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A 'floor plan' ('floorplan') in architecture and building engineering is a diagram, usually to scale (generally or ), of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure.

Contents

Description

Visual examples

See also

External links

Description

Similar to a map 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 mid-level between floors). 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.
The term may be used in general to describe any drawing showing the physical layout of objects. For example, it may denote the arrangement of the displayed objects at an exhibition, or the arrangement of exhibitor booths at a convention. Now drawings are reproduced using plotters and large format xerographic copiers.
It is also called a "plan" in architectural terms, as opposed to "elevation" which means how the object will look when seen from a side, or a "cross section" where the building is shown cut along an axis to reveal the interior.
A "reflected ceiling plan" shows a view of the room as if looking from above, through the ceiling, at a mirror installed one foot below the ceiling level, which shows the ''reflected'' image of the ceiling above. This convention maintains the same orientation of the floor and ceilings plans - looking down from above. Reflected Ceiling Plans or RCP's are used by designers and architects to demonstrate lighting, visible mechanical features, and ceiling forms as part of the documents provided for construction.

Visual examples

Typical basic U.S. house floor plan.

A sample floor plan for a single-family home

A sample floor plan of a Caravanserai

See also

★ Architect's scale

★ Blueprint

★ Building

★ Computer-aided design

★ Floor

★ Plans (drawings)

★ Robotic mapping

★ Technical drawing

External links