Pancyprian TS Arch. Drawing cheat sheet

Drawing sheet sizes follow the ISO A-series: A0 = 841 × 1189 mm; each subsequent size is the previous one halved on the long side (A1 = 594 × 841, A2 = 420 × 594, A3 = 297 × 420, A4 = 210 × 297 mm).

Standard line hierarchy: cut/poché lines heaviest (0.7–1.0 mm), visible element outlines medium (0.35–0.5 mm), secondary detail and fixtures light (0.18–0.25 mm), dimension/setting-out lines and hatching thinnest (0.13–0.18 mm).

Line types carry fixed meaning: continuous thick = cut or principal visible edge; continuous thin = dimension, leader, hatch; dashed = hidden edge above the cut plane; long-dash-dot = centre line or grid line; short dashes with dots = projection/reference line.

A plan is a horizontal section cut at roughly 1.20–1.50 m above finished floor level; elements above the cut (beams, wall cabinets, roof overhangs) are drawn as thin dashed or thin continuous projection lines, not as solid cut lines.

Drawing titles sit under each view as: name + scale + drawing number, e.g. 'GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1:50 A-102'. North arrow and scale bar appear on every plan sheet; the graphic scale bar survives photocopying, a stated ratio alone does not.

Section markers are heavy short strokes with an arrow showing the viewing direction and a letter/number pair (A–A, B–B); the same pair labels the section drawing. Elevation markers use a circle with an arrow and a compass bearing or elevation letter.

Grid lines are labelled with circles at both ends: numbers for one direction, letters for the other (I and O usually omitted to avoid confusion with 1 and 0).

Levels are written as +x.xx with a downward triangle on a leader; finished floor level is abbreviated FFL, structural slab level SSL, and external ground level ±0.00 is normally set at the main entrance floor.

Pencil grades: 2H–4H for construction and dimension lines, HB–B for freehand and sketch work, H for final inked-quality lettering guides; harder leads indent paper and print through.

Line weight ratio should stay near 1:2:4 between thin, medium and heavy lines so hierarchy reads at a glance; more than four distinct weights on one drawing usually reads as noise.

Hatching conventions: 45° parallel thin lines for general cut material, diagonal cross-hatch for insulation, wavy/random lines for earth, dots/stipple for concrete, brick coursing pattern for masonry, stepped zigzag for timber in section.

Hatching spacing should shrink as the drawing scale grows (roughly 1.5–3 mm at 1:20, 4–6 mm at 1:100) so the texture does not dominate the line hierarchy.

Lettering for construction drawings: uppercase, vertical or slightly sloped, single-stroke sans-serif, height 2.5–3.5 mm for notes, 5–7 mm for titles, 10 mm+ for sheet titles; minimum legible height on a print is about 2.5 mm.

Text is read from the bottom or the right-hand edge of the sheet only; vertical dimension figures are rotated so they read from the right.

Freehand line technique: lock the wrist, move from the shoulder, mark endpoints first, keep the eye on the destination not the pencil tip, and rotate the sheet rather than the hand for long horizontals.

Line quality checks: no overlapping double strokes at corners, no gaps at intersections, leaders touch the object with a short shoulder and never cross each other or dimension lines.

First-angle projection (the convention used across Europe and Cyprus): the object sits between the observer and the plane, so the view seen from the front is projected onto the plane behind it; the plan is placed below the front elevation and the left-side view appears on the right.

Third-angle projection places the projection plane between observer and object; the plan sits above the elevation. Never mix the two systems on one sheet - state the symbol used.

Each view shares one axis with its neighbour: plan and front elevation share horizontal widths; plan and side elevation share depths; front and side elevation share heights. Use 45° mitre lines to transfer depths.

Elevations show only what is visible from outside: roof profile, openings, cladding joints, downpipes, ground line. Hidden construction is omitted; levels and storey heights are annotated instead.

A section is produced by cutting the building with a vertical plane and projecting the cut; everything cut is drawn heavy with poché, everything beyond is drawn thin as background elevation.

Section depth must be shown: cut the ground/foundation, floor build-ups, roof build-up and ceiling void, and label each build-up rather than showing a single line.

