Bar Bending & Concreting

Level-II

Learning Guide-#15
Unit of Competence: Read and Interpret Plans
and Working Drawings
Module Title: Reading and Interpreting Plans
and Working Drawings

LG Code: EIS BBC2 M05 1019 LO2-LG-15

TTLM Code: EIS BBC2 M05 TTLM 0919v1

LO2: Apply commonly used

symbols and abbreviations.

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 Instruction Sheet Learning Guide #15

This learning guide is developed to provide you the necessary information regarding the
following content coverage and topics:
 Applying Commonly used symbols and abbreviations
 Applying Common building construction terminologies
This guide will also assist you to attain the learning outcome stated in the cover page.
Specifically, upon completion of this Learning Guide, you will be able to:
 identify, understand and apply commonly used symbols and abbreviations on
drawings.
 identify, understand and apply common building and construction terms used on
drawings.
Learning Instructions:
1. Read the specific objectives of this Learning Guide.
2. Follow the instructions described below 3 to 6.
3. Read the information written in the information “Sheet 1, Sheet 2, and Sheet 3”.
4. Accomplish the “Self-check 1, Self-check t 2, and Self-check 3”.
5. Check the answers for your achievement from the answer key

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 Applying Commonly used symbols and
Information Sheet-1
abbreviations
1.1. Abbreviations
construction plans or drawings, are full of abbreviations and acronyms to save space
and neaten the overall appearance of the presentation. Some of them are listed below:

table 1.1: list of abbreviations and their definition

Abbreviation Definition Abbreviation Definition
AC Air Conditioner Galv Galvanized
AFF Above Finished Floor Gyp Gypsum
AL Aluminum GRC Glass reinforced concrete
AO Access opening HW Hot Water
APF Acid proof floor HWD Hardwood
AW Acid Waste IO Inspection opening
B Basin MSB Main switch board
BHD Bulk head O Oven
BN Bull nose PBD Plasterboard
CD Clothes drier R Refrigerator
CF Concrete floor S Sink
CT Ceramic tile SV Sheet vinyl
CPT Carpet SWD Softwood
C.C. Center to Center Std. Standard
C.I. Cast Iron Stl. Steel
BV Brick veneer TBR Timber
CL. Closet TTC Telephone Terminal Closet
CL Ceiling level U/S Under side
CR Cement render VB Vapor barrier
DG Double glazing VENT Ventilator
DW Dishwasher VP Vent pipe
EJ Expansion joint VT Vinyl tile
FD Fire detector WC Water closet (toilet)

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FE Fire extinguisher WBD Wall board
FFL Finished floor level WI Wrought iron
FH Fire hydrant WM Washing machine
FW Floor waste WMR Water meter
GM Gas meter WP Waste pipe
GPO General purpose outlet WR Wardrobe
HWB Hand Wash Basin

1.2. Symbols
Blueprint drawings are generally used to show how a building, object, or system is to be
worked. One of the main functions of graphic symbols on construction drawings is to
reference other drawings within the set.

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 Fig. 1.1: Archtectural Synbols

Fig. 1.2: plot plan symbols

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 Fig.1.3: Topographic symbols.

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 Fig.1.4: HVAC symbols.

Single switched wall Consumer unit

socket
Double switched wall Shaver socket
socket
Double switched wall Ethernet socket
socket above worktop level
Single switched fused spur Thermostat

TV aerial Lamp

Dimmer switch Pendant light

1 gang light switch 2 gang 2 way light switch

2 gang light switch Recessed downlight
Wall light Telephone point

Fig. 1.5: a) Electrical Symbols

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 Fig.1.5: b) Electrical symbols.

Fig. 1.6: A legend from a site plan showing several symbols and their meanings.

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 Fig. 1.7: Plumbing and piping symbols.

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 Fig. 1.8: Architectural symbols for doors and windows.

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 Self-Check -1 Written Test

Directions: Answer all the questions listed below.

1. Here are some common abbreviations found in architectural plans. Write what each
one means underneath it. (5 points)

Abbreviation Definition Abbreviation Definition

HWB TBR
AFF Stl
C.C. CF

2. Below are some common symbols found in architectural plans. Write what each one
represents underneath it. (5 points)

___________ ________
________

__________ ____________
____________

_______
__________ ___________

Note: Satisfactory rating - 5 and 5 points Unsatisfactory - below 5 and 5 points

You can ask you teacher for the copy of the correct answers.

