Lesson Plan – Doors and Windows Layout and Design

Lesson Overview
This lesson explains the different types of door and windows, the
elements that make up doors and windows, and the requirements
the Uniform Building Code has set for doors and windows.

Software: Autodesk® Revit® 2015 or higher

Time: 1 to 1.5 hours
Level: Beginner
Datasets: Imperial included

Concepts Addressed
Describe the purpose for using doors and windows in a building

 Identify the elements that make up doors and windows

 List the different door types
 List the different window types
 List the requirements and building codes that should be used when designing a building with doors and
windows

Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson you will be able to:

 Place doors
 Load a door from the Revit Architecture library
 Place a window
 Copy a door or window
 Position a door or window
 Align a door or window

Exercise Index

Exercise 01 Place doors Page 9

Exercise 02 Place windows Page 11
Exercise 03 Center a door in a wall Page 12
Exercise 04 Copy windows Page 15

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Key Terms

casing jamb sill

design muntins standard
egress pane stop
glazing sash unobstructed
head rough opening UBC

Overview of Doors and Windows

Doors and windows are very important design elements in a building project because they link you to the world
outside.
 Doors provide access from the outside into a building, as well as passage between interior spaces
 Windows are used for light and ventilation of interior spaces

The type, size, and placement of doors and windows affect the lifestyle of those who use the building.

Placement of doors determines the traffic patterns throughout a building. Traffic patterns consume much of the
available space, causing rooms with several doors to seem smaller. For example, a good way to join indoor and
outdoor living areas is by placing a large patio door; however, this will affect the personal privacy of the occupants
because of increased traffic and visibility.

When planning a room layout, save plenty of space to allow doors to swing freely.

Well-positioned windows can reduce heating and cooling bills by improving ventilation in the summer and keeping
heat in during the winter.

When planning window positions, the effect of the sunlight should be considered. For example, to determine the
placement of a skylight, you should choose a location where the shaft will direct sunlight.

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Elements of Doors and Windows

Doors Elements
The following are elements that make up a typical door:
 Rough opening: The wall opening into which a door frame is fitted
 Head: The uppermost member of a door frame
 Jamb: Either of the two side members of a door frame
 Stop: The projecting part of a door frame against which a door closes
 Casing: Trim that finishes the joint between a door frame and its rough opening

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Windows Elements

The following are elements that make up a typical window:

 Head: The uppermost member of a window frame
 Jamb: Either of the two side members of a window frame
 Sill: The horizontal member beneath a door or window opening Sills have a sloped upper surface that
sheds from rainwater
 Sash: The framework of a window in which panes of glass are set The sash can be fixed or movable
 Pane: One of the divisions of a window or single unit of glass set in a frame
 Glazing: The glass set in the sashes of the window
 Muntins: Divisions within a window that hold the window panes within a sash

Door Types

There are many types and sizes of doors. When designing a building, the right type of door should be used in a
specific space to utilize the space most appropriately.

Most doors are factory built and designed for easy installation. Manufacturers usually have standard sizes and
rough-opening requirements for certain door types. They are available in a wide variety of styles and finishes.
Custom types and sizes can also be built, but usually have to be specially ordered and are more expensive.

The type of door selected for a building is an important consideration for sustainable design, especially for exterior
doors. Consider using a door that will be the most energy efficient for the climate and surroundings of the building.

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Typical door types include the following:

Swinging

Pocket

Sliding

Folding / Bi-fold

Revolving

Overhead

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Window Types

There are many types and sizes of windows. The windows you use in a design not only affect the physical
appearance of a building, but also the natural lighting, the ventilation, the view, and the amount of space you have
inside your building.

Most windows are factory-built and designed for easy installation. Manufacturers usually have standard sizes and
rough-opening requirements for certain window types. They are available in a wide variety of styles and finishes.
Custom types and sizes can also be built, but usually have to be specially ordered and are more expensive.

The type of window selected for a building is an important consideration for sustainable design. Consider using a
window that will be the most energy efficient for the climate and surroundings of the building.

Typical window types include the following:

Fixed Hopper

Casement Sliding

Awning Double-Hung

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Jalousie Pivoting

Building Codes

To ensure that buildings are safe, and to protect property values, most areas
require that all new and remodeling projects conform to a standard building
code. Most codes are based on the national Uniform Building Code (UBC), but
specific codes and standards vary depending on the area.

The following are some of the requirements that the UBC requires when
designing a home:

At least one entry door that is at least 32" wide and 6'8" high is required in
every home.

An egress window that can be used for an emergency exit is required in

rooms used for sleeping, if there is no other escape route. An unobstructed
opening of 5.7 sq. ft. must be provided by the window being used as an
egress. The height can be no less than 24", the width can be no less than
20", and the sill height can be no higher than 44" from the floor.

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Doors and Windows
About This Lesson

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

 Place doors and windows
 Center a door in a wall
 Copy windows

Revit Doors and Windows

Revit software provides tools for inserting door and window components into design project walls. Components
such as doors, windows, and furniture are defined in family files. Some families are loaded into each empty file,
and there are many more in Revit libraries that can be loaded into a project.

In this unit, you learn how to place doors and windows; how to load additional door and window families; and how
to position, move, and copy these elements.

Key Terms

component family place

door load window

Exercise: Place Doors exterior doors to reduce energy consumption is an

important consideration for sustainable design.
In this exercise, you practice placing doors and
windows in an existing project.

Add Doors

You place doors in walls at the desired locations.

This can be done in a plan view, elevation view, or
3D view. Revit Architecture automatically cuts the
opening and places the door in the wall.

When placing doors in a plan view, Revit displays

the preview door with the swing to the side
where the cursor first contacted the wall. In other
words, if the cursor clicked the left side of a vertical
wall, the door swing would be to the left side. To
reverse the swing, move the cursor to the right side The completed exercise
of the wall.

Once a door is placed, you can change the swing or

hinge by using the control arrows that are created
as part of the door family. To flip the door, click the
appropriate double arrow control to flip the door
symbol. There are also Flip Hand and Flip Facing
options on the right-click context menu when a door
is selected.

Weatherproofing and resistance to heat transfer of

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Add Doors
1) Open Doors and Windows_01_Exercise.rvt

2) Verify that the Floor Plan: Level 1 view is active.

3) On the Architecture tab, Build panel, click Door.

Select the door Double-Panel 2.rfa. Click Open.

Load Families 6) The display does not change, except for the
Type Selector. From the Type Selector list,
4) With the Door command active, on the Modify | select the door type Double-Panel 2: 68" x 80".
Place Door tab, Mode panel, click Load Family.

This enables you to load additional door families

from the Revit Architecture library.

In order to keep file size small, Revit loads a

minimal number of families for doors, walls, and
windows into project files. Additional families are
available for your project online. Families that
are loaded into a file are available even if the file
is moved to a different machine or emailed to
another user emailed to another user.

5) Browse to Imperial Library > Doors folder

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7) Move the cursor along the interior wall and 9) Place instances of single doors as shown. Do
place a door instance as shown. The cursor will not add the dimensions.
snap weakly to the midpoint of the wall.

Remember that the door swing will be placed

on the side of the wall that you click. If
necessary, use the blue control arrows to flip
the door facing.

Place a second instance in the wall opposite.

Revit places door tags that number in sequence

automatically.
Remember, you control the door swing based
8) From the Type Selector, select Sgl Flush: place on the side of the wall you click. You can toggle
a door instance as shown. the door swing by using SPACEBAR during
placement, or by using the swing control
arrows. You can change the door hinge by
using the hinge control arrows.

If you place a door in the wrong location, use

the blue temporary dimension to relocate it. To
change a temporary dimension, simply click it
and enter the correct value.

10) Save the file as

Doors and Windows_01_Exercise_finished.rvt.

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Exercise: Place Windows

You add window components to a wall by clicking

the wall at the desired locations. You can place
windows in a plan view, elevation view, or 3D view.
Revit automatically cuts the opening and places the
window in the wall.

Windows have exterior and interior sides. When

placing windows in a plan view, Revit Architecture
puts the window tag on the exterior side of the
window. If the cursor first touched the left side of
a vertical wall, the outside of the window is to the 2) From the Type Selector, select Fixed: 36"w x
left side. To face the outside of the window to the 48"h if it is not already selected.
other side, approach the wall from the right side.

You can reverse the window direction after placing

it by using the control arrows that are created as
part of the window family. To reverse the window
immediately after placing it, click the double arrow to
mirror the window geometry. To reverse the window
after performing another operation, click Modify and
select the window, then click the double arrow to
mirror the window geometry.

Weatherproofing and resistance to heat transfer

in windows is an important consideration for
sustainable design. Placement of windows to
regulate solar gain and take advantage of prevailing
breezes for natural ventilation can reduce energy
consumption.

3) Move the cursor along the north wall and place

a window instance as shown.

The completed exercise

Add Windows
4) Place seven more windows as shown
1) Open Doors and Windows_02_Exercise.rvt or
continue working from the previous exercise.

On the Architecture tab, Build panel, click

Windows.

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 Equality Constraints

Equality constraints are applied to permanent,

continuous dimensions to control the position of a
door, window, wall, and so on. The constraint holds
the position of the constrained object to the center,
even if the constraining objects are moved or
shifted.

1) Open Doors and Windows_03_Exercise.rvt or

continue working from the previous exercise.

2) Click Architecture tab > Build panel > Door

The dimensions shown are for informational

purposes. You do not need to add dimensions.

Window tags do not number in sequence. All

windows of a specific type show the same tag
number.

5) Save the file as

Doors and Windows_02_Exercise_finished.rvt Verify that the Single Flush: 36" x 84" door is
selected.
In this exercise, you opened an existing project,
loaded a door family, placed doors, and placed
windows.

Exercise: Center a Door in a Wall

In this exercise, you open an existing project file,

place a door, constrain it to be centered in a wall,
and modify the wall. You practice the following skills:
 Place a door
 Apply the EQ constraint and change its display
 Align and modify walls

3) Select the wall indicated by the red arrow to

place the door. Do not be overly concerned
where you place it.

The completed exercise

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4) Click On the Annotate tab, Dimension panel,
click Aligned.

6) Click Modify to terminate the Dimension tool

Align Walls

7) Click Modify tab > Modify panel > Align. Select

the two wall faces indicated to align. Select the
Place the two permanent dimensions as shown. upper wall first.
The dimensions must be placed as a continuous
dimension.

To place a continuous dimension:

 Click the left wall
 Click the center of the door
 Click the right wall
 Click below the wall containing the door
to place the dimension

Your dimension values may be different from

the ones shown here.

5) Notice the EQ symbol

8) The walls are now aligned. The door you
centered in the horizontal wall remains
centered.
Click it and it changes as shown..

The door changes location. It is now

constrained to be centered in the horizontal
wall.

Click the lock icon to enable it. This means that

if one wall shifts, the other wall will remain
aligned.

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 10) Select the wall to the right of the door as
shown. Dimensions display below it.

Click Modify to terminate the Align tool.

9) Select one of the EQ values on the continuous

dimension. Right-click. Clear the EQ Display
value.

Note that the continuous dimension is still

constrained EQ.

11) Change the dimension to 16.

(Revit will supply the foot-inch units)

The dimension value is now shown.

The walls shift and remain aligned. The

door remains centered in the wall and the
dimensions update.

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12) Right-click. Click Zoom to Fit. 2) To Select one of the windows located in the east
wall.
13) Save the file as Doors and
Windows_03_Exercise_finished.rvt.

In this exercise, you placed a continuous

dimension. You also applied an EQ constraint
and used it to control the position of an object.

Exercise: Copy Windows

Populating design projects with components takes

time, especially if there are many different types. 3) On the Modify | Windows tab, Create panel,
click Create Similar.
Placing all the windows in a multistory office building
can be complicated enough without having to
remember the specifications for each type. Revit
Architecture provides tools that enable you to reuse
the information in a component instance or type
without having to look it up each time.

In this exercise, you create window instances using

the following tools:
 Create Similar
 Copy 4) Place the new window in the wall at the upper
right of the building.

Remember that the side of the wall selected

determines how the window is placed.
The completed exercise
Copy Windows
Create Similar
5) On the Modify | Windows tab, Modify panel,
The Create Similar tool creates a copy of a group or click Copy.
family instance and enables you to place it where
desired. Revit gives you the ability to continuously
place as many instances of the group or family as
desired.

1) Open Doors and Windows_04_Exercise.rvt or

continue working from the previous exercise.

Select the window you just placed. Press

SPACEBAR to terminate selection. The window
will change appearance.

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6) Select the midpoint of the window as the base 8) Right-click, Click Zoom to Fit
point for the copy operation.
9) Save the file as
Doors and Windows_04_Exercise_finished.rvt

In this exercise, you used the Place Similar and

Copy tools.

7) Pull the cursor straight down and select the

wall at the lower right as the destination point.

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