Architectural Plans | Build a Dream Career in Architecture

In India, the construction and real estate is seeing a positive boom. The focus has shifted from just basic functionality to aesthetics, comfort, luxury and style. Hence, the demand for good architects is also on the rise. Architecture involves planning and designing of building and structures. A good architect can create marvels that remain as a testimony to his talent for ages. Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, pyramids of Egypt, Hotel Burj Al Arab, and many more like these are masterpieces of ancient and modern architecture. Today, architects need to blend their vision and dreams with materials to come up with structures that are high quality, with good functionality and environmentally friendly too.

Architects are required to design a variety of structures such as houses, apartments and colonies, shopping and commercial complexes, offices and industrial complexes, hospitals, hotels, airport terminals, schools etc. They are also required if a building has to be renovated or repaired. Thus, the demand for architects will never dwindle.

All those who are looking to make a career in this field have a few things to keep in mind. Ideally, students good at physics and mathematics are better suited to study architecture. To become an architect, one should have creativity with an interest towards designing. It is beneficial if one can also sketch and draw with a free hand. One should be socially and environmentally aware apart from being technically and mathematically sound to become a good architect. Of course, good communication skills, physical ability to work on the site, high concentration level, flexibility, patience, team spirit, responsibility and accountability can take one a long way in this field.

There are good training courses in architecture offered by institutes across India. To apply for a course, one should have completed higher secondary education with physics, chemistry, mechanical/ engineering drawing and mathematics, with a minimum of 60 percent marks. Most of the schools conduct entrance tests through national and state level entrance examinations. For entry to undergraduate programmes in government and private institutes, national level entrance examination is conducted by the Council of Architecture. However, there are separate state level tests too, such as one conducted by Tamil Nadu. Indian Institutes of Technology also offer architecture programmes. Entrance to these programmes is through the Joint Entrance Exams (JEE) held in May each year. Other than theses, one has to appear for an aptitude test to ensure admission.

The degree course B.Arch is a 5 year course. After the graduate course, one can also study architecture at the post graduate course which varies from 18 months to 2 years.
There are various good institutes that offer courses in architecture. School of Planning & Architecture in New Delhi offers two Undergraduate Programmes leading to Bachelor's Degree in Architecture and Planning. The Bachelor of Architecture is a five-year programme. The school also offers the Master's and Doctoral Programmes in Architecture. SPA offers a 4-year programme in Bachelor of Planning.

Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA) is another good institute. The college conducts a five year course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.)
The admission is made on the basis of the Common Entrance Test (CET) and Architecture Aptitude Test conducted by the Punjab University.

Based in Mumbai, the Sir J J School of Art conducts a 5-year course in Bachelor Of Architecture (B Arch). and a 3-year Master Of Architecture Degree. The institute also offers short term courses in computer education relevant to architecture after college hours.

Apart from these, there are other good schools like School of Architecture CEPT, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad; Lucknow University, Govt. College of Architecture; Goa University, College of Architecture; Indian Education Society's College of Architecture, Mumbai; Pune University, Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Architecture; Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, School of Planning & Architecture, Hyderabad; Kerala University, College of Engineering, Thiruvananthpuram; Anna University, School of Architecture & Planning., Chennai; IPS Academy, School of Architecture, Indore; Bengal Engineering College, West Bengal; Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon; Vastu Kala Academy, School of Architecture & Interior Designing, New Delhi.

Some architects go in for specialization in India and abroad. The fiels of specialization could be urban designing, regional planning, building engineering and management, architectural conservation, industrial design, landscape arhitecture, naval architecture, architecture concerning traffic and transport planning etc.

There are a lot of avenues to choose from for architects. There are opportunities available in government as well as private sectors. The government organisations include Public Works Department, the Archaeological Department, Ministry of Defence, Departments of Railways, Post and Telegraphs, Public Sector Undertakings, National Building Organisation, Town and Country Planning Organisation, National Institute of Urban Affairs, Housing and Urban Development Corporation, National Building Construction Corporation Ltd., City Development Authorities etc. One can also go or private practice and start own firm and become a successful architect. After all, it requires dreams and good vision to make a mark in this industry.

