How to draw Sections
Revised and
new sheets added version
IZMIR UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS
FACULTY OF FINE ARTS AND DESIGN
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
Aybige Tek
FFD 102 Art and Design Studio
Date: March 29, 2023

Aybige Tek
Why do we draw sections?
We draw sections to understand our buildings or anything that we create for production.
And how do we do it? We cut a vertical cut just like how a knife cuts a cake! through our
objects or object (buildings, space, industrially designed objects, etc)
Section drawings are like what xrays scans are to doctors for us architects!
Section drawings show us what are the biggest spaces, and volumes in our building.
How is the structure of our building? And how do all architectural elements come
together or hold up together in a union? We also write add the notes, dimensions, specs,
and dimensions in our sections for more information.
Date: March 26, 2023
https://www.patriquinarchitects.com/why-are-
architectural-sections-important-to-projects/

Aybige Tek
Before we draw sections it is
Very critical to draw our
lansdcape line! Ground Line
Date: March 29, 2023
Where is our building or architectural object located at? this is the starting point of
our Project and Section Drawings! Because our structure needs to ground itself to the
ground first! to be able to be built.
So please draw the landscape ( ground line) before you move on with your section
drawings and develop your projects! Please try to show in your drawings how does
your building sit on the ground? How is the foundation? What is the relationship with
the ground? These questions can be read in your drawings by professionals that are
involved.

Aybige Tek
Good tips for drawing sections:
01-The structure is drawn first just like the hierarchy in real-world construction
please simply draw how your structure is.
How is your structure?
The structure is drawn in darker layers than the seen parts of your buildings or objects.
Examples are shown below:
https://www.archdaily.com/911021/13-houses-with-pitched-
roofs-and-their-sections?ad_medium=gallery Date: March 26, 2023

Aybige Tek
Good tips for drawing sections:
02. After the structure is drawn details and what is seen as other architectural elements are drawn
in sections. Labeling and dimensioning is added. Also specs and special Project notes are needed for
our sections.
Examples are shown below:
Date: March 26, 2023
Lisa Sommerhuber's 109 photos
Heights are shown in this section! Remember we add
dimensions and notes and specs and materials and room
and space numbers or any information that will explain
our projects to others!

Aybige Tek
Good tips for drawing sections:
03. We draw the parts and details or furniture that are not cut in sections as
lighter layers of line weights in our drawings! What we see we draw light as a
feather. So most important information in section drawings is the structure.
That is why generally we draw them darker line weights. Of course, this
drawing style may change from Project to Project or when we are sending the
drawings to the shared engineers we may highlight the system as the most
important data in the sections. ( representations may vary however there are
universal standards)
An example of this line weight diffrence is shown on the image on the right:
https://www.archdaily.com/793424/studying-the-manual-of-
section-architectures-most-intriguing-
drawing?ad_source=search&ad_medium=projects_tab&ad_sourc
e=search&ad_medium=search_result_all
Date: March 26, 2023
Designed by República Portáti

Aybige Tek
How 01?:
Date: March 26, 2023
https://minimaldrawing.com/a-section-drawing/
• This is a cut-through section plane which is our red section
line on floor plans!
• As you can see cut parts that are structural are shown
darker in section
• The Windows which are at the back as seen architectural
elements are lighter line weight when we draw!
• Some Heights ( dimensions can be taken from these) of
slabs and details are noted in numbers as you see.
• This example is from 3d.
• We can draw sections from Floor plans, plans, elevations,
and any information on the design that is given to us.

Aybige Tek
How 02?:
Date: March 26, 2023
• SECTION LINES ARE CRUCIAL TO
LOCATE AND DRAW ON OUR FLOOR
PLANS! BECAUSE THEY SHOW US
WHERE WE CUT FROM AND WHERE
WE ARE LOOKING TO DRAW AT! IT
SHOWS US THE DIRECTION TO SEE
AND DRAW AS SECTIONS.
https://fontanarchitecture.com/plan-section-elevation/
• We carry the information from the
section line to the section from the
floor plans and also from the
elevation heights! To draw our
sections. (this needs a lot of
practice to make sense) please
refer to basics of orthographic
drawings also for architectural
section drawings logic!

Aybige Tek
How 03?:
Date: March 29, 2023
https://www.archisoup.com/architectural-symbols
We will study further and learn about
architectural symbols later however this is a good
summary for now to show international universal
section lines and how important it is to show the
cutting direction for our section drawings!
Also (elevations: elevation drawings) may use
similar circle symbols. Also, some architects
design their symbols. ( that also is seen in the
field)
As long as they write what the symbols are they
can be used.

Aybige Tek
Good books on sections:
Date: March 26, 2023