Components in Written Architectural Keynotes

Identification

• A keynote is a hexagon that contains a number or letter. Some keynotes may contain abbreviations or strings of numbers. The architect chooses what goes in the hexagon based on his own preferences and the standards that are set by the industry in which the architect works. For example, commercial and industrial architects will have some common keynote notations that you will not see in residential architecture blueprints and drawings. Attached to the keynote is an arrow or line drawn to the affected portion of the building or toward a specific change in the design.

Function

• The keynote functions as an architect's notes in the drawings or blueprints, intended for the builder and/or engineer on the building. According to Revit Architecture's text on learning blueprint software, the keynotes are ways for the architect to give specific instructions on materials that must be used in a certain part of construction and even the technique to use. The keynotes detail anything that the architect could not include within the blueprint. For example, an architect may use a keynote to call for a concrete slab floor in the building's basement -- an element that you can't distinguish in a drawing.

Legend

• According to Revit Architecture, every architect must include a legend on the drawing or blueprint. This keynote legend contains the keynote symbols alongside a very brief explanation of what they stand for. The legend is necessary to help those unfamiliar with the keynotes to understand their meaning. The legend also functions as a translator for those customized keynotes that only the original architect is familiar with.

Other Considerations

• The keynotes used must contain a number or letter that corresponds to the correct description in the keynote legend. For example, a keynote designated "324" pointing at the right corner post on the east wall of the second floor must correspond to a 324 in the keynote legend that describes a steel beam to be used as that post. The 324 description in the legend cannot denote a composite floor. Keynotes are also used to keep the blueprint or drawing clean and free of multiple notes and jotted writings. Thus, the notes belong in the legend and nowhere else.