Architectural features & terminology
Books & dictionaries
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Glossary_of_architecture, by Wikipedia
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Illustrated Architecture Dictionary, by Chuck LaChiusa
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The Visual Dictionary of Buildings, by Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries
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A Visual Dictionary of Architecture, by Francis D.K. Ching
Glossary
arch
examples
examples
examples
- arch: abutment – the structure just below an arch that supports the thrust of the arch / a stone with a sloping face to support a segmental arch
- arch: skewback – the structure just below an arch that supports the thrust of the arch / a stone with a sloping face to support a segmental arch
- arch: anse de panier – aka a “basket-handle arch”: a three-centered arch with a relatively long middle section
examples
- arch, gauged – brick arch where the bricks are radially aligned, pointing toward the center of the arched opening
- arch, main – e.g. the big arch above the center of a cathedral
- arch, minor – e.g. one of the little arches that runs along the side of the Main arch
- arch, round –
- arch, segmental – e.g. where the span of the arch is like a 120-degree segment of a circle, rather than say a 180-degree half-circle
examples
- arch, skew – a tunnel-like arch, where the vector of the tunnel is not perpendicular to the plane of the front entrance wall
- arcuate – something that done using arches
- arriere-voussoirs – non-rectangular blocks in an arch, like those to the left and right of the keystone at the top
examples
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impost – horizontal slab (or block) at the top of a column or wall, projecting into open space, to support an arch above
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voussoir – wedge-shaped stone in an arch (such as the keystone at the top)
ceiling
- beam –
- beam: haunch – a section of a beam that has been made thicker to support more load (which may make the beam look arched)
- beam ceiling – a ceiling supported by visible cross beams
examples
examples
- pendentive – an arch-like thing above the corner of a square room, so that the room can have an octagonal (or circular) roof/dome on top (an alternative to a “squinch”)
- severy – a bay or compartment in a vaulted ceiling
examples
- squinch – an arch-like thing above the corner of a square room, so that the room can have an octagonal (or circular) roof/dome on top (an alternative to a “pendentive”)
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tiercerons – one of the types of major rib in a ribbed vault
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pipe batten – like a shower-curtain rod: a horizontal metal rod, hung from the ceiling, used for hanging other things on (lights, curtains, etc.)
- vault –
- vault, barrel – often semicircular, like an extruded half-cylinder – aka a “tunnel vault” or “wagon vault”
examples
- vault, fan – like a groin vault, but where the ceiling fans out with radial symmetry from the top of each column
- vault, groin – the 90-degree intersection of two barrel vaults
examples
- vault, rib – a complicated Groin vault, where the two intersecting barrel vaults are of different widths (diameters)
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vaulting shaft – Small shaft or colonnette which supports a vault rib or group of ribs at their springing. It may rise from the ground or from a corbel set in the masonry.
