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Architecture vocabulary · Drawings and Representation

Site plan

Meaning in architecture, with examples

nounCore term

In architecture, site plan means: A drawing that shows the whole plot from above: the building's position, boundaries, access roads, landscaping, levels and its relationship to neighbouring buildings.

In Turkish: vaziyet planı, yerleşim planı

How it is used

Required in almost every planning or permit application and usually drawn at 1:500 or 1:200. It shows the north arrow, setbacks, entrances and parking. Architects distinguish the existing site plan from the proposed site plan.

Example sentences

  1. The site plan shows the building set back ten metres from the street.

  2. Add the trees and the car park entrance to the site plan.

Common collocations

  • proposed site plan
  • existing site plan
  • site plan at 1:500
  • north arrow
  • floor planA drawing that shows a building from above as if it were cut horizontally about a metre above the floor, showing walls, doors, windows and rooms.
  • setbackThe minimum distance a building must keep from a plot boundary or street, set by planning rules; also an upper part of a building stepped back from the floor below.
  • site analysisA study of a site before design starts, looking at its size, slope, climate, sun, wind, views, access, surrounding buildings and planning rules.
  • footprintThe area of ground that a building covers, measured by the outline of its outer walls at ground level.

More terms: Drawings and Representation

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