Plans, sections and elevations are the three basic orthographic views of a building. A plan is a horizontal cut seen from above, normally taken about 1.2 m (4 ft) above the floor, so it shows walls, doors and windows. A section is a vertical cut through the building, showing floor heights, structure and how the spaces stack. An elevation is a view of a face of the building without cutting it, showing what you would see standing in front of it. Together they describe the building in three dimensions on flat sheets.
Plan vs section vs elevation
| Plan | Section | Elevation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direction of view | Looking down | Looking sideways at a cut | Looking sideways at a face |
| Is anything cut? | Yes, horizontally | Yes, vertically | No |
| Shows best | Room layout, walls, openings, dimensions on the floor | Floor-to-floor heights, structure, roof build-up, stairs | Facade, materials, window positions, overall heights |
| Typical scale | 1:100 or 1:50; 1/4" or 1/8" = 1'-0" | 1:100 or 1:50; 1/4" = 1'-0" | 1:100 or 1:50; 1/8" or 1/4" = 1'-0" |
| Sheet type digit (NCS) | 1 (A-101) | 3 (A-301) | 2 (A-201) |
What a floor plan shows
- Walls cut by the plane, drawn with heavier lines or a fill
- Doors with their swing, windows, stairs with an arrow and a cut line
- Room names, areas and numbers
- Dimensions, grid lines and levels
- Section and elevation markers pointing to the other views
Related plan types include the site plan, roof plan, reflected ceiling plan (the ceiling seen as if reflected in a mirror on the floor), and furniture or finishes plans.
What a section shows
- Floor levels and floor-to-floor heights
- Structure: slabs, beams, foundations, roof
- Build-ups of walls, floors and roofs in larger-scale wall sections
- How spaces connect vertically, such as double-height rooms and stairs
The cut position is shown on the plan by a section marker. See architectural drawing symbols for how to read it.
What an elevation shows
- Exterior faces of the building: front, rear, sides, usually named by compass direction (north elevation) or grid lines
- Materials, window and door positions, roof lines
- Overall heights and levels
- Interior elevations show a single wall of a room, for kitchens, bathrooms and joinery
Reading them together
No single view is enough. Find a window on the plan, follow the elevation marker to see how it looks on the facade, then follow the section marker to see its head and sill heights. When the three disagree, the drawings have a coordination error, which is exactly what reviewers mark up with a cloud and a comment. In Ncored, the PDF editor we built in our architecture studio, each PDF opens in its own window, so a plan set and a sections set can sit side by side on two screens; you measure against the drawing scale, and mark the conflict. It runs on Windows and Mac. See reviewing drawings on two monitors.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a section and an elevation?
A section cuts through the building and shows the inside of the cut; an elevation shows the outside face without cutting anything.
At what height is a floor plan cut?
Conventionally about 1.2 m (4 ft) above the floor, high enough to cut through windows and doors.
What is a reflected ceiling plan?
A plan of the ceiling drawn as if reflected in a mirror on the floor, so it lines up with the floor plan below. It shows lights, ceiling heights and grilles.
Which drawing shows the height of a building?
Elevations show overall heights; sections show the floor-to-floor heights and how they are built.
Related: how to read construction drawings, architectural scales, sheet numbering.