Last revised: August 2008
Building Plans
Scope: This guide lists selected sources in the University of Maryland Libraries for locating plans, sections, and elevations of specific buildings. Email the subject area specialist at pcossard@umd.edu or call 301-405-6316 for more information.
Table of Contents
Indexes
These indexes provide citations to sources, that contain plans and other visual information. Periodical indexes are better for plans of lesser known and new buildings. Once a citation has been located, use
if it appears or check in the UM Libraries Catalog to verify if the library owns the source and find its location.
- Art Index
Retrospective (1929-1984) & Art Abstracts (1984-present).
- Citations indicate if the following visual information is provided: plans, diags
- (diagrams), photographs.
- Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals.
- Citations indicate if the following visual information is provided: site plan, elev
- (elevations), ills (illustration), model, dwg (drawing), plans, secn (section),
- reconst dwg (reconstruction drawing), diag (diagram), photo (photographs).
- Builder: Illustrations Index 1843-1883. [London] : The Builder Group, 1994.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Reference
- CALL NUMBER: NA997.B69A4 1994
- Teague, Edward H. Index to Italian Architecture. New York : Greenwood Press, 1992.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Reference
- CALL NUMBER: NA111.T4 1992
- Citations in the Site Index indicate if the following visual information is provided:
- Ext. (exterior), Int. (interior), Plan, Elev. (elevation), Sect. (section).
- Teague, Edward H. World Architecture Index. New York : Greenwood Press, 1991.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Reference
- CALL NUMBER: NA202.T4 1991
- Citations in the Site Index indicate if the following visual information is provided:
- Ext. (exterior), Int. (interior), Plan, Elev. (elevation), Sect. (section).
- Citations indicate if the following visual information is provided: plans, diags
Reference
The following are standard architectural sources that contain plans of major buildings in the U.S. or the world.- Blaser, Werner, ed. Drawings of Great Buildings. Basel : Birkhäuser Verlag, c1983.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Stacks
- CALL NUMBER: NA2706.U6D72 1983
- Contains drawings illustrating 2,500 years of architecture.
- Encyclopedia of World Art. New York, McGraw-Hill [1959-c1987].
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Reference
- CALL NUMBER: N31.E533
- Plans of major world architecture of all time periods. Detailed index in v. 15.
- Fletcher, Banister. History of Architecture. Oxford : Architectural Press, 1996.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Stacks
- CALL NUMBER: NA200.F63 1996
- Covers world architecture of all time periods. Italicized page number in index
- refers to illustrations. Includes photographs, plans, sections, elevations.
- Futagawa, Yukio. Global Architecture Book. Tokyo : A.D.A. EDITA Tokyo, 1981.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Folio
- CALL NUMBER: NA680.G58
- Includes visuals on major architectural works of the 20th century. Check table of
- contents in front of each volume.
- Rifkind, Carole. Field Guide to American Architecture. New York : New American Library, c1980.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Reference
- CALL NUMBER: NA705.R53 1980
- Arranged by stylistic periods. Indexed by architect's name and topics.
- Stierlin, Henri. Encyclopaedia of World Architecture. London : Macmillan, 1977.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Folio
- CALL NUMBER: NA200.S74
- Outstanding line drawings of selective major world sites and buildings. Includes
- index by place, then by name of building.
- White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs. New York : Russell F. Whitehead, 1929-1931.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Folio
- CALL NUMBER: NA1.W6
- Elevations, floorplans, detailed drawings of early American architecture.
- Wilkes, Joseph A., ed. Encyclopedia of Architecture. New York : Wiley, c1988-
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Reference
- CALL NUMBER: NA31.E59 1988
- Index provided in volume 4. Look under "state-city-name of building." Italicized
- page numbers refer to illustrations.
- World Atlas of Architecture. London : Mitchell Beazley, c1984.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Atlas
- CALL NUMBER: NA200.W67 1984b
- Includes perspectives, axonometrics, exteriors, interiors, and plans.
- LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Stacks
Online Resources
- ARTstor
- Image database.
- archINFORM
- (http://www.archINFORM.de/start.en.htm)
- Cities/Buildings Database
- (http://www.washington.edu/ark2/)
- Great Buildings Online
- (http://www.GreatBuildings.com/)
- Perseus Project Architecture Browser
- (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/browser?object=building)
- Society of Architectural Historians: Image Exchange
- (http://www.sah.org/index.php?submenu=Image&src=gendocs&ref=ImageExchangeAVRN&category=Main&PHPSESSID=8151a41596eaa91c6eafe79b065a3092)
- S*P*I*R*O
- (http://shanana.berkeley.edu/spiro/)
- Image database.
Other Strategies
A book published about a major building can be located by looking up the name of the building in the UM Libraries Catalog. It is useful to know the architect(s) or firm names and search these names as well, either as subject or name/author. Often you can only locate building plans by looking in books on a broader topic than the name of the building or architect. In this case, locate plans by browsing or consulting the index and table of contents of more general books, or search by building type or by location.