Answer Sheet
Score = ___________

Rating: ____________

Name: _________________________ Date: _______________

Short Answer Questions
Information Sheet- 2 Applying Common building construction

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 terminologies

1.1. Construction Terms & Concepts

Among the many things you learn on site are the terminologies used by construction
workers that can sound like absolute nonsense to architects at first.
An architecture dictionary might seem like a superb idea, but in practice wouldn't be
convenient on a construction site—unless you can memorize the useful entries out of
the 25,000 terms in Cyril M Harris' Dictionary of Architecture and Construction.
Alternatively, here’s a more manageable list of 45 construction terms and concepts
every architect should know.
 All-in Rate: In Construction, the term means the total expenses for an item, which
include all the direct and indirect costs. The term is also used in the financial sector.
 Architect of Record: This term signifies the name of the architecture firm, or
architect, whose name has been listed on the issued construction permits. However,
“architects of record” are not necessarily the people behind the design. There are
times when high-profile architects who don't have an office near to their construction
site hire “architects of record,” handing them the responsibility of working on-site or
using their expertise in a specific field.
 Batter (Walls): No, not cake batter, sadly. In architecture, batter means an inward
inclination or slope of a wall or structure. Some architects choose this design to
provide structural strength while others choose it for decorative purposes.
 Blocking (Construction): Evidently, the term is derived from “blocks,” and means
the use of short pieces or off-cuts of lumber in wooden-framed construction.
Construction workers use the blocking technique for filling, spacing, joining, or
reinforcing structures.
 Box Crib: Think of this as the final steps of a game of Jenga, but without the anxiety
of a collapse. Instead, box cribs are temporary elements used to reinforce and add
additional support to heavy objects during construction. The material used to create
box cribs are often wooden bars. Due to their practicality, box crib forms are also
used in film productions for stabilizing platforms and dolly tracks.

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 Building Engineer: The MVPs of construction. They know it all, and are responsible
for most of what goes on during construction. Building engineers differ from one
country to another, but are mainly the experts of construction, technology, design,
assessment, and maintenance, all at once.
 Cant (Architecture): Or canted, is an oblique or angled line of a surface. Think of it
as chamfering the edges of a building's plan. This design was heavily used in
Baroque architecture to create a continuous feel to the composition.
 Concrete Cover: The term is linked to reinforced concrete and is the least distance
between the installed reinforcement and the outer surface of the concrete. The
concrete cover has several vital purposes, including protecting the reinforced steel
bars from corrosion, providing thermal insulation, and providing sufficient embedding
for the steel bars to function as reinforcement.
 Concrete Slab: One of the few construction elements that is used in the vast
majority of all structures, a concrete slab is the thick (average of 10-40 cm)
horizontal concrete platform which is created to construct the floor or ceiling. There
are several slab designs (corrugated, ribbed, waffle, one-way) and each one
corresponds to the design or endurance required.
 Course (Architecture): is a continuous row of masonry. Whether it’s stones, bricks,
or concrete blocks, a course can have several orientations and types.
 Cross Bracing: is a structural component used to improve the endurance of a
structure. The X-shaped reinforcement can prevent a building from collapsing
completely in case of earthquakes, or a wooden chair from falling apart.
 Cut and Fill: While creating railways and canals, construction workers would create
cut slopes (like a mini valley) to install the railways. The soil that’s been moved, the
fills, would subsequently create adjacent embankments, minimizing the labor. The
approach is now frequently used on construction sites of any size.
 Damp Proofing: since dampness is among the most common construction
problems, damp proofing is a procedure done to the structure to prevent potential
moisture from being absorbed by walls and entering the interior. Depending on the
nature of the structure and the damp problems it might face, a wide variety of

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 materials can be applied onto the slab, under the final finishing, or even as a surface
to act as damp proofing and prevent any spoilage.
 Design-build: In most projects, construction is frequently delayed due to time
conflicts between two (or more) teams involved. The idea behind design-build is that
the same team who designs the project constructs it as well. It is a project delivery
system in which the design and the construction are considered “single-point-
responsibility,” reducing costs and delivering the project on time.
 Diagrid: The idea behind “diagrid” is pretty simple: diagonal + grid. Diagrids are
diagonally intersecting steel beams (occasionally wooden or concrete), which help
reduce the amount of steel used in traditional steel framing.
 Encasement: On a construction site, encasement might refer to one of two things: in
some situations, sewers and other underground pipes may need to be enclosed in a
concrete encasement for structural reasons.
 Falsework: Mostly used for large arch structures and bridges, it is a temporary
structure constructed to support and hold the span during construction or repairs.
 Formwork: Formwork is falsework’s best friend. It is the construction of a temporary
structure into which concrete is poured for it to be settled and set in the desired form.
 Joint (building): Joints are inserted between two distinct materials in a structure
which do not have any physical connection to one another but are either aligned
next to each other or overlap.
 Joist: Joists are crucial components of a wide-span structure, as they help transfer
the load from the beams to the vertical columns and studs. These horizontal
elements are connected perpendicularly to the beams (horizontally) and joined
(vertically) to the columns.
 Lean Construction: A newly developed delivery system in which a study is
conducted to minimize the waste of material, time, and effort, resulting in an efficient
project.
 Lift Slab Construction: Also known as the Youtz-Slick method, the lift slab method
ensures time efficiency and safety. Basically, the concrete slabs are cast on ground
level, and are then lifted through hydraulic jacks into the designated placement. This

