Many skilled and experienced professionals are finding themselves on their own, seeking employment for the first time after being forced to abandon the safety of an organization that regularly delivered their paycheck each month. As a result, an increasing number of professionals are rethinking their employment strategy. Cash flow, health insurance, and retirement dominate this … Read more
The purpose of building codes is to govern the construction of public buildings, commercial buildings, and places of residence and to regulate construction and thereby provide occupants with a safe and healthy environment. Building codes are an imperative part of the design and construction process. They define minimum standards for safety and comfort that must … Read more
Standard building specifications are written documents that go with the construction drawings and describe the materials as well as the installation methods. They also prescribe the quality standards of construction expected on the project. In the United States, the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) has established a widely recognized format of organization for technical specifications. CSI … Read more
9.1 OVERVIEW A schedule as applied to construction working drawings is an organized method of presenting general notes or lists of materials, building components (doors, windows, etc.), equipment, and so forth in a drawing in tabulated form. The main purpose of incorporating schedules into a set of construction documents is to provide clarity, location, sizing, … Read more
8.1 GENERAL INFORMATION Blueprint drawings—as applied to the building-construction industry—are generally used to show how a building, object, or system is to be constructed, implemented, modified, or repaired. One of the main functions of graphic symbols on construction drawings is to reference other drawings within the set. For example, a circle drawn around an area … Read more
7.1 GENERAL Industrial drawings may often necessitate more description and detail than some other types of working drawings, mainly because of the close tolerances and finished surface requirements. In this chapter we will cover some of the more common terms and symbols that the blueprint reader must be familiar with in order to read machine … Read more
GENERAL OVERVIEW CIVIL DRAWINGS ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS STRUCTURAL DRAWINGS MECHANICAL DRAWINGS PLUMBING DRAWINGS ELECTRICAL DRAWINGS MISCELLANEOUS DRAWINGS GENERAL OVERVIEW For identification purposes, drawings associated with construction and the building trades can be categorized into four main types, preliminary drawings, presentation drawings, working drawings, and shop drawings. Preliminary Drawings These drawings are essentially intended to be concept … Read more
5.1 INTRODUCTION Drawings are the main vehicle of communication in the construction industry, and in learning to read and interpret blueprints, it is necessary to develop the ability to visualize the object to be built. Orthographic projection principles are basic to all fields in the construction industry. In order to be capable of interpreting a … Read more
4.1 TYPES OF DIMENSIONS A dimension is a numerical value expressed in an appropriate unit of measure. It is indicated on drawings along with lines, arrows, symbols, and notes to define the size and specification of an object. Dimensioning is thus a process of incorporating numerical values onto a drawing to enable the sizing of … Read more
2.1 INTRODUCTION Not too long ago, it was predicted by some that by the beginning of the 21st century, blueprints would become obsolete and no longer be used on construction sites. It was further suggested that construction information would essentially be read off computer screens rather than blueprint drawings. This would not only be more … Read more