In this lesson, I will demonstrate how to use an architect’s and an engineer’s scale for drawing landscape design plans to proper scale.
If you are going to be serious about drafting landscape designs for clients, you will need to know how to read and draw plans to scale. The two types of scales used in landscape architecture and design are an Architect’s Scale and an Engineer’s Scale. An architect’s scale is typically used for smaller or residential projects, when a plan needs to show things in a greater amount of detail, while an engineer’s scale is very useful for larger public parks, infrastructure projects, or general land planning purposes.
No matter what types of projects you work on, it is essential that you have a good solid foundation utilizing both. For this lesson I will be using an architect’s scale, an engineer’s scale, a circle template, my adjustable triangle, and my drafting board with parallel rule.
Architect’s Scale
A standard architectural scale will actually have 12 different scales on it running along its 6 different sides. If you choose one side, you will notice you have a scale running left to right, and another running right to left. You will also notice that on the edge of the scale is the notation or label for the particular scale metric you are utilizing. We will start by selecting the 1/2” scale – so take a second , grab your scale, and locate your 1/2” scale.
This scale runs right to left and it says 1/2” on it. What this means is that for every 1/2” of drawing on the plan, it equals 1’ in real life. And you can see this actually on the scale itself, each of the notations (1, 2, 3, and 4) equal 1/2”.
So let’s say I want to draw a line of representing 4′ at 1/2” scale. I would make sure I was utilizing the proper 1/2” scale on my ruler and then draw from 0-4.
Now if I were to label this drawing, and indicate that it was drawn at 1/2” scale, another individual can come back to the drawing and measure the lines to discover the actual intended real life dimensions of them based on this scale.
We can also measure lines that already exist on a scale drawing. For our example, if I were to be presenting a similar line that I just drew, only I was told it was at 1/4″ scale. I could measure the line with my architectural scale and see that at 1/4″ scale, it represents an 8′ long segment.
So once you have the basics of architect’s scale, it is very easy to adapt it to many drawings and purposes.
Engineer’s Scale
Next let’s take a look at our engineer’s scale. An engineer’s scale is made in the same fashion as the architect’s scale but it has different numbers on it. You will see the numbers 10, 20, 30 , 40, 50, and 60 along the left hand edges of the scale. You will also notice that these are unit-less numbers, meaning they are just numbers they actually don’t mean anything unless the designer specifies them to. Where previously the ¼” scale of an architects scale actually meant ¼” the 10 unit can mean 10 scale, 100 scale, or even 1000 scale. This is true for all of the numbers on the engineer’s scale.
When we are using the scale, just like the architect’s scale, we can use the engineer’s scale to either measure an existing line or draw a scaled line. For our example, let’s draw a line again, this time we want the line to be 60 feet long using the 20 scale, meaning 1” = 20’
So we need to identify the right scale, which is 20. And we know that based on our design choice (what I just stated) we are using 20 scale. I will draw line from 0 to 6. Now I want to stop here for a second. Remember these numbers on the scale are just numbers and this line can really mean anything depending on the specific scale that I give it. So If I say that I am using 20 scale, that means that 1” = 20’. If I draw a 60’ line, that means I drew a line that is 60/20 = 3, or 3”.
Let’s say for our example that this line wasn’t drawing in 20 scale, but rather I mislabeled it and it actually is in 40 scale. Well if that’s true then how large would our represented line be? Well if I know the line is 3” and if 1”=40’ at 40 scale, then 3 * 40 = 120’. I can also measure the line with my 40 scale and see that it measures 120’ appropriately.
So essentially what I am saying is that you need to be sure to identify what scale you are using at all times and take note that the design can be dramatically different depending on the scale you measure it at.
As you can see, scales can be a very versatile and important part of drawing proper design plans for your clients. It might seem daunting at first, but I promise that once you start drafting regularly, using a scale will become second nature.
If you found this helpful, please be sure to look at the other articles within the beginner’s drafting section. Or, head over to the professional or design resources to find more information to help you become a better landscape designer.