Architectural drawings

Floor plan

The floor plan shows the layout of the building for rooms, windows, doors, appliances, etc. It includes details about the building such as:

• exterior dimensions of the building
• dimensions of each room
• position and dimensions of each window
• position, dimensions and opening direction of each door
• position of appliances.

The floor plan may also indicate positions of electrical fittings such as:

• lights and switches
• power outlets
• the meter box
• cable routes.

In order to correctly position components this information must be referred to when wiring a building. You need to be able to obtain correct dimensions from the plan and understand the symbols used, eg knowing which way a door will open and therefore positioning light switches on the appropriate side; not mounting power outlets behind sliding doors, etc.

An example floor plan including the electrical fittings is shown below.

 

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