Number of views: a simple building needs plan, four elevations and at least one cross-section and one longitudinal section; complex plans add reflected ceiling plans and detail sections.

Hidden lines are avoided in elevations and sections; if internal geometry must be shown in a plan, use dashed lines only where they add information (e.g. overhead beams, roof overhangs).

Four parts of a dimension: dimension line (thin, with arrowheads or 45° oblique ticks), extension/projection lines (thin, starting about 1–2 mm clear of the object), the figure, and the terminator.

Dimension figures sit above a horizontal dimension line and to the left of a vertical one, read from the bottom or right of the sheet; figures are never crossed by lines.

Units: millimetres on building plans and sections with no unit symbol; metres with three decimals for levels and site/setting-out coordinates (e.g. +3.450, 12.300 m).

Chain dimensioning gives consecutive small dimensions plus one overall dimension; the overall must equal the sum of the chain, otherwise the drawing is ambiguous.

Dimension to structural or setting-out faces (grid lines, wall centrelines, structural openings), not to finishes, unless the drawing states 'finishes' or 'FFL' explicitly.

Radii marked R, diameters Ø, angles in degrees with an arc, arcs dimensioned by radius from the centre; chamfers as 10 × 10 or 10/45°.

Avoid double dimensioning: each dimension appears once. Do not close a dimension chain back onto itself (over-constraining) - leave one link open.

Dimension lines are placed outside the drawing where possible, in ordered rows: opening sizes nearest the plan, then wall-to-grid, then overall building dimensions on the outermost row.

Scale = drawing length ÷ real length. 1:50 means 1 mm on paper equals 50 mm real, so a 3.60 m wall is 72 mm on the sheet.

Scale selection by content: 1:1000–1:500 site/location plans; 1:200 block plan; 1:100 general plans, elevations and sections; 1:50 detailed plans and sections; 1:20 and 1:10 construction details; 1:5 and 1:1 component junctions.

Converting a measured paper distance: real mm = paper mm × scale denominator. At 1:100, 25 mm on paper = 2500 mm real.

Enlarging/reducing a drawing by photocopy changes the stated ratio; the graphic scale bar remains valid and must be included for that reason.

Annotation types: leader notes (material, finish, product reference), keynotes with a numbered legend, room names with floor area in m², and level tags.

Room area is measured to the internal face of enclosing walls; gross external area is measured to the outer face. State which basis is used.

Drawing register/sheet index lists number, title and latest revision; revision clouds with a triangle and revision letter mark changed areas.

Abbreviations to know: FFL, SSL, SFL, TOS (top of steel), u.n.o. (unless noted otherwise), n.t.s. (not to scale), typ. (typical), CL (centre line), Ø, R, m², m³.

Wall build-ups in section are drawn as distinct layers with separate lines: external render, masonry or concrete structure, insulation, cavity, internal plaster/board; each layer labelled with thickness in mm.

Cavity walls: 100–150 mm cavity, minimum 50 mm clear air gap, wall ties at roughly 450 mm vertical × 900 mm horizontal spacing, weep holes and a DPC at 150 mm above external ground.

Openings: lintels/beams over openings with minimum 150 mm bearing each side; windows set with a sill with drip; the head, jamb and sill details are drawn at 1:5 or 1:10.

Stair rules: 2R + G = 600–650 mm (comfort formula), R ≤ 180 mm and G ≥ 250 mm for main stairs in residential use; clear headroom ≥ 2000 mm measured vertically from the nosing line.

Stair geometry: number of risers = total floor-to-floor height ÷ riser; number of goings = risers − 1 per flight; pitch typically 30–35°; handrail height 900–1000 mm above pitch line.

Roofs: pitch expressed in degrees or as a ratio (e.g. 1:4, 14°); overhang/eaves 400–600 mm typical; show ridge, eaves, verge, fascia, gutter, underlay, insulation and ventilation path in a section detail.

Foundations: strip footings for loadbearing masonry, pad footings for columns, raft for poor ground; depth below finished ground level must reach bearing stratum and be below the frost/active zone as local practice requires.

Thermal and moisture continuity: insulation must be continuous across wall/roof/floor junctions; vapour barrier on the warm side; DPC continuous with the DPM under the slab.

