Reading Architectural Drawings

A floor plan is a horizontal slice through a building at about waist height, showing walls, doors, windows, and room layouts from above. It is the most common architectural drawing and the starting point for understanding spatial organization. An elevation is a flat, head-on view of a building's exterior face—front, rear, left, or right—showing height relationships, window placement, roof lines, and material finishes without perspective distortion. Together, plans and elevations communicate a building's layout and appearance.