Architectural plan

In the field of architecture an architectural plan is a design and planning for a building, and can contain architectural drawings, specifications of the design, calculations, time planning of the building process, and other documentation.

Architectural plan aspects:

Buildings:

A building is a man-made structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place. Buildings come in a variety of shapes, sizes and functions, and have been adapted throughout history for a wide number of factors, from building materials available, to weather conditions, to land prices, ground conditions, specific uses and aesthetic reasons. To better understand the term building compare the list of nonbuilding structures. The gallery below gives an overview of different types of building.

The practice of designing, constructing, and operating buildings is most usually a collective effort of different groups of professional and trades . Depending on the size, complexity, and purpose of a particular building project.

Design process:

A design process may include a series of steps followed by designers. Depending on the product or service, some of these stages may be irrelevant, ignored in real-world situations in order to save time, reduce cost, or because they may be redundant in the situation. Typical stages of the design process include:

• Pre-production design
  • Design brief - a statement of design goals
  • Analysis - analysis of current design goals
  • Research - investigating similar design solutions in the field or related topics
  • Specification - specifying requirements of a design solution
  • Problem solving-conceptualizing and documenting design solutions
  • Presentation - presenting design solutions
• Design during production
  • Development - continuation and improvement of a designed solution
  • Testing -in-situ testing a designed solution
• Post-production design feedback for future designs
  • Implementation - introducing the designed solution into the environment
  • Evaluation and conclusion - summary of process and results, including constructive criticism and suggestions for future improvements
• Redesign - any or all stages in the design process repeated (with corrections made) at any time before, during, or after production.

  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. Conventionally, drawings were made in ink on paper or a similar material, and any copies required had to be laboriously made by hand. The twentieth century saw a shift to drawing on tracing paper, so that mechanical copies could be run off efficiently. Architectural drawings are 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 clients of the merits of a design, to enable a building contractor to construct it, as a record of the completed work, and to make a record of a building that already exists.

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Architectural design values:

Architectural design values make up an important part of what influences architects and designers when they make their design decisions. However, architects and designers are not always influenced by the same values and intentions. Value and intentions differ between different architectural movements. It also differs between different schools of architecture and schools of design as well as among individual architects and designers.

Floor plan:

Floor plan for a single-family home

One of the major tools in architectural design is the floor plan.  This diagram shows the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure. Dimensions are usually drawn between the walls to specify room sizes and wall lengths. Floor plans will also include details of fixtures like sinks, water heaters, furnaces, etc. Floor plans will include notes to specify finishes, construction methods, or symbols for electrical items.

Similar to a map in a floor plan the orientation of the view is downward from above, but unlike a conventional map, a plan is understood to be drawn at a particular vertical position (commonly at about 4 feet above the floor). Objects below this level are seen, objects at this level are shown 'cut' in plan-section, and objects above this vertical position within the structure are omitted or shown dashed. Plan view or "planform" is defined as a vertical orthographic projection  of an object on a horizontal plane, like a map.

Planning:

A plan is typically any procedure used to achieve an objective. It is a set of intended actions, through which one expects to achieve a goal. Plans can be formal or informal:

• Structured and formal plans, used by multiple people, are more likely to occur in projects, diplomacy, careers, and economic development, military campaigns, combat, or in the conduct of other business.
• Informal or ad hoc plans are created by individuals in all of their pursuits.

A lack of planning in any discipline may lead to a misallocation of resources, misunderstandings, or irrelevant sections added to Wikipedia articles such as this one.

Building construction:

Building construction is the process of preparing for and forming buildings and building systems. Construction starts with planning, design, and financing and continues until the structure is ready for occupancy. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking. Normally, the job is managed by a project manager, and supervised by a construction manager, design engineer, construction engineer or project architect. For the successful execution of a project, effective planning is essential.