UNDERSTANDING ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION DRAWINGS

The practice of interior design requires the creation and use of various types of drawing. These can be divided into three broad categories based on purpose. The first type of drawing allows the designer to explore ideas (known as ideation) and work conceptually, often in the form of sketches. The second type allows the designer to communicate to others, including members of the design team, the client, end users, consultants, and other professionals (presentation drawings). The third type of drawing conveys the technical information required for construction (construction documents or working drawings).

This book focuses on the first two types of drawing, those used for exploration and presentation or graphic communication of ideas. Unlike ideation sketches, presentation drawings and construction documents must Design drawings are highly standardized so that they carry universal meaning. Or, as one early reviewer of this book put it, “Design drawing is much like a language; the drawings must convey the designer’s meaning clearly.”

The design drawings most commonly used in scaled delineation of interior environments are floor plans, interior elevations, sections, and reflected ceiling plans. These drawings, called ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTIONS, are created by projecting information about an object onto an imaginary plane known as the PICTURE PLANE. This direct projection of an object’s dimensions allows orthographic projections to retain shape and proportion, making these drawings accurate and precise.

Orthographic projection creates fragmentary views of an object, resulting in the need for multiple drawings. This means that because of their fragmentary nature orthographic projections become parts of a system and are mutually dependent on one another. By their nature, orthographic projections
appear flat and lack the three-dimensional quality of perspective drawings. One way to visualize orthographic projection is to imagine an object enclosed in a transparent box. Each transparent plane of the enclosing box serves as the picture plane for that face of the object.

The view through the top plane of the enclosing box is called a PLAN. In a plan view only those elements seen when looking directly down at the object are drawn. Figure 1-3 depicts a roof plan.
The views through the picture planes that form the sides of the enclosing box are called ELEVATIONS. Elevations depict only what is visible when viewed directly through the picture
plane.

A SECTION portrays a view of the object or building with a vertical plane sliced through it and removed. One way of understanding section views is to imagine that a very sharp plane has been inserted into the object or building, cutting neatly into it and revealing the structure and complexity of the object’s form. A floor plan, also known as a horizontal section, portrays a view of the building with a horizontal plane sliced through it and removed, exposing the thickness of the walls and the elements below the cut line such as floor finishes and furniture.

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INTRODUCTION TO DRAWING

Interior design is a multifaceted and everchanging discipline. The practice of interior design continues to evolve due to technological as well as societal changes. Computers, the Internet,
and fax machines have deeply influenced and changed its practice. For example, use of computer-aided drafting and design (CADD) is standard operating procedure in current design practice, whereas 15 years ago it was just beginning to gain in popularity.

In addition to undergoing rapid technological advancement, the profession of interior design has grown in terms of scope of work, specialization, and the range of design practiced.

The growth of the profession, combined with efforts toward standards and licensing, have increased its legitimacy as a serious professional discipline. Constant change in society and in one’s profession can be overwhelming and a bit frightening, and for that reason it is useful to consider the elements that remain constant in an evolving profession. In many ways, the design process itself remains constant—whether practiced with a stick in the sand, a technical pen, or a powerful computer. There are many stories about designers drawing preliminary sketches on cocktail napkins or cheeseburger wrappers, and these stories lead us to a simple truth.

Professional designers conduct research, take piles of information, inspiration, and hard work, and wrap them all together in what is referred to as the design process, to create meaningful and useful environments. A constant and key factor in interior design is the fact that human beings—and other living creatures— occupy and move within interior spaces. To create interior environments, professional designers must engage in a process that involves research, understanding, idea generation, evaluation, and documentation. These are significant constants that exist in a changing world.

For the most part this issue covers the process designers engage in and the related presentation techniques used in design communication. These processes and basic concepts are consistent, whether generated manually or by computer. Some examples included here were created manually, whereas others were computer generated. Regardless of how drawings and graphics are generated, they are part of a process of discovery, exploration, and creation.

This issue covers what is often referred to as drafting, as well as other forms of two-dimensional graphics. The term DRAFTING refers to measured drawings done with specialized tools and equipment. The truth is that not all drawings used in the process of interior design are drawn with the aid of tools. Often those drawings created in the preliminary stages of the design process are rough sketches and involve little use of drafting tools or equipment.

As designs are refined, there is clearly a need for highly accurate, measured, and detailed drawings, and these are drafted with tools. This issue presents the materials, equipment, and tools used for manually drafted and freehand design drawings, as well as an overview of the most common drawings used in interior design practice. The information presented in this issue is meant as an overview, not a definitive drawing or drafting reference.

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