ARCH 170

ARCHITECTURE 170
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ARCH 170 - Introduction to the Built Environment

SAMPLE ASSIGNMENT #2: Plan and Section of a Room

NOTE: This is an example assignment for prospective students. Since assignments vary from year to year, please visit the course link at elms.umd.edu or contact your TA for the most current version.

You will draw a plan and section of a room to scale, showing the location of windows and doors, all major furniture, and any attendant closet(s), but this is not a drafting assignment!

Objectives: To become familiar with graphic concepts that form the basis for communication between architects, consultants, clients, and contractors. To consider the differences between perceived scale and objective size. To consider how our bodies relate to and become a measure of the spaces we inhabit.

  1. Select a room that interests and intrigues you and that you would like to know more about. Choose a space that is readily accessible to you. (Your TA can help you make an appropriate choice).
  2. Using your forearm, foot or stride together with a consistent building module (i.e. brick, block, plywood sheet if available) determine the width, length, and height of the room and its various objects (do not attempt to walk on walls!).
  3. Make two rough sketches: one of the room plan and one of the room section. Carefully write down the measurements of each element on the sketches. Horizontal dimensions go on the plan, vertical dimensions on the section.
  4. Determine the overall maximum size of the finished drawings by making sure that you leave at least 1" margin all around the plan and section when drawn on two 8 1/2" x 11" sheets or one 11" x 17" sheet.
  5. Choose a scale that will accommodate the overall size of plan and section, as determined in point 4 above. Use the same scale for plan and section.
  6. Include a scaled human figure that matches your particular size in both plan and section. (some of us are 5??? tall others are 6???!)
  7. Prepare two sheets of 8 1/2" x 11" (or one 11" x 17") white paper (no printed lines or grids). In the lower right corner of each sheet, print the following information as neatly as you can (use guidelines):

    YOUR NAME (in 3/16" letters, all upper case)
    Assignment 2 (in 1/8" letters, upper and lower case)
    ARCH 170, Semester, Year
    Section Number

  8. Draw the plan and section to scale, freehand (no rulers, triangles, or T squares). Use a soft, sharp pencil (2B or 314 Drafting pencil). Do not use color. Use white paper only (no printed lines or grid). On wooden furniture, rugs (if any), tile floors, upholstery, bedspreads, etc, lightly draw a pattern showing the texture characteristic of each object. Show a graphic scale, and on the plan.