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 method not only saves time, but also does not require workers to be creating and
working with formwork on high ground levels.
 Lookout (architecture): Lookouts are wooden joists that extend beyond the exterior
wall in a cantilever-like manner, to support the roof sheathing phase in construction.
 Moling: This is the use of a 60-centimeter-long, 6-centimeter wide steel "mole," a
pneumatically-driven device which is inserted into the ground to create holes for
pipes, heating coils, and heat pump systems without using any trenches.
 Monocrete Construction: The monocrete construction method is the sole use of
precast concrete panels, bolted together, to create concrete structures.
 Performance Gap: Similar to when you expect to have three design proposals
delivered by the end of the week, but you end up with only one because you’re just
too tired, performance gap is when the expected work progress does not meet with
the result on site. This could be due to environmental, workmanship, or occupant
reasons.
 Precast Concrete: One of the most commonly used forms of concrete, precast
concrete is concrete elements are created off-site to be transferred or lifted to the
site later on. Designs could range from blocks to panels, and create solid but
maneuverable elements.
 Purlin: A purlin is any longitudinal element implemented on the roof structure
horizontally for additional structural or material support.
 Quantity Take-off: Before beginning with the construction phase, a study is held by
estimators to acquire the detailed measurements of material and labor force needed
to complete the project. This process is called quantity take-off and helps the project
developers have full knowledge of what to expect during the construction phase.
 Rafter: Rafters are a series of inclined wooden elements that form a roof, which
attach to the edge of the wall plate and often overhang to form the eave.
 Rim Joist: In flooring systems, rim joists are attached to the ends of the floor's main
joists, providing lateral support to the ends of the decking system. However, they are
not the end joists, which are usually the first and last row, parallel to the other joists.

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 Rubblization: In order to save time and extra cost, unwanted existing concrete is
broken down to pieces of rubbles, and left in its place to become the base layer for
new surfaces, instead of transferring the material to another site.
 Shiplap: You’ve probably seen shiplaps everywhere, but may have referred to them
as wood panels. Shiplaps are a type of inexpensive wooden board or panels fixed
onto the sides of barns, sheds, and homes.
 Shoring: Temporarily installed on site, shoring is the method in which metal or
timber props are assembled to support the structure during construction. Shores can
be installed vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, depending on the support needed.
 Soil Stockpile: The grown-up version of the sand pyramids we used to do as kids,
soil stockpiles are created when bulldozers excavate the soil on site and stack them
in piles. The piles never go to waste because they are used later on for level
grading.
 Wall Stud: Wall studs are crucial members of wooden or steel wall frames, as they
are the vertical elements that help support and transfer loads of bearing and
nonbearing walls.
 Superstructure: In general terms, superstructure simply means a structure built on
top of another structure. Typically, this term is used to describe any part of a building
that is above ground, with the parts of the building below ground conversely referred
to as the substructure.
 Thin-Shell Structure: Frequently used in modern-day architecture, thin-shell
structures are lightweight concrete elements, typically used on roofs. These large
elements are usually curved, making use of the structural performance of certain
forms to allow reduced material thickness.
 Tie (Cavity Wall): There are times when two elements of a building can not be
merged together, and this is when ties come to the rescue. Ties in cavity walls are
typically made of metal or plastic wires, and are placed in between the two materials,
“tying” them together to create a homogenous body.
 Topping Out: A ceremonial practice that traces back to ancient Scandinavia,
topping out originally referred to when the builder installs a wooden beam on top of
the structure to indicate its completion. These days, it is simply the moment when

