Technical office
Shop drawings and technical office for aluminium and glass works
Shop drawings and the technical office are where an aluminium and glass project is checked before it reaches the factory. Our technical office reviews the drawings, prepares shop drawings and a Material Take-Off (MTO) where needed, and links drawings, specifications, schedules and site sizes to the fabrication information.
What does the technical office review before fabrication?
Every source of project information, side by side, because a size may appear on one drawing while its details sit in a schedule and its requirements in the specifications, and site measurements then add new information. Reviewing these sources together helps you and the factory pin down:
- the sizes tied to each opening or facade
- the details that need clarifying
- the differences between drawings, schedules and specifications
- the information needed for shop drawings
- the quantities and materials that need a Material Take-Off
- the data the factory will fabricate from
Depending on the project scope, the review covers architectural drawings, facade drawings, window and door schedules, glass schedules, specifications and site measurements.
What do shop drawings show?
Shop drawings turn general drawings into details close to what will actually be fabricated and installed. Depending on the system, they show dimensions and divisions, element positions, opening details, how the aluminium meets the glass, the junctions between systems, fixing to the structure, and the sealing points against water and air leaks.
They are also called execution or working drawings. Final approval of drawings, materials and systems stays with the parties authorised to give it under the project's procedures.
What is the difference between a BOQ and an MTO?
A BOQ (bill of quantities) describes the items, quantities and scope of works as stated in the project documents. A Material Take-Off, or MTO, works from the drawings, details and technical information to set the materials and quantities actually needed for preparation and fabrication. In short, the BOQ describes the scope and the MTO turns it into material.
For plain definitions of every term on this page, see the aluminium and glass glossary.
The review differs by system
Aluminium doors and windows
Openings, sizes, window and door schedules and the system details.
Aluminium doors and windowsCurtain wall and structural glazing
Facade elevations, sections, divisions, junctions and the aluminium and glass requirements.
Curtain wall systemsSkylights and glass roofs
The roof opening, its dimensions, the roof build-up and the details around it.
SkylightsWhen do you need the technical office?
Whenever the information you have is not yet enough for the factory to fabricate from. In practice that means one or more of the situations below, and the earlier each is caught, the less it costs to settle before fabrication:
- You have general drawings and need shop drawings
- Sizes need to be tied to their openings or facades
- You need a Material Take-Off
- Information is scattered or conflicting across documents
- Details must be settled before fabrication
- The factory needs clear fabrication information
- New drawing revisions arrived after coordination started, and you need to know what they changed
Send your project documents for review
A BOQ, drawings, specifications, schedules or whatever sizes you have
With the scope of aluminium or glass works and the current project stage.
How do you prepare your project for technical review? Four steps
Gather every document, review them together, ask for shop drawings before approving details, and keep the BOQ apart from the Material Take-Off. Done in that order, the review catches gaps on paper, where they cost least, rather than at the factory or on site:
- Gather the scattered information The size sits on a drawing, the details in a schedule, the requirements in the specifications. Gather the drawings, schedules, specifications and site measurements.
- Review them together to find the gaps Side by side, the sources show the sizes for each opening or facade, the details to clarify and the conflicts between documents, before they reach the factory.
- Ask for shop drawings before approving details They turn general drawings into fabrication-ready details: dimensions, divisions, opening details, how the aluminium meets the glass and the junctions between systems.
- Keep the BOQ and the Material Take-Off apart The BOQ states the items and quantities in the documents; the MTO sets the materials actually needed for fabrication. One does not replace the other.
Where an item touches a mandatory safety requirement for building elements, the reference is the Saudi Building Code and the project's own specifications, not common practice. See Saudi Building Code compliance and quality standards.
Frequently asked questions
What are shop drawings and when do I need them?
Shop drawings are detailed drawings that turn general drawings into details close to what will actually be fabricated and installed. Any project whose information is spread across different drawings, schedules and specifications needs them.
How does a Material Take-Off differ from a BOQ in aluminium and glass works?
A BOQ describes the items and quantities as stated in the documents, while a Material Take-Off works from the drawings and details to set the quantities actually tied to fabrication.
What exactly does the Qusoor Al-Sultan technical office review?
It links the drawings, sizes, schedules and specifications to the fabrication information, and identifies what needs shop drawings or a Material Take-Off before the work moves to the factory. Depending on scope, it covers architectural and facade drawings, window, door and glass schedules, specifications and site measurements.
What should I send to the technical office?
Whatever you have: a BOQ, drawings, specifications, schedules or the available sizes, with the scope of aluminium or glass works and the project stage. The review then shows what is still missing.
What happens if the drawings are revised after coordination starts?
The new revision is reviewed to find which sizes, details and quantities it affects before work continues, so the shop drawings, the Material Take-Off and the fabrication information follow the latest drawings.
Technical review: Eng. Hisham, factory manager at Qusoor Al-Sultan, with more than 20 years of management and technical experience in aluminium and glass. He reviews the technical content of this page. Last updated: 6 October 2026.