To better understand how measurements in architecture work, buildings and spaces that already exist can be measured and drawn. When an existing space is measured and reproduced as a drawing it is referred to as a ‘survey’. Surveys are normally drawn to record the conditions of a space so that the architect can respond to them accordingly.
A site survey will consist of plans that explain the site’s boundaries and section drawings that will describe the site’s landscape and any important surrounding features. The different site levels will be indicated as map contours or as a series of spot heights that show the relative height of each.
Information about the site and its boundaries can be mapped digitally from a number of online providers. For a fee, any site plan available on the database can be downloaded, printed and used as a basis for a CAD drawing (subject to certain copyright rules). These websites have facilitated an easier connection of a design idea with a site because the digital map can be imported into a CAD drawing at any scale.