13.1 Architectural Graphics: Plans, Sections, Elevations & Scales
Key Takeaways
- 1:100 is the standard metric scale for presenting a typical floor plan, section, or elevation in Philippine architectural practice
- Poche (solid black fill or dense hatching) marks the solid material actually cut by a plan or section plane, such as walls and floor slabs
- Index contour lines are drawn heavier and labeled with an elevation value at set intervals (commonly every fifth line), while intermediate contours are thin and unlabeled
- A north arrow, property lines with bearings and distances, and setback lines are mandatory graphic elements on every site development plan
- Construction-level details such as wall sections and door/window jambs are drawn at 1:20 or 1:10, far larger than the 1:100 scale used for a full floor plan
Architectural Graphics: Plans, Sections, Elevations & Scales
Quick Answer: The Architectural Design and Site Planning subject of the PRC Architect Licensure Examination (ALE) no longer grades a hand-drafted board. Since PRBoA Resolution No. 14, Series of 2009, the subject is a non-drafting, OMR-scored exam of multiple situational problems in multiple-choice form. What it still tests is the candidate's command of standard architectural graphics — floor plans, building sections, elevations, and site development plans at the correct metric scales — by presenting a described or partially drawn condition and asking the candidate to identify, evaluate, or apply the correct graphic convention.
Architectural graphics are the visual language through which a designer proves a solution actually works — not just conceptually, but dimensionally, structurally, and functionally. On the ALE's design subject, a situational item may describe a plan, section, or dimension and ask which scale, symbol, or convention applies; a candidate who misreads the scale or the convention loses marks that have nothing to do with the strength of the underlying design idea. This section reviews the core drawing types, the metric scales used in Philippine practice, and the drafting conventions the exam tests through recognition and application.
The Three Core Orthographic Drawings
Architectural design is communicated primarily through orthographic projection — flat, to-scale views taken by cutting through or looking directly at a building along a defined plane.
| Drawing Type | What It Shows | What It Proves |
|---|---|---|
| Floor Plan | A horizontal cut through a building, usually about 1.2 to 1.5 meters above finished floor, looking down | Room layout, circulation, door/window placement, furniture zoning, area compliance |
| Building Section | A vertical cut through the building, looking at the cut face | Floor-to-floor and floor-to-ceiling heights, structural depth, stair and ramp geometry, roof pitch, vertical spatial relationships |
| Elevation | An external, un-cut view of a building face, looking straight at it | Massing, facade composition, materials, fenestration pattern, height relative to grade and neighboring structures |
A floor plan alone cannot prove that a stair clears required headroom or that a ramp meets the 1:20 slope required under the 2024 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Batas Pambansa Blg. 344 (BP 344) — only a section can prove that. Likewise, an elevation cannot prove room adjacencies — only the plan can. The exam tests this consistency directly: an OMR item may describe a door shown on a plan that does not appear on the corresponding elevation and ask the candidate to identify the error, because a drawing set is expected to agree across views.
Standard Metric Scales in Philippine Practice
The Philippines uses the metric system, and the ALE expects knowledge of internationally recognized architectural scales rather than arbitrary ratios. The scale chosen must match the level of detail being communicated:
- 1:200 or 1:500 — vicinity/location maps and small site development plans, where the whole lot and its surrounding context must fit on one sheet
- 1:100 — the standard scale for a typical building floor plan, section, or elevation; legible at normal sheet sizes while still showing room layout and major dimensions clearly
- 1:50 — used when more architectural detail is needed, such as a single unit plan, a toilet-and-bath layout, or a stair detail
- 1:20 or 1:10 — reserved for construction details: wall sections, door and window jamb details, stair nosings, and railing connections
Every drawing must carry its scale clearly noted, and the drawing must actually be drawn to that stated scale. The exam tests this by presenting a described drawing or a stated dimension and asking which scale is appropriate, or whether a stated scale matches the level of detail shown — so a candidate who cannot match scale to detail will miss items that have nothing to do with design talent.
Drafting Conventions the Exam Tests
Line weight hierarchy is not a stylistic choice; it is information. A well-drafted sheet uses at least three weights: a heavy line for elements actually cut by the section or plan plane (exterior and load-bearing walls), a medium line for visible edges and object outlines beyond the cut plane, and a light line for dimension lines, hatching, and reference grids. Reversing this hierarchy — for example, drawing dimension lines heavier than walls — makes a drawing difficult to read quickly, which matters when an OMR item describes a sheet and asks which line-weight error is present.
Poche (pronounced po-SHAY) is the solid black fill or dense hatching used to mark solid material that the cutting plane actually passes through — masonry and concrete walls in plan, floor slabs and beams in section. Poche makes the distinction between solid mass and open space instantly legible without needing to read a single label.
Standard symbols also matter: a door is drawn as a rectangle with a quarter-circle arc showing its swing path so the direction of travel is clear; a window is a break in the wall line with a thin double line representing the glazing plane; and stairs show a directional arrow labeled "UP" or "DN" (down), with a break line if the run continues beyond the plan cut.
Site Plan Graphic Conventions
A site development plan carries its own conventions on top of the building drawing conventions above:
- A north arrow, oriented consistently with the building plans on the same sheet, must appear on every site plan.
- Property lines are drawn as a distinct line type (often a long-dash-short-dash line) and are typically annotated with bearings and distances taken from the lot's technical description.
- Contour lines show existing and proposed grade: index contours (heavier weight, labeled with elevation, typically every fifth line) and intermediate contours (thin, unlabeled) together communicate slope and drainage direction.
- Setback lines, easements, and the building footprint are distinguished from the property boundary itself, since a design that ignores a required setback under Presidential Decree No. 1096 (PD 1096), the National Building Code of the Philippines, fails a basic code-compliance check regardless of design merit.
Mastering this graphic vocabulary before exam day means a candidate's mental energy on the actual test can go toward evaluating each situational problem, not toward remembering what a given symbol or scale means.
In Philippine architectural practice, which metric scale is the conventional choice for presenting a typical building floor plan, section, or elevation?
What does poche indicate on an architectural plan or section drawing?
On a site development plan, how are index contour lines conventionally distinguished from intermediate contour lines?
Because the Architectural Design and Site Planning subject is now a non-drafting, OMR-scored exam of short situational problems, how does it most likely test a candidate's knowledge of architectural scales and conventions?