Geetika Jain writes on behalf of Shiksha.com. Shiksha.com is an education portal that connects education seeker with education provider. Shiksha.com has wide information over Architechture colleges, Professional colleges and courses. Its education forums enable its users to seek opinion of students, alumni and faculty of colleges and schools through College Groups and School Groups.

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Architectural Plans | How to Build Your Own Home And What You Want With Your Drawings

Whether you order plans out of a magazine or catalog, hire a draftsman, or an architect, this is what you want to receive with your house plans:

(a) a foundation plan,
(b) a floor plan,
(c) the exterior elevations,
(d) the cabinet elevations,
(e) the cornice and rake details,
(f) a cross section,
(g) an electrical plan,
(h) a framing plan, and
(i) a door and window schedule.

Don't assume you're going to receive all of these items. You must verify what items you expect to receive, first, and include your requirements in your contract if you hire a draftsman/designer or architect.

a. Foundation Plan

The first thing you want is the foundation plan. If your home is going to have a basement, your plan needs to show a basement. If it is going to have a crawl space, your plan needs to show a crawl space. If it is going to be built on a solid concrete floor on top of the ground, called a slab, your plan needs to show a slab.

If you have full-unfinished basement, a lot of plans will show a beam down the center of the basement. On top of the beam would be the floor system for the first floor. This beam is normally made of steel or wood. If money is no problem, you could install a continuous steel beam that would run the entire length of the home. If this beam were large enough, you could support your home and need no support columns or posts under this beam. It would look like a large open roller skating rink in your basement. This beam could be very expensive. As the beam becomes smaller, which is cheaper, you will need columns or posts underneath the beam for support. The smaller the beam, the more posts will be needed. So the size of the beam is a function of the number of support posts you're willing to live with.

The person that can tell you what size beam to use, based on the number of posts you want, is a structural engineer. If you wanted to remove a post or support wall in an existing home, contact a structural engineer rather than an architect. Most architects will sub the job to a structural engineer. A structural engineer can also tell you if you have the correct size beam.

As a builder, instead of a beam with posts, I think about how I would finish the basement. I may have a future game room, a workshop, etc. Then I go ahead and build the walls in the basement according to my vision. These walls will now become load-bearing walls. On top of these load-bearing walls we'll build the floor system for the first floor.

There are two good reasons for doing this. First of all, I can build those load-bearing walls as cheap and many times cheaper than I could install a beam with the posts. Second, a potential customer will see all these walls and rooms and say to his wife, "Goodnight Martha, for another nickel and a couple of trips to the local supply house we can have all this finished space for free!" In reality, it's going to cost more than another nickel, but it helps sell the home.

When you're designing your basement area, what we call the "lower or terrace level." Include a room called the "mechanical" room. In this mechanical room you will place your heating and air system and water heater. If you only have one heating and air system in this area, design the room as close to the center of the home as possible. If you have a large home with multiple heating and air zones, design the room as close to the center of the zone as possible.

Many homes have the problem of the porch and/or steps being constructed on fill dirt. Over time this fill dirt will settle and the porch and/or steps will pull away from the home. In order to prevent this from happening, construct what are called T-walls or brackets under your porch and steps. We'll discuss this more when we build the foundation. However, draw the location of these T-wall or brackets on the foundation plan.

b. Floor plan(s)

The floor plan(s) should definitely include the following:

i. The dimensions of your rooms.
ii. The size and location of all doors and windows.
iii. The size and location of your tubs and the location of toilets and lavatories.
iv. Furnace vent-pipe location

If you have a gas furnace, you may locate the furnace in a crawl space or basement. Most gas furnaces will have a pipe that goes from the furnace up through the floor and out the ceiling and roof to vent fumes. We simply call it a "vent pipe." Be sure to show the location of any vent pipes on the floor plan. By showing this pipe on our drawings, you solve that age-old problem of the heating and air subcontractor walking on the job after the home is framed and saying, "Well, where do you want us to put the vent pipe?" And you say, "What vent pipe?" Then you have to give up part of your kitchen cabinets or a walk-in closet to accommodate this vent pipe. If you plan ahead you can normally locate this vent pipe where it's not going to be in the way or stick out like a sore thumb.

