Explainer · north orientation site plan
North orientation and the north point on site plans
By Saumyajit Maity · Published 1 Aug 2022 · Updated 12 Feb 2024
Almost every site plan carries a small arrow labelled with an N, tucked near the title block. That north point is doing more work than it looks. It tells the reader which way the drawing faces in the real world, which in turn governs where the sun falls, where the prevailing wind comes from, how a building relates to the street, and whether two drawings of the same site can be compared. Get the north point wrong and a whole set of orientation decisions inherits the error.
This explainer covers what north orientation means on a drawing, the difference between true north and project north, why orientation matters for design, and how to set and show north correctly in CAD.
What the north point tells you
The north point — a north arrow or compass symbol — fixes the drawing's orientation relative to the real world. Once you know which way is north, you can read the rest: a wall labelled as the south elevation faces the sun's path, a courtyard on the north side sits in shade, and a frontage can be related to the actual street.
Without a north point a site plan is just an abstract shape; with one it is anchored to the ground. That anchoring is why the symbol belongs on every site and location plan, and why it is one of the first things an experienced reader looks for when they pick up a drawing.
True north vs project north
True north points to the geographic North Pole — the real-world direction used for sun studies, solar gain and anything that depends on the building's actual orientation. Project north is a convenience: drawings are often rotated so the main building grid sits square to the sheet, making them easier to draw and read, and project north is whatever direction "up the page" then represents.
A well-set-out drawing shows both, or clearly states which it uses, because they serve different needs. You draw to project north for tidiness, but you must reason about sun and wind using true north. Confusing the two leads to elevations labelled for the wrong compass direction and shading studies that are quietly wrong.
Why orientation matters
Orientation drives real design outcomes. The sun's path across the day decides which rooms get morning or evening light, where glare and overheating are risks, and where solar panels or shading should go. Prevailing wind affects ventilation, exposure and where sheltered outdoor space works. Overshadowing from neighbours depends entirely on which way the site faces.
Beyond climate, orientation sets context: which boundary is the street, where vehicles enter, how the building presents to passers-by. All of this hangs off the north point. A correctly oriented plan lets the design team reason about light, air and approach directly from the drawing instead of guessing.
How north is shown on a plan
North is shown as a north arrow or compass rose, conventionally near the title block, with the letter N at its head. On a set that uses project north, the symbol is angled to show how the plan relates to true north, or two symbols are shown — one for each. The symbol is annotation, so it lives on a notes layer and prints at a consistent size across the set.
Consistency across the set is the key discipline. Every plan in a package should use the same orientation so a reader does not have to re-learn which way is up on each sheet. Where a sheet must rotate — a long site split across pages, say — a clear north point on each, plus a key plan, keeps everyone aligned.
Setting north in CAD
In CAD you generally keep the model drawn to a sensible grid and control orientation through the layout and a clearly placed north symbol, rather than physically rotating the geometry. Where the tool supports it, you can set a geographic location or a north direction so sun-path and shadow tools know which way true north is, while the plotted sheet can still present the building square.
The practical workflow is: draw the building square to the grid for ease, insert a north block in the layout angled to show true north, and verify the angle against the survey or site information. If you rotate a viewport to align the street, remember to rotate the north symbol with it so the two never disagree on the plotted sheet.
Common orientation mistakes
The frequent slip is mislabelling elevations after rotating a plan to project north — calling a face "north" because it points up the page when it actually faces another way in reality. The fix is to label elevations by their true compass direction, derived from the north point, not by their position on the sheet.
A second mistake is omitting the north point altogether, leaving the reader to assume the top of the page is north — an assumption that fails the moment the plan was rotated for tidiness. A third is letting the symbol drift between sheets so different drawings of the same site face different ways. The cure for all three is one clear, consistent north point on every plan, checked against the survey.
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Questions
Frequently asked
What is the north point on a site plan?+
It is a north arrow or compass symbol, usually near the title block, that fixes the drawing's orientation in the real world. It lets you read which way the building faces, where the sun falls and which boundary is the street, anchoring the abstract plan to the actual ground.
What is the difference between true north and project north?+
True north points to the geographic North Pole and is used for sun and wind studies. Project north is a convenience direction the drawing is rotated to so the building grid sits square to the sheet. You draw to project north for tidiness but reason about climate using true north.
Why does building orientation matter?+
It governs sunlight through the day, glare and overheating risk, where shading and solar panels work, prevailing wind for ventilation, and overshadowing from neighbours. It also sets context — which boundary is the street and where vehicles enter. All of this hangs off the north point.
How do I set north correctly in CAD?+
Draw the building square to the grid for ease, place a north symbol in the layout angled to show true north, and check the angle against the survey. If you rotate a viewport to align the street, rotate the north symbol with it so the plotted sheet stays consistent.
What happens if I label elevations by their position on the page?+
You can mislabel them. After a plan is rotated to project north, the face pointing up the page may not actually face north. Label elevations by their true compass direction taken from the north point, not by where they sit on the sheet, to avoid the error.
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