Elevation Changes

It is during this stage that the designer should start thinking about the third di­mension of the ground plane. It is not always easy to study all these factors together, but it is essential to do so. The designer might ask: “Should one have to go up from the lawn area to the outside entertaining space, or should the two spaces be at the same elevation? The more study given to the organization of a design at this time in the design process, the easier the design decisions become in subsequent phases. Elevation changes should also be studied during the development of functional dia­grams. Figure 8-32
Lines can be used within a circulation path to graphically indicate general step locations. It is necessary to examine each of these factors in association with the others so the overall design can function in a logical, well-planned, and coordinated manner. One foot? As can be seen from the preceding paragraphs, there are a number of factors of design organization that need to be thought about during the functional diagram phase. This method allows the designer to determine what space is higher than another and by approximately how much.