v. Hallway width

A hallway needs to be a minimum width to install doors. The molding around the door or window is called the casing. Many people will request and spend the money for wide door and window casings. Make sure the hallway is wide enough to accommodate the door casing. In many homes you'll see where the 4-inch casing is trimmed down to 2 inches because the hall was not wide enough. Any time you have a door or window near a corner, make sure there is adequate room from the door or window to the corner for the wide casing. These items need to be checked on the floor plan.

vi. Plumbing wall

Most walls in a home are constructed of 2X4 boards that are 3 ½ inches wide. Behind the kitchen sink and bathroom vanities the plumber will need to run a horizontal pipe in the wall. This pipe could be as much as 3 inches thick. If you cut a 3-inch pipe in a 3-½ inch wall, the wall is going to be structurally weak at that location. In those areas only, build a plumbing wall using 2 X 6 boards that are 5 ½ inches thick. Your plumber can show you in advance where these larger pipes will be located. Be sure to show these wider walls on the floor plan.

vii. Attic stairs

Show the size and location of any pull-down attic stairs. These are stairs that you'll pull down to access the attic. They will normally unfold. We have installed these stairs in short hallways only to realize, after the fact, there was not enough room to open them. I was then forced to purchase attic stairs that did not unfold, but rather slid up into the attic. These stairs cost ten times more than the regular pull-down type. Make sure, on the floor plan, there is adequate room for your attic stairs.

viii. Garage doors

In many garages the only way you can get into or out of the garage is to raise the garage door or walk through the home. I like to install a separate door in the garage for exit and entry without going through the home or raising the garage door. This also needs to be shown on the floor plan.

Many builders will install an 8-foot wide garage door for a single door and a 16-foot wide garage door for a double door. I recommend you spend the additional money (it's not that much) and install a 9-foot wide garage door for a single door and an 18-foot wide garage door for a double door. That way you don't have to do precision driving as you drive in and out of the garage. Because 16 and 18-foot doors tend to sag over time, I prefer two single doors rather than one large door. Also consider installing an 8-foot tall door instead of the standard 7-foot tall garage door. Considering that the larger SUV's [sport utility vehicles] are very tall.

ix. Miscellaneous items

Show the size and location of all medicine cabinets, skylights, laundry shoots, and dumbwaiters on the floor plan. As a note, if you're going to spend the money for a dumbwaiter, look into the cost of a residential elevator. For a little more money, the residential elevator is more useful in the long run than a dumbwaiter.

c. Exterior elevations

Your plans should show the front, rear, and right and left side exterior elevations of your home. The elevations will show you how the how the exterior of your home will look and what material will be used.

d. Cabinet elevations

Many builders will build without cabinet elevations. If you want to clear up assumptions, I highly recommend you have cabinet elevations. When I say cabinets, I mean the kitchen cabinets, the bath vanities and any built-in cabinets and/or bookcases.

Note: Plans from a catalog will normally include cabinet elevations. If you hire a draftsman or an architect they can include them for you. If you have money in your budget you could hire a professional kitchen and bath designer or CKD [Certified Kitchen Designer]. To find a CKD in your area and to learn more about kitchen and bath design go to the web site for the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

e. Sections

If you were able to cut your home in half and draw that area, you'd be looking at a "cross-section" or "section" of the home. Most homes only need one section of the home. You want at least one section included in your plans because it will indicate the size of framing material to use in your home.

If you have anything unusual, like a balcony overhanging a living room, you may need a section of that balcony to show the builder and the workers how it is constructed and/or supported. An ultra modern home with a lot of curved walls and overhangs may have 20 pages of sections to show the builder and the workers how the guts of that home are constructed and/or supported.

If you hire a draftsman or an architect and if you have a two-story home, tell them you would like to have a section through the "stairwell". By drawing a section through the stairwell you will solve a common problem of having the home framed without adequate headroom to go up and down the stairs.

