DESIGN, (design°, Latin ; dessein, French), an original drawing of a building to be executed, comprehending the invention, composition, and arrangement of the whole. A design includes plans, elevations. and sections of the building intended to be carried into execution, besides other drawings of details, or parts at large. The number of these will, of course, depend either upon the nature of the building, that is, on its being more or less complex, or as it is intended to show it more or less fully. A small simple house will only require one plan and an elevation. A large edifice, with great variety of parts, will require. plans of each story, elevations of the different fronts, a longitudinal and transverse section. at in general, as many drawings as will be sufficient to explain all the parts All the minute parts, as bases, capitals, architraves, friezes. cornices, and other mouldings. are to be exhibited in their true geometrical proportion, at full size.
There is, perhaps, a certain prejudice against drawings of this kind, from an impression too generally entertained, that they are unintelligible except to the initiated. This feeling would he easily removed, were unprofessional persons to take the pains to examine a complete set of well-prepared architec tural drawings. A very little explanation renders these draw nags perfectly Hear to any person of common capacity, how ignorant Ii, :nay he a architecture.
begin with the pl tn.—This may be described as the ?nap of the building. By its means we distinguish most Ilea ly the exact shape and extent of the structure as regards the space on which it stands ; the thickness of the walls. the internal arrangement of all the rooms and passages; and the situation and width of doors, windows, fireplaces, stair eases, &c. The raised and solid parts, such as walls, columns, piers, &c., are shaded ; the voids and apertures, such as doors, windows. &e.. are left white. For every story of a building there should be a separate plan, although it is not usual, in books of design., to give more than those of the ground-floor, and the principal one above it.
Next to the, plan we may describe the _Elevation. This may be defined as a vertical plan ; it shows the front, or one external thee of the building, and gives the precise forms and measurements of every part, drawn to scale. It must be observed, that the particular in which an elevation differs from other drawings, and from the appearance of the them selves, is, that no distinction is made between curved hori zontal lines and straight ones ; so that, whether the part be a plane or a curved surface, can be understood only from the shadowing, unless there happens to be something that assists in denoting curvature of plan. Thus, the mouldings of the
base of a column are all straight lines ; consequently, with out shadow to express rotundity, we could not determine whether they belonged to a flat or a round surface, miles,: the shaft be fluted, in which case the flutes will diminish in width, according to their distance from the centre.
Elea ations have sometimes given to them something of a pictorial character, by colouring as well as by shadowing, and not unfre(piently by the addition ()I' sky and background. it would be better, perhaps, were such accompaniment re stricted to what May be just sufficient to relieve the building, instead of being extended over the whole picture, and care fully worked up ; because such additions to the usual plain architectural drawing are calculated to give a formal and stiff appearance to the drawing, offensive to good taste and simplicity. In modern architectural publications, especially foreign ones, outline elevations are mow generally given ; these are preferable to those which are shadowed, as they exhibit all the forms more distinctly, and adroit of being measured with much greater exactness.
We next proceed to describe the Section. A section is the projection or geometrical representation of a building sup posed to be cut by a vertical plane, for the purpose of' exhi. biting the interior, and describing the height, breadth, thick ness, and manner of construction of the walls, &c. By the section we are made acquainted with a variety of particulars, in regard to which a plan cannot be made to afford any infor mation. It shows us the thickness of the walls and floors, the heights of the rooms, the forms and profiles of ceilings, whe ther flat, coved, or arched, also the exact forms of domes and skylights. It shows the heights of the doors, how they are panelled and decorated, the form of the chhnney-pieces, and, in some instances, furniture and fittings-up are advan tageously introduced, with a view to judge of effect. For detailed and tilled up sections, it is usual to employ outline with the walk and floors shaded, the former as more solid, being made darker than the latter. When, on the other hand, the elevations of the rooms themselves are shadowed, the thickness of the intersected walls, &c., are lefl, white, in order to prevent confusion, and exhibit the profiles better.