Zoning logic: public (entrance, living, dining, kitchen) near the entry; private (bedrooms, bathrooms) away from it; service (utility, storage, WC) between the two.

Circulation efficiency: circulation area should stay roughly 10–15% of net floor area; no room should be entered only through another room except en-suite bathrooms and walk-in closets.

Minimum functional dimensions (typical practice): single bedroom 9–10 m², double bedroom 12–14 m², living room 18–25 m², kitchen 8–12 m², bathroom 4–6 m²; corridor width ≥ 1000–1200 mm.

Kitchen work triangle (sink–hob–fridge) with each leg 1200–2700 mm and the perimeter sum 4000–7900 mm; worktop depth 600 mm, clearance in front of units ≥ 1000 mm.

Daylight and orientation: living and main bedrooms face south/south-east in the northern hemisphere; kitchens and bathrooms may take north light; avoid west-facing glazing where summer overheating is a risk.

Accessibility: door clear width ≥ 800–850 mm, level or ramped threshold ≤ 25 mm, bathroom turning circle 1500 mm, bedroom and bathroom on the entry level where the brief requires lifetime use.

Structure–plan coordination: keep loadbearing walls aligned vertically, span slabs in the short direction, and place columns at grid intersections so partitions stay non-loadbearing.

Wet areas stack vertically to share drainage; soil stacks run in ducts or service shafts with access for maintenance; kitchens and bathrooms are grouped on plan for economy of pipework.

Two-point perspective setup: horizon line at eye level (about 1.5–1.7 m in a standing view), two vanishing points on the horizon, verticals kept vertical, all horizontal edges converge to one of the two VPs.

One-point perspective is used when the view is square-on to a façade; the single VP is the viewer's eye position, and depth lines converge to it.

Proportion check by eye: use the pencil at arm's length to compare a known dimension (door height 2.10 m, storey 3.00 m) against the element being drawn.

Thumbnail/small-scale sketching first: work at 1:200 or smaller for massing, then enlarge; never start a freehand sketch at detail scale before the overall composition is fixed.

Presentation set for a design proposal: site/location plan, floor plans, elevations, at least one section, one perspective or axonometric, one construction detail, and a short concept statement.

Axonometric vs isometric: isometric has all three axes at 120° with equal foreshortening; axonometric/dimetric keeps the plan true and projects verticals, useful for showing plan and volume together.

Shade and shadow: pick one light direction (commonly 45° from upper left), keep it consistent across all views, and use shadow only to describe form - not as decoration.

Sheet composition: keep a consistent margin and title block, align drawings on a grid, group plan/elevation/section in projection relationship, and reserve the largest single image for the key perspective.

Cyprus building control: the Town and Country Planning Law governs planning permission, and the Streets and Buildings Regulation Law (Cap. 96) governs building permits; both are administered by the District Offices of the Town Planning and Housing Department and the local municipality/community.

The Cyprus Organisation for Standardisation (CYS) adopts European standards (EN, including Eurocodes EN 1990–1999) as national standards; the Eurocodes are the structural design basis referenced in Cyprus.

Energy performance: Cyprus implements the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive; a building's Energy Performance Certificate is required, and minimum energy performance requirements apply to new and majorly renovated buildings.

Seismic design matters: Cyprus lies in a seismically active region, so EN 1998 (Eurocode 8) national annex provisions govern ductility, ties and reinforcement detailing.

Accessibility: national requirements and the UN Convention ratification drive step-free access, accessible WCs and parking provision in public and multi-unit residential buildings.

Terminology: δόμηση (built area), κάλυψη (site coverage), συντελεστής δόμησης (building coefficient = permitted built area ÷ plot area), τεμάχιο (plot), οικόπεδο (building plot), άδεια οικοδομής (building permit).

Plot and setback rules: maximum coverage, building coefficient and minimum setbacks from boundaries are set by the local plan/zoning zone; they must be checked per plot before layout, not assumed.

Fire and means of escape: protected stairways, travel distance limits and fire-resisting separation between units and common areas apply to multi-storey and multi-unit residential buildings; verify the current national technical guidance.