513
Building
Sections
Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
Explain the purposes of building sections.
Describe the three main types of building
sections.
Explain how to identify the location of a
building section.
List information that must be obtained
before a building section can be drawn.
Draft a full section using either manual or
CADD techniques.
Key Terms
building section
cross section
cutting-plane line
full building section
longitudinal building
section
partial building
section
specifi c section
transverse building
section
typical section
wall section
A set of working drawings must provide all
of the information needed to build a structure.
The fl oor and foundation plans provide a
wealth of information, but they do not provide
all of the details needed to construct a residence.
Some features are hidden in these views. In
addition, these plans do not show important
information about fasteners, methods, and
materials. To provide this information, one or
more building sections are included in a set
of working drawings. Building sections are
vertical “cuts” or “slices” through a structure
that illustrate the type of foundation, wall, and
roof construction to be used. See Figure 21-1.
Knowing when and how to include building
sections in a set of architectural working
drawings is an important skill in the architectural
fi eld. It requires an understanding of building
CHAPTER
21 21
materials, their uses in the structure, and what
type of building section view is needed.
Purpose of
Building Sections
The main purpose of a building section is
to inform the contractor or builder of special or
unconventional construction methods or tech-
niques to be used in a structure. These may
include sunken or raised fl oor levels, unusual
foundations, unique wall or roof construction,
and details for split-level or multi-level struc-
tures. Building sections also provide important
information about size. They show the height of
each fl oor of a building, as well as the heights of
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