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 the uppermost structural element is installed and is often heralded as a major
construction milestone.
 Trombe Wall: Developed by French engineer Felix Trombe and architect Jacques
Michel in the 1960s, a trombe wall is a solar building element that is designed for
cold countries. Similar to the greenhouse principle, it is when a glass external layer
is built outside walls with openings, absorbing the heat during sunlit hours of winter.
The heat is then slowly released overnight to provide warmth through the openings.
 Underpinning: Underpinning is the act of strengthening an existing structural
foundation. If the project is being done on a previously built structure, the foundation
might not be strong enough or new enough to carry the new building. Underpinning
can be mass concrete, beams and base pinning, or mini-piled pinning, depending on
the suitable solution to each structure.
 Virtual Design & Construction: or VDC, includes all the multi-disciplinary models
of a project. The list includes, but is not limited to, engineering modeling (product,
process), analysis methods, model-based designs, scheduling, costs, and
visualizations.
 Voided Biaxial Slab: To be able to reduce the cost and weight of large-spanned
reinforced concrete slabs, Joseph-Louis Lambot decided to create voids inside the
concrete blocks, reducing the amount of concrete used but maintaining the overall
endurance and external appearance of the slabs. These slabs are called voided
biaxial slabs and are heavily used in construction nowadays.

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 Self-Check -2 Written Test
Directions: Answer all the questions listed below. Use the Answer sheet provided in
the next page:

1. What does mean the term Underpinning in construction? (5 points)

2. What does mean the term Superstructure? (5 points)

Note: Satisfactory rating - 5 and 5 points Unsatisfactory - below 5 and 5 points

You can ask you teacher for the copy of the correct answers.

Answer Sheet
Score = ___________

Rating: ____________

Name: _________________________ Date: _______________

Short Answer Questions

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Answer key
Self-Check -1
Question #1:
1.
Abbreviation Definition Abbreviation Definition
HWB Hand Wash Basin TBR Timber
AFF Above Finished Floor Stl Steel
C.C. Center to Center CF Concrete floor
2)

Lamp Window
Concrete

Plaster Earth
North arrow

Door
Opening Gravel Sand

Self-Check -2

Question #:
1. Underpinning is the act of strengthening an existing structural foundation.
2. superstructure means a structure built on top of another structure. It is used to
describe any part of a building that is above ground.

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 List of Reference

1) https://www.polytechnichub.com
2) www.northbrook.il.us
3) https://en.wikipedia.org
4) https://theconstructor.org
5) https://civilseek.com/
6) http://www.fao.org/3/x5744e/x5744e08.htm
7) https://www.autodesk.com
8) https://www.teslaoutsourcingservices.com
9) Architectural Drawings: a Manual: October 2018
10)Architectural and Building Drawing Practice A.S. No. CA.25 – 1955 (Standards
Association of Australia, Sydney 1955)
11)Kicklighter, Clois E., Ronald J. Baird, and Joan C. Kicklighter. Architecture:
Residential Drawing and Design. South Holland, IL: Goodheart-Willcox, 1995.
12)Working Drawings Handbook, Fourth Edition, Keith Styles and Andrew Bichard,
2004.
13)Read And Interpret Plans And Specifications, Certificate Ii In Building And
Construction (Pathway – Paraprofessional) Cpcccm2001a, Learner’s Guide,
2012.
14)Engineering working drawing basics, Lecture note by: Dr. Ala Hijazi, 2013.
15)https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Technical_drawing
16)Textbook of, Engineering Drawing, Second Edition, K. Venkata Reddy, 2008.
17)Working Drawings Handbook, Fourth Edition, Keith Styles and Andrew Bichard

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 Prepared by: The trainers (who developed this outcome-based curriculum and TTLM)
N0 Name Qualification Region E.mail
1 Tesfaye Assegidew MSc in CoTM SNNPR tesfayeassegidew@gmail.com

2 Habtamu Wendmagegn BSc in Civil Dire Dawa Joniyitna9@gmail.com

Engineering
3 Yazachew Geneti MSc in CoTM BGRS 0917858176

4 Gebresilasie Jemal BSc in Addis Abeba Gebrajemal@gmail.com

Construction
Technology
5 Getachew Mohammed MSc in CoTM Amhara Gerimom07@gmail.com

6 Kibryisfaw Tulema BSc in Somalie kibrutulema@gmail.com

Construction
Technology

The coordinator (during developing this outcome-based curriculum & TTLM)

No Name Profession Mob. no Region College

1 Abere Dagnew Cur. Expert 0918 01 41 11 Amhara

2 Abdulahi Muktar Health officer 0994 86 11 36 Somalie

3 Tilahun Tesfaye Cur. Expert 0940 65 18 23 Amhara

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