By Samuel Markings — Updated Aug 30, 2022
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Dimensions are the key quantitative data on architectural drawings, indicating the exact size of spaces and objects in two‑ or three‑dimensional space. For instance, a room marked 14' 11" × 13' 10" tells the reader that the room is 14 feet 11 inches wide and 13 feet 10 inches long.
Three‑dimensional objects are expressed as width × length × height. A typical desk might be noted as 25" × 82" × 39", meaning it is 25 inches wide, 82 inches long and 39 inches high. Windows, however, are usually treated as two‑dimensional. A standard window measuring 24" × 30" is often referred to as a 2030 or “2 ft × 3 ft”. A rectangular swimming pool could be listed as 16' × 30' × 9', indicating a width of 16 feet, a length of 30 feet and a depth of 9 feet.
In geometry, a dimension is the minimum number of coordinates required to specify a point. A line is one‑dimensional, a square two‑dimensional, and a cube three‑dimensional. When an object is circular and flat, its size is often given by its radius—the distance from the center to the edge.