If you make a change such as raising the ceiling from 8-feet to 9 or 10 feet, be sure to have the section redrawn to reflect this change because when you add height between the first and second floors it requires more steps, which means you'll need more horizontal distance in the stairwell to accommodate this change.

f. Cornice and rake detail

The cornice and rake are the edges of the roof. You will learn more about these areas later. Be sure to have a section or detail showing how the cornice and rake are designed and constructed. There are literally an unlimited number ways to design and build the cornice and rake, which is normally dictated by the amount of money you are willing to spend. If you do not have a section or detail of this area, it creates a lot of confusion for everyone.

g. Mechanical drawings

It's very common in residential, commercial, and industrial construction to see the location of lights, switches and electrical outlets on the drawings. It's also common to see the location of tubs, toilets, sinks, water heaters, exterior faucets and heating and air conditioning systems on the drawings.

In commercial and industrial construction it's very common to have drawings, called mechanical drawings, that show the size and location of plumbing pipes and the size and location of heating and air ducts. However, in residential construction it is not common to see drawings that show the size and location of plumbing pipes and/or heating and air ducts. On a large luxury home, the designer or architect may hire a mechanical engineer to design these items like they do on a commercial building. If you want to know this information, ask your heating and air subcontractor and plumber to give you a sketch showing the size and locations of these pipes.

h. Roof and Framing plan

If the design of your home or roof is complicated, a framing and roof plan is very beneficial. It not only shows everyone how this area should be constructed, it is especially helpful in calculating the quantities of material that will be needed.

i. Door and window schedule

A door and window schedule places all the information for doors and windows, such as size and type, in one convenient location.

Suggestion: House plans are very simple to understand. When I read a set of drawings, I will imagine going through the front door and walking down the hallway. I'll walk into a bedroom and imagine looking at the location of windows and doors. If you'll spend a little time looking at the drawings, before you know it you'll have no problems understanding what you see.

Tom Harrison is the Founder of The National Institute of Home Building [NIHB] in Atlanta, Georga. He is a native of Atlanta and a graduate of Georgia Tech.

For FREE you can now learn his complete course on "How To Build Your Own Home" and much more at http://www.nihb.com.

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Architectural Plans | House Plans for a Natural Living!

It's a year 2007, and you're planning to build a new house for you, and your family.

Let's assume, that the question of where, has already been answered. Yes, the location is where your design ideas should originate from.

Providing you've done your research correctly, the only place you'd come up with would be somewhere in the middle of the rural America. Kansas? Wyoming? Both are good places to move your family to, and put your house plans to reality.

Designing your home will entail two distinctive parts: architectural and that encompassing construction and materials. Both are equally important. Your enjoyment of living in a nice looking house is hard to overestimate. Also, your standard of living will depend on how functional the house is. However, the quality of construction materials and the process itself, will determine the comfort level, and how healthy your dwelling is. Each of those critical parts will be examined below.

Architectural aspects of creating house plans.

Choose design concept that all people who will live there, do like. Compromise may be hard to achieve, but it's worth the effort. After all, you don't want anybody who would say: "I hate this place."

Knowing how difficult it is to combine beauty with functionality, tell your architect the main elements that your new house should incorporate: useable area, how many levels, number of rooms and their purpose, position of entry doors, etc. Any special requirements imposed by the fact that a handicapped, or senior persons will be living there, should be stated at the outset as well.

It's recommended, that you show your building block to the architect, so that he can better blend the design to the surroundings. This will benefit your future gardening and landscaping works, as well as the Nature left virtually intact.

Final word of advice: try to avoid "ground breaking" designs. You wouldn't want to be the guinea pig, testing it for others.

After the draughtsman put your architect's vision on paper, time to contact the builder who will carry on the construction phase.

Before even your first load of building materials arrives at the home site, make sure that your builder clearly understands your preferences. Yes, I'm talking about using, wherever possible, ecologically friendly materials. All timber should be free of preservatives - choose cypress with its natural insect repelling properties. Instead of chemicals-oozing carpets, choose slate or pine floors. Don't use Besser blocks; mud bricks or stone blocks are much healthier. Try to reduce use of cement as much as possible, due to its high energy use during the manufacturing process, and residual harmful substances. Instead of rendering, leave walls to show the natural beauty of stone, clay, or timber. Try to limit use of paints, as much as possible. If necessary, use odorless and chemicals-free kinds. There are many harmless pigments available, that when combined with water and lime will deliver stunning color finishes, free of harmful solvents. In place of glues, use mechanical methods during the construction process.

