Posted in Architectural Drawing

Planning and Interior Design for a Major Securities Trading Office

Sometime ago, I was approached by a businessman. He owned a successful securities trading company. Trading in all sorts of securities like stocks, bonds, commodities, metals. He had recently acquired some commercial office space for a major expansion. My task was to design a floor plan according to their requirements.

I visited the place for inspection. It was a large hall, with dimensions 45′ x 90′. I had to deal with a few existing columns, but it was decent.

Empty Commercial Space

 

I was given a few requirements, but it was still flexible. More requirements were to be added later. The building was already constructed, so external window locations were already fixed.

Basic requirements as laid down by the client were

  1.  Reception and Waiting Lobby
  2. Trading area with a capacity of upto 50 workstations
  3.  Lounge area for people meeting the CEO
  4.  CEO Cabin
  5.  CEO Rest room with attached bath
  6.  Conference Room for upto 10 people
  7.  Pantry
  8. Three private cabins for directors
  9. Three more cabins for managers
  10. Two discussion rooms for their sales team
  11. Server Room
  12. Common toilets

So, I began working on the drawing, and after many hours of hard work, and many revisions, I got my first drawing ready which had to be presented to the client for further deliberation.

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Approach to Architectural Drawing

Introduction to the Approach to Architectural Drawing

We are beginning with a new tab on “Architectural Drawing”. We will cover a wide range of topics regarding Architectural Drawing which will help Architecture and Engineering students to achieve excellence in Drawing.

Let’s begin with our lessons on Architectural Drawing.

Art in the past was an intellectual, scientific and poetic discipline. Draftsmanship was of primary importance, though drawing has been playing a service role to painting, sculpture and architecture.

Contemporary art/Architecture has to return to classical roots for redefinition for standards and precepts. Follow that route and you will learn soon enough.

Architectural Drawing

Architectural Drawing

The importance of spending months on the fundamentals of drawing may not be obvious immediately. Repetition unavoidably is the key. Repeated acts of seeing, selecting, and thinking through the physical marking on paper are indispensable to growth.

Reading about Architecture or talking about drawing will not do what pencil in hand will do. Drawing takes repeated effort. But at the outset, a great deal of technical discipline/drawing etiquette must usually come before creative leaps.

Distractions to be avoided

  1. Feel blocked/frustrated
  2. Copying – Need to develop comprehension beyond copying.
  3. Do not latch on the flashy techniques too early in your career – You may lose a great deal of integrity and individualism in expression.

Pictorial Space | Architectural Drawing

Understanding Pictorial Space – II

An analytical drawing of spatial symbols clues which indicate distance and depth in our perception of form.

The primary visual cues which aid our perception of Depth:

  1. Binocular Vision
  2. Motion Parallax

Our eyes are overlapping fields of view and Stereoscopic Depth Vision.

The pictorial images created by graphic displays have to depend totally upon secondary cues to depth.

Depth is created by –

  1. Relative apparent size – Linear perspective objects become smaller as they are far away.
  2. Light and shadow
  3. Atmospheric haze (Ariel perspective)
  4. Overlap – most potent secondary cue to depth
Understanding Pictorial Space - II

Understanding Pictorial Space - II

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Transformations | Architectural Drawing

Understanding Architectural Transformations

The aim of the project is to involve the students in a pre-design exercise in leading the student from a simple shape to a complex design.

Each shape should involve – Repetition, Size

Materials:

  • A full size tracing sheet divided by 4”x4” squares. A comic strip format.
  • Use of a soft pencil – 0.5mm – 2B
  • 6”x6” ordinary tracing sheet for over lays.
  • Take the most complex design in the last box, enlarge and use values and color. (Color pencils/ Water colors on hand made paper)

 

Transformations | Architectural Drawings

Transformations | Architectural Drawings

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The Spatial Codes | Architectural Drawing and Design

Understanding the concept of Spatial codes

Conceptual Graphics

In order to give birth to an idea the Architect must adopt some form of abstraction which represents the pictures in his mind using symbols or annotations.

Schematic diagrams

Simplified drawings of a concept which stress the relationship and orientations of its physical components.

Schematic diagrams

Schematic diagrams

Operational Diagrams

Transformations which aid the designer in visualizing changes in time.

Operational diagrams

Operational diagrams

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