What Is an Architectural Elevation?
An elevation is a flat, to-scale orthographic drawing of a building's exterior face, showing height, proportions and material lines without any perspective distortion. Elevations are essential construction documents used alongside plans and sections.
An elevation is an orthographic (non-perspective) drawing of one face of a building, projected onto a vertical plane so that all vertical and horizontal measurements stay true to scale.
- 1↓Set the projection planeChoose a vertical plane parallel to the building face (north, south, east or west).
- 2↓Project the outlineDrop perpendicular projection lines from the 3D form onto the plane.
- 3↓Draw visible & hidden linesSolid lines for visible edges, dashed lines for hidden edges behind the plane.
- 4Annotate & dimensionAdd floor levels, material hatching, window/door heights and scale bar.
Step-by-step worked examples
A building elevation is drawn at 1:100 scale. The building is 12 m tall on site. How tall is it on the drawing sheet?
Scale 1:100 means 1 cm on paper = 100 cm (1 m) on site 12 m ÷ 100 = 0.12 m = 12 cm on the drawing
A window sits 1.5 m above finished floor level (FFL) and is 1.2 m tall. At what height range does it appear on the south elevation?
Sill height = FFL + 1.5 m Head height = sill + window height = 1.5 + 1.2 = 2.7 m So the window is drawn between the 1.5 m and 2.7 m lines above FFL
A 2-storey house has floor-to-floor heights of 3.0 m and 2.8 m plus a 0.6 m parapet. What is the total elevation height above ground?
Ground to first floor = 3.0 m First floor to roof = 2.8 m Roof to parapet top = 0.6 m Total = 3.0 + 2.8 + 0.6 = 6.4 m
Flashcards
Quick quiz
Q1.What makes an elevation different from a perspective drawing?
Q2.Dashed lines on an elevation typically represent…
Q3.A building elevation drawn at 1:50 scale shows a wall as 6 cm tall on paper. What is the real height?
Q4.How many principal elevations does a rectangular building usually have?
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Common mistakes
Elevations show perspective depth like a rendering. — Correct: Elevations are orthographic — parallel projections with no vanishing points or foreshortening.
Only one elevation is needed to describe a building. — Correct: Multiple elevations (usually all four faces) are needed to fully describe the exterior.
Elevation height is measured from the paper, not the actual building. — Correct: Elevation height corresponds directly to real building height via the drawing scale.
Hidden lines are drawn the same as visible lines. — Correct: Hidden lines use a dashed linetype to distinguish them from solid visible edges.
FAQ
What is an elevation in architecture?
An elevation is an orthographic, to-scale drawing showing one exterior face of a building without perspective distortion.
What is the formula for reading elevation scale?
Real length = drawn length × scale factor (e.g., at 1:100, 1 cm drawn = 100 cm real).
What are examples of architectural elevations?
North, south, east and west elevations of a house, or a street elevation showing a row of building façades.
How do you calculate elevation height from a scaled drawing?
Measure the drawn height in cm and multiply by the scale denominator (e.g., 12 cm × 100 = 1200 cm = 12 m at 1:100).