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barrel vault – a vault shaped like half of cylinder (an extruded half-circle)
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conical vault – like a barrel vault, but where the radius increase linearly as it is extruded
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annular vault – like the top half of a donut: a barrel vault extruded along the path of a circle instead of a line
- compound vault – a space where two (or more) vaults intersect (e.g. the vaulted roof over the intersection of two barrel vaulted tunnels)
column
- accouplement – placing two columns right next to each other
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cincture – a ring or fillet that juts out near the top of a column
- colonnade – “a series of columns, often two rows of columns, supporting a roof
- column –
- column, barley-sugar – aka: Solomonic column
- column, engaged – a column that is halfway (or part way) embedded in a wall
- column, entasis – slight curve of a column (not the same diamater at all heights)
- column, fluted –
- column, solomonic – helical, spiraling corkscrew shaped column
- column, water-cooled fire-resistant – a structural column – example: the Pompidou center in Paris (which also has water storage tanks)
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double grid – structural columns arrangement where rather than being spaced identically, instead every even column is closely spaced and every odd column is fully spaced, so that the columns end up in little 2-by-2 clusters
- **intercolumnation ** – the spacing between columns in a row of columns (systele spacing has the gap twice as wide as the columns, diastyle is three times as wide, and araeostyle is four times
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knee brace – a little brace up in the corner between a vertical post and a horizontal beam
- severy – one of the bays between the two end columns (or buttresses) of two parallel arches
- pilaster – like an engaged column, but purely ornamental, and never actually supporting anything – always flat (rectangular), not round
examples
door
- door, swinging – any regular hinged door
- door, folding – an accoriaon door, like the ones between sections of a hotel conference room
- door, sliding – a pocket door, or a sliding barn door
- door, pocket –
- door, double – a pair of doors hung in the same doorframe
- door, revolving – four door wings (or door leaves), at 90 degree angles, that rotate on a center point
- door wing – one of leaves of a revolving door or a double door
- door, overhead – like a garage door, that either rolls up or swings up
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door, louvered – a door with angled slats that let air through
- door, batten – a wood door with diagonal bracing, like a barn-style door or old-fashioned garage door
examples
- door, jib – swinging door that is flush with the wall and concealed by matching the wall paneling
- doorframe – the frame around the opening for the door(s)
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doorplate – door sign with a street address number (or nameplate)
- overdoor – an ornamental panel place where a transom window would be
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panic bar – push-bar across the inside of an emergency exit door
- sconcheon – the part of the door frame visible between the door opening and the wall
fire
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fire load – a metric, in pounds per square foot, of combustible material per floor area
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flame-spread rating – a metric, with 0 for cement-asbestos board and 100 for wood floors, representing how fast a fire spreads along a surface in a room
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fuel-contribution rating – a metric for how much an interior finish material can contribute to a fire
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smoke-developed rating – a metric for how much smoke an interior finish material gives off when it burns
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liquid-filled column – a hollow steel column, filled with water, which helps absorb heat in a fire
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intumescent paint – paint that swells up into a thick insulating layer when exposed to high heat in a fire
- fire-resistance rating – number of hours that a part in a building can withstand fire exposure before collapsing or failing as a smoke and hot gas barrier
- fire-rated – a part in a building with an acceptable “fire-resistance rating”
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fireproofing – materials like gypsum and concrete that are used to make parts of a building more resistant to fire
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draft-stop – a partition within an attic space or above a suspended ceiling
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automatic-closing fire assembly – any type of fire-door or fire-window that will close automatically in the event of a fire
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class A, B, C, D, E – class A is a fire-door or fire-window with a 3-hour rating, while class E has a 45-minute rating
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fire wall – a fire-resistant wall that extends from the foundation up to a parapet above the roof line
- fire separation – a fire-resistant floor, wall, roof, or ceiling, to confine the spread of a fire
- occupancy separation – in a mixed-occupancy building, a “fire separation” between occupant spaces
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fire area – a region of a building enclosed by fire-rated construction
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standpipe – vertical water pipe to supply fire hoses on every storey
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sprinkler system – ceiling-mounted network of pipes and sprinkler heads
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preaction system – a “sprinkler system” where the pipes are filled with pressurized air instead of water, which is filled with water when a fire is detected
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exit – an enclosed, protected route, from an “exit access” point to an “exit discharge” point outside
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emergency lighting – lights that work during a power failure
- well – a shaft in building (for stairs, elevators, air or light)
floor
- acoustic decking – metal decking with sound-absorbing fiber inserts in the ribs
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detectable warning – those bumpy yellow mats in the pavement at wheelchair curb cuts and by train tracks or other hazards
- linoleum – flooring material: burlap or canvas coated with linseed oil, cork, rosin, etc.
- metal decking – steel sheet bent into series of ribs, for use as a floor deck
- raised flooring system – grid of movable floor tiles that sit on top of vertical support pedestals
- rubber tile – flooring material: either natural rubber or synthetic rubber
- subfloor – e.g. bare plywood floor platform nailed to floor joists, on which the finished floor is attached
- underlayment – e.g. plywood laid over a subfloor to make a smooth, even surface for carpet or other finished floor
fort
foundation
- batter pile – a pile driven at an angle, instead of vertically
- stilt – a pile that supports a building over water (or land)
- bulkhead – a hurricane door, on the outside of a building, sloped, at ground level
- cellar – a room(s), wholly or partly underground, for storage of food or fuel
- pile foundation – a foundation made up of a grid of columns sunk into the ground, with no basement, no crawspace, no slab foundation
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piloti – columns from the ground to 2nd floor of a building with an open ground floor
- undercroft – a cellar or storage room, often with a vaulted ceiling – or a ground area with open sides but which is covered by a building above
fresh air
- alameda – a “promenade” lined with shade trees
- allee – a wide “promenade” lined with trees
- arbor – a latticework arch or shelter covered in climbing plants
examples
examples
- breezeway – a covered passage, open to the sides, that connects buildings
- cortile – the big, main courtyard in a palazzo
- court – an outdoor area mostly (or fully) surrounded by walls or buildings
- courtyard – an outdoor area fully surrounded by walls or buildings
- dogtrot – a breezeway between two halves of a house
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loggia – a room, gallery, or corrider, usually on an upper level, that is open to the outdoors on one side, with a series of arches or columns
- pedestrian mall – a shopping district street (sometimes covered) where no cars or bikes are ever allowed
- pergola – two rows of columns supporting an open trelliswork roof, with climbing plants
- peristyle – a porch with a row of columns surrounding a courtyard
- promenade – a public place for leisurely strolling
- quad – a rectangular courtyard
- trellis – a frame supporting latticework for growing climbing plants
landscape
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berm – a mound of earth (sometimes on its own, and sometimes pushed up against a wall of a building)
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gabion – in a retaining wall, a big block of heavy stones bundled together in a sturdy wire cage
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raised bed – a planter where the soil is about 18” above ground level, often with a sitting wall around the edge
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terrace – flat areas on sloped ground, perhaps paved, with seating and with railings
light
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albedo – ratio, 0 (pitch black) to 1 (bright white): light reflected by a surface divided by total incoming light
- average maintained illuminance (AMI) – AMI = (source lumens) * CU * (light loss factor) / work area, [where light loss factor includes things like dirty surfaces, furniture partitions, etc.]
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baffle – a louver to reflect light so that it shines mostly one direction
- coefficient of utilization (CU) – ratio: light reaching a work surface divided by total light from a fixture, accounting for size and shape of a room, and for the albedo of its walls
- collimate – collimated light is light where photons are travelling in parallel lines
- counterlight – light from windows in opposite walls (not adjacent walls)
- crosslight – light from windows in adjacent walls (not opposite walls)
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daylight factor – ratio: amount of sunlight on the floor of a room divided by the amount there would be without any walls or ceiling above the floor
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heliodon – mechanical device to rotate a carboard model of a building towards a light source that represents the sun, to simulate time-of-year and time-of-day
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Lambert’s law – illumination on a face is proportional to the cosine of the angle of incidence of light
- light pipe – tube with reflective lining to bring light from a roof skylight down into a lower room ceiling
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light shelf – horizontal awning, not right above a window, but set slightly lower, mid-window, so that reflects light into the upper window while shading the lower window (example: Wurster Hall)
- oculus – horizontal hole at the apex of a dome, to let in light, or vertical hole near the top of a dome or vault, or a horizontal hole in a domed ceiling
examples
- parabolic reflector – a lighting reflector with a parabolic shape
- sconce – a wall-mounted light (e.g. with an ornamental fixture)
massing
- inglenook – a nook, often with built-in seats, next to a big open fireplace
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jettied – in tudor buildings, when an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of a lower floor
