Ask the Architect: How to Read a Floor Plan

In this edition of Ask an Architect, Dixon Projects' in-house architect, Andy Urbany, is here to lend you his expertise and knowledge.


Andy the Architect

A floor plan is an important tool that helps to clarify and organize structural designs into a communicable language. Floor plans are 2D projections (think maps) that give a bird’s eye view of a space including the presentation of details such as the location of windows, doors, appliances and plumbing fixtures. The floor plan plays a critical role throughout all phases of a project and can come in a variety of forms. From a loose paper sketch for a new project, to a well-defined plan in a construction set, floor plans are a heavily relied upon tool throughout the decision-making process of each construction project.

Historically, buildings were erected by people once known as master builders, today recognized under the title of architects. The master builders often kept their plans inside their heads, communicating their vision by speaking directly with laborers. Surprisingly, there were little to no drawings involved. This gives the hard-lined, floor plan that we see today a relatively short history when looking across the last few thousand years of construction.

When I first begin to digest a new plan, I orient myself to the entry point and pretend I’m walking through the front door. By doing so, I allow my mind to grasp the organization of the plan and my body to get a sense of the space.

how to read floor plans

Next time you view a floor plan, try to imagine yourself moving through the building. Look for relationships between the rooms, notice vertical and horizontal pathways, pay attention to special details that are called out. This helps to determine what is on your left and right as you “stand” in a room or “walk” down a corridor.

basic floor plan

This connection to your senses, especially sight and touch, is critical because we experience architecture as a body moving through space. Continue this process as you move onto other floors, exterior spaces or roof terraces.

house view 

Reasonably, this type of thinking is not easy to immediately adopt and takes some practice. The absolute best way to hone your floor plan reading skills is to walk a space with its corresponding floor plan in hand. As you move through the space, keep the plan oriented to your body and rotate it with you as you enter and exit rooms. While reading a floor plan is an incredibly fast way to learn about a space within a short period of time, you’ll see that they often lack information to fully describe the three dimensional factors of the built environment.

architecture design concept

Despite these shortcomings, a floor plan is a vital piece of information at all stages of design and construction. For example, when beginning a project, floorplans help develop room sizes and general circulation flow. The design must always align with the vision in your head or a team's collective vision whether you are the architect, interior designer or owner.

Furniture floor plan

As I read floor plans for Dixon Projects, questions immediately arise; "Do I want the powder room to open directly into the kitchen? This open floor plan is phenomenal, but do I want to see the neighbor’s house as soon as I walk in the front door?" And my personal favorite, "Do I really want to open the bathroom door directly onto a toilet?" The answer is always “no” for these questions. Eventually, you begin to develop a history of opinions and habits of critical thinking that form future judgments and questions throughout the decision-making process.

contractors

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