House plan, no matter how detailed, in the reality is never possible to adhere to a 100%. Be prepared to make "on the run" changes, still keeping the initial vision of your ideal home intact.

House plans are where Sam Ness directed his attention, looking for the Nature-friendly ideas to creating his first home!

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Architectural Plans | Architecture and Design Psychology

Design psychology is the use of psychology as the fundamental principle for design decisions in architecture and interior design. Cultural patterns of architecture reveal many fundamental principles of design psychology. A group of architects led by Christopher Alexander compiled what they learned about architecture around the world into a book called A Pattern Language (1977, Oxford University Press). This book discusses virtually every aspect of buildings including entrances, windows, hallways, fireplaces, kitchens, sleeping areas, home offices and workshops, walls, and storage spaces.

The research done by these architects revealed the need for people of all cultures to feel safe and nurtured in their homes, neighborhoods and towns. Simple patterns for positive environments included things like designing rooms to have light coming in from at least two sides and more than one entrance or exit if possible. Our eyes are built to handle visual processing with multiple light sources rather than a light from a single direction. This makes seeing more difficult in environments where light is coming from only one direction. In addition, we have an instinctual need for an escape route and recoil psychologically when confronted with cave-like rooms where we may feel trapped.

A closely related field to design psychology is proxemics, the study of cultural differences in personal boundaries and space requirements. Proxemics is intimately connected to design psychology and the placement of physical dividers such as doors and walls. In offices and homes alike, a social order is established by proximity. The offices that are the most distant from the waiting room and closest to the boss are for the most important staff members. Likewise, master bedrooms are usually the most distant from shared spaces such as entryways and living rooms. The rooms closest to the kitchen, family room and gathering areas are for those lowest on the totem pole, usually the children.

Proxemics also has much to do with issues of privacy. Those who have important activities and conversations to engage in need to have their space. When material dividers aren't available, visual and auditory clues can serve to define boundaries. Signs, frosted glass, bells and intercoms can serve to separate places where others are welcome and places where they must have permission to enter.

Design psychology and feng shui share many principles. Although the two approaches often come to the same conclusions, they differ in their foundations. Feng shui practice generally relies on a combination of tradition and intuition and design psychology generally relies on a research model. It could be argued that feng shui is a right-brain approach and design psychology is a left-brain approach. Perhaps a combination of these approaches with equal measures of common sense and practicality will yield the best solutions for architectural environments that meet both the basic and higher needs of their inhabitants.

Kathleen Karlsen, MA is an artist, writer and design consultant residing in Bozeman, Montana. Fine art and unique gifts by Kathleen and other selected artists can be found at http://www.livingartsoriginals.com Visit us today to find a wonderful addition to your home decor or a gift for someone special! For an extensive article about flower symbolism see http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/infoflowersymbolism.htm

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Architectural Plans | Selecting House Plans

Building a house matching one's imagination is a long cherished dream kept apart by everyone. There are several things one must take care of in order to make that dream come true. The first and foremost concern is to choose one of the best house plans. There are several elements involved in finding the home plan you like. The style, the architectural plans associated with it and innumerable other essentials and their blend in the right order make the house plan complete. Often you will come across several forms of custom home plans, but if you are among the choosy few then they will never satiate your views for sure. A perfect home is built by joining twigs comprising sweet dream one by one and thus your imagination obtains a body and soul and turns out to be a 'sweet home.'

Here is a brief on the few basics that need to be considered before you undertake the Herculean task of building a home, picture perfect. They mainly deal with the points related to choosing the right house plan and will no doubt be helpful to you.

· How many people will be living in the house and what are their respective ages. You must remember certain points, such as, the older members won't be able to climb the stairs, if the family is large then the house must possess multiple floors and many others.

· What is your budget? This is a big time question as much of the plan regarding building a house revolves around this factor.

· What should be the roof of the house like? In a place having snowfall, the roof should be flat; on the other hand if the area has heavy rainfall, then you will need an elevated house. You might also be in requiring the advantage of extra sunlight or much of shady backdrops.

