Amogh N P
✦ In loving memory of Amogh N P — Architect · Designer · Visionary ✦
Multiview Drawings II: Sections, Elevations, and Site Plans — Cutting, projecting, and casting shadow
Lesson 09Module 2 · The language of design drawing

Multiview Drawings II: Sections, Elevations, and Site Plans

Cutting, projecting, and casting shadow

3 hours studio

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Cut an instructive building section through stairs or level changes, distinguishing cut structure from elements seen beyond.
  • Construct elevations projected from the plan, with line weight and detail signalling depth.
  • Render shade and shadow on an elevation using a conventional 45° light to communicate relief.
  • Prepare a simple site plan with north point, access, trees, and context buildings.
The Section Cut: a vertical slice through the building A vertical plane cuts the house; we look horizontally at the exposed interior. vertical cutting plane look horizontally Resulting section cut walls, slabs & roof heaviest line seen beyond lighter line stair storey ht The cut profile is the boldest line on the sheet; everything past the plane recedes in lighter weight.
DiagramA vertical cutting plane through a two-storey house and the resulting section.
Building an elevation — three stages 1 Flat outline 2 Line-weight depth 3 Shade & shadow (45°) heavy outline = edge against sky light 45° recesses dark, projections cast onto the wall & ground Same façade throughout. Depth is read first from line weight, then reinforced by a single consistent 45° light.
DiagramAn elevation in three stages: flat outline → line-weight depth → shade and shadow.
Constructing 45° shadows — projection, recess, and fin One light direction throughout: down and to the right at 45°. Projections cast onto the wall; recesses cast into themselves. A Balcony slab B Window recess C Projecting fin 45° 45° 45° slab depth → shadow band height (equal at 45°) recess depth shadows the top & left reveals fin projection → shadow strip width on the wall At 45° the cast distance equals the depth of the element — a quick, checkable rule for elevations.
Diagram45° shadow casting for a balcony, a recess, and a projecting fin.
Site plan — building in its context Roof plan of the main building, neighbouring roofs, landscape, access, and orientation. site boundary ACCESS ROAD drive MAIN HOUSE roof plan (hipped) neighbour neighbour paving tree N
DiagramAn annotated site plan with north point, trees, paving, and neighbouring roofs.
A house façade in raking light — read the relief.
ReferenceA house façade in raking light — read the relief.

Key concepts

  • Where to cut: a section earns its place by revealing spatial relationships, not by avoiding them.
  • Elevations flatten depth, so depth must be reintroduced through line weight, overlap, shadow, and texture density.
  • Shadow conventions: consistent light direction makes recesses, projections, and reveals legible.
  • The site plan as the largest-scale view: roof plan plus context, ground treatment, and orientation.

In-class activities & exercises

Section setup (60 min)Using their Lesson 8 plan plus given heights, students construct a 1:50 section through the most revealing line.
Elevation projection (50 min)Front elevation projected directly from the plan, then given a depth pass with three line weights.
Shadow workshop (40 min)Casting 45° shadows on a provided elevation worksheet of a façade with balconies and recesses.
Mini site plan (30 min)A 1:500 sketch site plan of the building and its immediate context from an aerial photo.

Worked example sketches

How the technique looks in practice — loose, hand-drawn examples. Scroll to watch each one draw in; click to zoom.

Section — two-storey house, stair & rooms beyond cut line heaviest
DiagramA section cut through a two-storey house and its stair.
Street elevation — depth by line weight, 45° shadow sun 45°
DiagramA street elevation given depth by line weight and 45° shadow.
Sketch site plan — roofs, trees, paving, north N
DiagramA sketch site plan — roofs, trees, paving and north point.
Stepped site — section through the slope retaining wall +6.0 +3.0 0.0 cut line heaviest
DiagramA stepped-site section with level changes and a retaining wall.

Homework / studio assignment

Complete the plan–section–elevation set of your home room as an aligned sheet: plan below, section beside, elevation projected above.

Assessment

Rubric on section logic (cut placement and cut/seen distinction), elevation depth, and shadow consistency.