1. Gateway – Unit 7 – Green Architecture
Architectural Scales
Gateway – Unit 7 – Green Architecture
Green Architecture
© 2012 Project Lead The Way, Inc.

2. Scale Dimension – Defining the size or location of a feature.
Scale Drawing – A drawing that shows a real object with accurate sizes except they have all been reduced or enlarged by a certain amount (called the scale).
Architectural Scale - A specialized ruler designed for drafting and measuring architectural drawings to the appropriate scale.

3. Presentation Name
Course Name
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Step 1
Read the scale of the blueprint or drawing. Typically, you will find this in the title block at the bottom of the page you're viewing.

4. Presentation Name
Course Name
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Step 2
Rotate the architect's scale and look for the side labeled with the drawing's scale. The labels indicate the number of inches per foot for that scale, so the side labeled 1/4 is for a scale of 1/4 inch = 1 foot.

5. Step 3
Line up the "0" line with the left end of the line you want to measure. We will use the ¼ in. scale.

6. Step 4
Read the scale marking that is closest to the right end of the line, but not beyond the line, to determine the length of the line in feet.

7. Step 5
Slide the scale so that the scale marking that was just beyond the right end of the line now lines up with it.

8. Step 6
Count the number of shorter marks between the zero mark and the far mark on the scale to determine how many inches each mark represents. These lines divide one scale increments into fractions of a foot. Since there are 12 inches in a foot, you can read these smaller increments as inches, if there are 12 of them.

9. Step 6 cont.
Each mark represents one inch if there are twelve marks. But, it represents two inches if there are only six marks.

10. Step 6 cont.
If there are 24 marks, each one represents ½ inch. What if there are 48 marks? What does each represent? ¼ inch

11. Step 7
Count the number of marks between the "0" marking and the left end of the line you are measuring. Multiply this number by the number of inches each mark represents to find the inches.

12. Presentation Name
Course Name
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Step 8
Combine the feet measurement and the inches measurement to get the total length of the line. For example, if you measured 10 feet and 4 inches, the total length is 10’-4”.