· What is your lifestyle trend? Are the evenings quiet or you have a fascination towards entertaining lots of guests. The living area of the house should be planned likewise. You can even need privacy for the dwellers of the house belonging to the different generation.

· Above everything, you must always put importance on your taste and preference. The style and the architectural design of the house will depend on this element to a great extent. Whatever, be your choice, be it a Italian, Spanish or Mediterranean style or a ranch or even a contemporary one. You will implement your thought for sure while choosing the home plans. After all, as the house gets the complete look, it is always your turn to shout loud that, "THIS IS MY HOME". So this point depends solely on you.

Raymond Baresh is a architectural home design enthusiasts.He has traveled the world documenting designs from traditional to ultra-modern home designs. You can learn more about Raymond on his Home Plans blog.

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Architectural Plans | An Effective Home Plan

Everybody wants to build a sweet home. But despite having sufficient amount to have a new home, we often fail to reach our goal due to poor planning. Moreover, an apartment may look beautiful from outside, but after living in it sometimes we may face troubles due to faulty shapes. So, a full-proof house plan is the key to open the door of a long lasting house. Having effective architectural plans are the staircase to reach the rooms of a dream home.

In an age when retail business is booming, construction firms have been witnessing rapid growth. With strength of highly qualified civil engineers and architectural professionals these firms come up state-of-the-art house plans. There is a mushrooming of promoters around the world. They offer readymade home plans to millions of helpless persons who have little time to build new homes for themselves. There is no headache in these housing plans. Just pay the money and receive the key of your home.

However, there is one problem in opting for readymade home plans. Suppose you have purchased an apartment, which has 3 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 dining room, 1 washroom and a drawing room. But you have desire to possess an additional balcony. So, in that case you your dream will not be fulfilled completely. On the other hand if you go for custom home plans, the related architectural plan will be able to meet your requirements. You have to decide, which mode suits you best. If you are in a hurry to relocate to a new destination then pre-made plans are best for you.

But before you finalize any house plan, you have to check certain aspects like location and its vicinity like the distance of the main highway from the planned site, markets, community and health centers, police stations, airport and other main hubs. Check the noise level of the neighborhood. Ensure that the land is not in the midst of a legal proceeding and the site plan has not violated green rules. Any house plan needs elaborate preparations. So, you have to gain basic knowledge about the architectural plans of homes like flooring, using of pillars, thickness of the plaster, the advantage or disadvantage of underground basements and other key aspects. It is applicable for pre-made homes as well as custom home plans. In the age of cyber revolution, there is hardly any trouble to gain knowledge on any topic.

In the age of advanced science, modern technology has entered every aspect. Construction firms are no exceptions. Today, you can avail both 2D and 3D blueprints of your future home. You will get a firsthand experience about the real home, which is yet to take shape. Space is becoming dearer day-by-day. So, it is high time to book a space or a home plan right now.

Baresh Raymond is a architectural home design enthusiasts.He has traveled the world documenting designs from traditional to ultra-modern home designs. You can learn more about Raymond on his Home Plans blog.

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Architectural Plans | What is an Architectural Drafter Or Draftsman?

Have you ever stood and watched a high building being erected in a large city? It is interesting to see the elevator carry a person with materials like sheet rock and metal studs to the upper floors and the crane lift huge steel girders high in the air. But have you ever stopped to wonder how each person knows where to place each particular girder, wall, stair, window, etc.? If you asked one of the supervisors, they might show you the plans that show them where and how each and everything should be placed.

Or how about watching a house grow from a ditch in the ground to a fully finished home for a family. Most likely you will see these builders reading from large pieces of paper containing each element of the proposed home. These are called Architectural Plans.

From ancient days to the present, almost all structures of any type, from a outbuilding to a high rise apartment have been built with a plan. In modern building, the architect or designer plans every detail from the roofing material right down to the floor coverings. They have to show in their drawings exactly how the finished building will look both inside and out. They must indicate the kinds of material that are used and the exact spot where each element needs to be placed. Everything in those building plans must be so clear that any builder, by looking at the drawings and reading the written instructions will know exactly what to do.

In order to make the huge amount of plans required it is many times necessary that the architect or designer hire a number of people known as architectural drafters. From the architects or designers sketches they make the drawings or plans, and in many cases do original designing themselves. A master drafter is in charge of all the others in the drafting room and are considered the architects "right-hand man."

To become an architectural drafter a person may enter an architects office as an apprentice. This is rare these days but still happens from time to time. At first they are given only basic office work to do. After a while they are put to the task of making small tracings and other less important work. Once they have the basics, they are probably then trained to do original drawings on the drafting board or trained to use a CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) program on the computer.

Another method of learning to be an architectural drafter is to enter a vocational school. Here is where the beginner will be given practical work like in an office, and will be exposed to the principles of all kinds of architectural drafting. As a result of this they will be better equipped to enter almost any architectural office and would not be restricted in their choice of a field. There are many fine drafting schools over the internet to choose from also.

There is an ever increasing need for drafters. Even if the weather or season is unfit for building, there is always need of drafters in designing and planning buildings. There are thousands of buildings and homes built every year and each of them requires a certain number of drafters.

My name is Tim Davis and I draw architectural plans for a living. I also teach others how to draw house plans, site plans, mechanical and shop drawings and other types of drafting that I have been trained to do in a virtual classroom on the internet called 101 Info Dot Org at http://101info.org

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Architectural Plans | Chief Architect's Big Three Secrets For Enterprise Architecture Planning

In a previous article "Chief Architect's Big Three Strategic Secrets", the spotlight fell on three biggest risks the Chief Architect needs to manage before moving onto something less tactical. Consider now the area of strategic planning and opportunities in your future state landscape. Three key sources that the chief architect needs to explore are:

1. CEO's Top Strategic Drivers
2. CIO's Primary Concerns
3. Enterprise Portfolio Management

In fact, the CEO owns, knows, eats and breathes their top three strategic drivers. At a time in the economy that we are facing now pure survival may likely be their number one focus. Such drivers might include the area cost savings, as well company stock prices. The chief architect needs to fully understand how these drivers impact or are impacted by the Enterprise Architecture Plan.

Choices made in the areas of infrastructure and solutions will most likely be efficiency based, and risk averse. Creatively considering ways in which the architecture can contribute in the area of competitive tactics is another way in which we can provide value. If the CEO is really focused on their competition's moves, it might be a looming takeover or collapse. How can the strategic plan allow for agility in these types of circumstances? What would it take to expend with a line? A division? Or purchase either?

An additional area of CEO concern is major projects. The CEO realistically needs to keep aware of the biggest corporate expenditures and these may be IT projects. Characteristically these are very high profile projects or large replacement projects. The chief architect should be fully aware of what the CEO's concerns are, and what it is troubling them about the projects. It may be the board's opinion of the project, and where else the money could be better spent.

The second area the chief architect needs to focus on is the concerns of the CIO. It is crucial to have a list of things that keeps this soul up at night as well. Some risky hardware component or some recent security lapse could be top of the list. It might be an employee or staffing issue. Where they are privy, the chief architect needs to explore what can be done in upcoming plans.

Ultimately there is the major issue of job retention as a CIO. Budget cuts and less than stellar IT performance can be used as stimulus to look within the large resource pool available. What can be done to ensure IT performance is not a factor.

A major area of concern to the chief architect should always be enterprise portfolio management. This is the prime source of where strategic future directives will be exposed. The architect needs to comprehend and be fully aware at all times of the biggest opportunities. What was the biggest project or investment identified? What is on that list or that requires the biggest investment AS WELL as the biggest return on investment.

I would suggest that the chief architect to quickly scan that portfolio management list on a monthly basis and retain a list of the quick wins and low hanging fruit. Each of these should be incorporated into whatever future planning is being pursued as the opportunities are available.

You've got to keep the pulse on these critical elements - and keep this in on your laser focus. Continually update your enterprise architecture plan where you can whenever these strategic drivers change.

Happy Architecting!

