is unlikely that 99 sheets of specifications will be used in a drawing set. Thus, the first sheet of the specifications with a double-letter designator would be numbered "GK001." The sheet number for a single-letter designator would depend on the sheet where the specifications are located ( e.g. "G-003").
What are the three parts of a sheet specification?
The most significant recommended change is the elimination of the three-part structure: Part 1 - General, Part 2 - Products, and Part 3 - Execution. Due to the simplified nature of sheet specifications, there is no need for this level of information categorization, but the order of the content in a sheet specification section should generally follow the order in SectionFormat™. Other notable departures from typical specification writing include the following:
Can you have multiple columns and rows in a drawing block?
width) or row ( i.e. height)—multiple columns and rows can be used for a single drawing block, note block, or specification block, if a module is too small.
Is adding specifications to drawings labor intensive?
The method of editing and adding specification content onto the drawings can be a little more labor-intensive that preparing specifications bound in a project manual. The ease of preparing specifications for drawing sheets depends on the software program or programs used.
