Elevation

An elevation draws one face of a building as if seen straight on from an infinite distance. Nothing shrinks with depth as in a perspective; every window, floor line and material boundary appears at its true proportion. That makes the facade measurable and lets it match the plan and section exactly.

What an elevation shows

• Door and window openings and how the frames are divided
• Facade materials, their boundaries and joints
• Floor levels, overall height and key levels
• Ground line, roof profile, balustrades and eaves

Elevations are usually named by the direction they face, such as north or south elevation, or by something more descriptive, such as street or garden elevation. A full set has one elevation for each face of the building.

Elevation versus section

A section passes through the building and shows the walls and floors it cuts; an elevation shows the building from outside, uncut. They share the same height information but answer different questions.

Elevations are great for judging a facade’s proportion and rhythm, but they carry no depth, shadow or sense of material. Our article on exterior architectural drawings shows how renders and perspectives complete them.