sectional sectional plans are at their most basic a vertical cut through a building that gives a flattened view of the interior.

Sectional drawings are used by architects to give the viewer a better sense of what the interior space will look like in relation to the dimensions of furniture, flooring, and other construction materials. A sectional is similar to an floor plan in that a basic cut through is is used, showing the dimensions of building materials and furniture with scaled dimensions. However, rather than being horizontal, a sectional is vertical. When an architect creates a sectional he or she has a lot of free reign over the drawing. The placement of doors and windows are already decided based on the floor plan, but the style and the materials used can vary greatly and should be shown at this time.

A sectional combines the idea of an interior elevation and a cut through. For your sectionals you are required to show all building materials, furniture, and decorations.

NOTE: for sectionals, you will need to consult your floor plans for placement and your elevations for window/ door design.

When creating a sectional, one must keep in mind that in order to simplify, architects do not create these in perspective. In other words, the image should not recede into space. This will not inform the viewer how close the walls are to the background or how far away the back wall is. A sectional WILL inform the viewer if something is in front of something else.

Before you create a sectional it’s required to that you decide 2 things. Where are you going to make your vertical cut to present the most interesting view? Which direction are you going to be looking for your vertical cut to create your most interesting view?

Creating a Sectional: is easiest when one simply projects lines from their floor plan down rather than measuring the distance between every window and door. By placing a clean sheet of vellum over top of one’s floor plan, and using the drafting machine to create straight verticals and horizontals, the elevation becomes easier. One can simply trace the edges of doors and windows and carry those lines downward to the ground line on one’s elevation in order to create the walls, doors, & windows.

NOTE: At this point you should be sure to project down the thickness of walls, doors/door frames, and windows etc. ONLY PROJECT THE WALLS/WINDOWS/AND DOORS FIRST.

Once you have projected down the lines you may begin to draw in your floor line, (based on your elevations) and fill in the material of your foundation, (again based on your materials).

After all lines have been projected and measured, one can begin designing the look of the interior using the windows and doors based on the finished elevations.

The next step is to erase all unnecessary lines so that one has a clean page to work from. At this point, you will bring down the lines of the ALL THE VISIBLE FURNITURE. The furniture will give you a chance to be creative and decide what style you want for your furniture. This will be easier if you bring down the line from the corners of chairs etc.

After you have filled in the furniture, you can start to add decorations with art, lighting, and other details. When you have finished with the look of the inside you just need to finish the details that make this a sectional. SO with the roof, you will need to draw in the material, (wooden rafters perhaps), and for the base, you will need to add the cement foundations.

Examples from past students: