No published standard that I know of, just some conventions.
Usually columns are laid out in a grid and one axis is lettered and the other is numbered thus column B5 is at the intersection of lines ‘B’ and ‘5’. This often works well for construction, especially if the grid lines are evenly spaced.
I have also seen industrial plants laid out in a coordinate system. There is an x-y numbering system for everything in the plant. Thus you would see say anchor bolts or column centre lines designated something like (123.456, 987.654). (Elevation can also be included for a 3-d descriptor)
This works well as long as everything is laid out along the grid lines however this is not always the case. I have seen coordinates laid out for the project and then translated into the master coordinate system later. This can be confusing and error prone. (Is the coordinate a job or a master coordinate? Was the arithmetic correctly done and all numbers transcribed correctly.)
Can you tell us why you are asking? Are you setting up a system and just want to be to some industry standard or did your pointy haired boss tell you to use a published standard not knowing that one does not exist?
Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng
Construction Project Management
From conception to completion
Thanks All for the quick responses and for the help. I am working in an existing facility that, at this time, has no location numbering scheme, and we are considering changing the layout of part of the plant. We felt that a organized numbering system may facilitate some of the changes we need to make. In the Letter/Number convention, is there a typical assignment for the axes (I.E. letters for east to west, numbers for north to south)?
Thanks Again.
Pretty much up to you. The job I have beside me has the Alphabet lert to right and numbers up and down the page. I would say this is more common. But there is not convention so rigid you can't head your own way.
You may want to use the number/letter system that is consistent with the original plant and use postscripted values for intermediate grids. Alternatively, you can start a fresh system. If the facility has a 'plant engineer' on staff that looks after day to day things, you may want to discuss this with him. When using existing grids for additions, I usually denote them differently on plan as well as the 'bubbles'; I usually use the equivalent of a hidden line or something.
Also, it is very handy to prepare a good key plan, showing all the grids for the facility. This can even be a separate sheet and may only contain grids, exterior walls, bearing walls, etc.
Also, horizontal and vertical control tied into the existing building is important (This is a real headache with some hospitals).
