Three Drawings and Two Plans
Architects describe buildings through three standard projections:
- Plan: a horizontal cut, seen from above. It shows layout, circulation, and wall placement.
- Section: a vertical cut. It shows internal heights, roof structures, and construction.
- Elevation: an exterior face seen straight on. It shows facade composition.
Common pitfall: reading a plan as a floor picture. A plan is a horizontal cut through walls and supports.
Two basic plans organise most Western architectural history:
- The basilica began as a Roman public hall. Christian worship adopted its longitudinal axis.
- The central plan arranges space radially around a point. Renaissance theorists like Palladio favoured its ideal symmetry.
Orders, Proportion, and Type
Classical orders are complete proportional systems, not merely decorative column shapes.
- Greek practice used three: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
- The Renaissance canonised five, adding Tuscan and Composite from Roman tradition.
An order functions as a module system. Choosing the column base diameter sets every subsequent ratio and height automatically.
Proportional systems give visual harmony an arithmetic basis. However, the golden section is claimed far more often than it is used in historical analysis.
Finally, a type is a recurring configuration for a specific purpose, such as a basilica or villa. Type lets architects inherit proven spatial solutions.