Sharon C. Evans is an Enterprise Architect Coach, Mentor and Trainer. Her forthcoming book "Zoom Factor for Enterprise Architects: How to Focus and Accelerate Your Career" focuses on excellence and perspective for the Enterprise Architect and is due out in November 2009. She is the founder of Firefli Consulting Inc. and her member portal and more great articles and training schedules can be found at http://www.architectbootcamp.com

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Architectural Plans | Architectural Plans For Commercial Buildings

When you are ready to create a new commercial building for your business, you want it to be an expression of what your business is about - a part of your brand. Besides being just the place where your business happens to be located, your commercial building can say a lot more about you, and communicate the impression that you want your customers to have about you.

Quality commercial building plans need to include unique design features that will make your building stand out from the competition. With the right appeal, it can actually add to the attractiveness of your business and make people take notice as they drive by. Such an appeal can add to your bottom line and increase the number of your customers and your success rate - even before your doors ever open.

The process of getting the right architectural plans for your commercial building starts out with obtaining a set of complete blueprints for your building. Architectural drawings will need to be made for each aspect of the building.

This will include:

•Foundation plans
•Floor plans
•Exterior views
•Framing plans
•Electrical plans
•HVAC plans
•Plumbing plans
•Sectional Plans
•Roof plans
•Site plans
•And a few more as needed.

Besides needing the basic plans and a great exterior, you will also need commercial design plans for the interior of the building. This should also be given much thought because the building layout is important in making your visitors feel at home - and wanting to come back. The appeal needs to be inside and outside.

Adding into your commercial building plans the needed sizes and features for those with disabilities will further ensure that your customers are happy with your new building design. This may benefit both your visitors and possibly some employees, as well. Having these features will also enable your building to resell faster, too, because little upgrading will be required if that need should ever arise.

Once the architectural plans are complete, you can take a set of presentation drawings to potential lenders. They will need to see what you are planning on doing and these drawings from your architect or designer will be able to sell them on the idea. Most likely, you will want to take an isometric drawing and a floor plan.

Depending on where you live, your architectural plans for your new commercial building will need to be examined by the local planning commission. This group, as well as the building inspectors, will look over your plans and make sure that everything fits either into the local plans for the future, and for any potential problems with the design.

Selecting a contractor is the final major step in the procedure. You will want to find one that is familiar with commercial building construction and also has a solid reputation. It is also very important that you have the contractor agree to follow the architectural blueprints as given.

Being a business owner who has decided to build a building for their business can be facing a very daunting task. Why not hire a design professional to help you with your new building? Tim Davis is a fully trained Architectural Designer with over twenty years experience who would be more than happy to help you with your plans. His website is at http://buildingdrawings.8m.com.

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Architectural Plans | Enterprise Architecture Planning

Enterprise architecture serves as a blueprint for a modern-day company's business process, such as the application and data, hardware and software infrastructure, and finally the knowledge and expertise. It is a cost-effective and long-standing solution for 'business ailments' like low productivity and high production costs. Thus, enterprise architecture has become vital for every enterprise in the information age. The biggest part of applying the concept is its planning to suit the requirements of the enterprise.

Enterprise architecture planning is a process that requires greater collaboration between business and technology stakeholders. Enterprise architecture planning is more sophisticated and advanced than the traditional system of planning. Here, a stable business model independent of organizational boundaries, systems and procedures is defined at first. The data is defined before any application, and it's the data that determines the sequence for implementing applications systems.

A set of processes are involved in enterprise architecture planning.

The data architecture, applications architecture, and technology architecture are the key architectures that have to be planned. Enterprise architecture planning is basically about planning these three architectures.

The first step is to analyze the current scenario, which includes the guidelines and the strategy. The next step is the documentation of the entire process, based on which a workable model is presented. The 'noises' of the new mechanism is then corrected. The task to revamp the organizational structure is next, and a new governance model is presented. The best practices in the organization are brought together after collecting relevant data from all points. The next is the most important step, where gaps in system are identified and a recommendation is made to develop the implementation plans. The implementation stage comes last, when the blueprint is complete in all respects. The resulting blueprint will provide a long-term strategy for the enterprise, accommodating both external and internal changes. The implementation stage also requires constant monitoring to assess the performance.

Enterprise Architecture provides detailed information on Enterprise Architecture, Federal Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Architecture Inputs, Enterprise Architecture Planning and more. Enterprise Architecture is affiliated with Contract Management Services.

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