Plans and drawings
Finding plans, elevations and drawings
Researching architectural plans, drawings, and elevations online is a critical skill for architecture students. Begin by exploring digital archives and libraries, such as The National Archives, which hold extensive collections of historical and contemporary architectural documents. Utilise academic databases and online resources dedicated to architecture for access to a wide range of materials.
Boolean search strings can significantly refine online research for architectural plans, drawings, and elevations. Here are some examples that architecture students can use:
- To find specific types of architectural plans, use the string: "residential architecture plans" OR "commercial building plans". This will return results for either residential or commercial plans.
- If looking for plans by a specific architect or site, try: "Frank Lloyd Wright" AND (plan OR drawing OR elevation OR section OR blueprint). This ensures that both concepts appear in the search results.
- To exclude certain elements from your search, use the NOT operator: elevations NOT "interior elevations". This will filter out interior elevation results.
- For more precise results, use parentheses to group terms: (modern OR contemporary) AND architecture AND plans.
- To search for exact phrases, use quotes: "architectural elevation drawings".
- To include synonyms, use the tilde: ~modern ~architecture ~plans will also search for synonyms of the words.
Remember to adjust these strings to fit your specific research needs and combine them with keywords relevant to your project or interest area. Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT (used in uppercase) help streamline the search process, leading to more efficient and targeted results. This approach will not only aid in academic projects but also prepare you for professional architectural research and practice.
Plans and drawings
- Building Types Online
Building Types Online comprises the content of selected Birkhäuser manuals and includes case studies, architectural drawings and photographs. The database provides solutions for numerous design tasks in study and practice to facilitate research on building typology and architectural design assignments. Other aspects covered include lighting, acoustics, urban considerations, access types and planning processes.
- Library of Congress: Architecture, design & engineering drawings
The Architecture, Design, and Engineering category covers about 40,000 drawings (described in more than 3,900 catalog records), spanning 1600 to 1989, with most dating between 1880 and 1940. The designs are primarily for sites and structures in the U.S. (especially Washington, D.C.), as well as Europe and Mexico. American architects and architectural firms created most of the images. Building types range from the United States Capitol and the Library of Congress to private residences and hamburger restaurants.
- Architectural Drawings of Public Buildings
Circa 1/1/1857–19/2/2001
This series comprises architectural drawings for a diverse range of public buildings in Queensland including educational institutions, e.g. schools; penal institutions e.g. prisons; hospitals; orphanages; aged persons homes; court houses; police stations; Parliament; public facilities e.g. museums, libraries, botanical gardens; and, other public offices e.g. lands offices, taxation, bank premises, Anzac Square building. Search by type of building and place, for example, Bundaberg court house. - Plans of Government and Business PremisesThis series consists of plans of premises insured by the S.G.I.O. The plans are for both government and private enterprises, and include Housing Commission plans, mines, factories, harbours, transport depots, private schools and hospitals as well as detailed plans of various S.G.I.O. buildings which include furniture layouts with staff names on desks. The order is roughly alphabetical - sometimes by name of town, sometimes by building and sometimes by the name of the proprietor. War-time precautions and shelter arrangements are also included on some plans.
- Block Plans - CountryBlock plans for towns and cities throughout Queensland. The plans vary in the amount of detail provided. Plans may include construction materials of buildings, names of proprietors of businesses and details of property usage. There are key maps for Charleville, Cunnamulla and Roma. QSA staff have prepared key maps for Bundaberg, Dalby, Ipswich, Maryborough and Rockhampton. Key maps are in the Public Search Room.