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poche – solid places inside walls, as they appear in solid fill ink on a blueprint
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pavilion – a part of a facade that projects out, often with a higher roof, and more ornamentation
- rock-cut tomb – an underground tomb of rooms and passages entirely made by carving into solid stone (like in D&D)
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solar chimney – a vertical ventilation shaft that uses thermal convection to pull cooler air in from an opening at the bottom and expell hot air at top opening
- gallery – an upper floor that projects out over ground floor in a theater
- tier – one of the levels of galleries in a theater
- stepped stories – upper story walls are stepped back from lower story walls – the opposite of “Jettied”
- ziggurat-style set-back – upper walls of tall building are stepped back from lower walls
MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing)
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water main – a big pipe, typically under a street, to carry lots of water
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water meter – box that measures how much water is being used
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shutoff valve – a handle for cutting off the flow of water (or gas) in a pipe
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riser – a vertical pipe (or conduit/duct) in a multi-story building
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water heater – regular or on-demand tankless, gas or electric
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sweep fitting – a curved elbow of pipe that has a large radius
- wye – a Y-shaped piece of pipe (actually, more of an X-shape, but with only 3 branches, not 4)
- tee – a T-shaped piece of pipe, for 3-way junctions
- cross – a piece of pipe like a “tee” or a “wye”, but with a 4-way junction
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drainage system – all the pipes and fixtures to carray away rainwater, graywater, and/or sewage
- building sewer – the drain connecting an entire building to a public sewer
- public sewer – underground pipe that runs to a treatment plant
- sanitary sewer – sewer for sewage only, not rainwater
- storm sewer – sewer from rainwater only, not sewage
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septic tank – covered tank to take sewage from a building sewer and separate solids from liquids
- raceway,underfloor – a channel to run electrical wires and data cables through
- switch – a light switch (or other switch)
ornament
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anomaly – an intentional break in a regular layout or pattern (of tiles, columns, windows, etc.)
- aedicule – a little feature (like a wall niche) that looks like a mini-big-building thing, with fancy columns or pediments
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applique – ornamentation made by cutting a design in one material and glueing it onto a flat background
- cant – the angled surface (or line) at a chamfered corner
- chamfer – beveled surface between two other faces, e.g. a 45-degree chamfer at the corner of a rectangle
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chamfered – a corner (of a building, or wall, or column) with a 45 degree cut-away, or with a rounded corner
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dentil ornament – horizontal row of little blocks with gaps between blocks
- dentils – small blocks, closely spaced, projecting down under a soffit
examples
- ear – aka “horn”: a decorative bit poking off the side of the top of a cabinet, chair back, window, or something
- easement – curved transition between two faces that meet at an angle
- egg and dart – ornamental pattern of alternating oval shapes and pointed shapes
examples
- emboss – like engraving, but the opposite, where the letters stick out in bas-relief
- engrave – letters (or other designs) cut into a flat surface
- filigree – intricate ornamental openwork
- fillet – a thin flat surface between two fluted grooves on a fluted column or fluted surface
- fluting – ornamental vertical grooves on a traditional column
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fretwork – ornamental, interlaced geometric patterns cut into a flat solid such as a gable end or heating vent duct cover
- gargoyle – carved figure of a creature that projects from a gutter
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helix – a spiral shape going up the side of a column or tube
- metope – a panel (sometimes carved or decorated) between triglyphs on a frieze
- mutule – a flat block projecting out from under a soffit, sort of like a large, flat, dentil (Doric)
- openwork – a lattice-like screen that you can see through
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patina – e.g. greenish surface layer on old bronze or copper
- **relief ** – a carving on a wall that projects a bit from the background (bas = slight relief, alto = high relief)
examples
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rivet – round metal pin for rivetting (metal) plates together
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rustication – in stone buildings, a style of stone cutting where the outer faces of the stone are rough, and bulging out
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sgraffito – an ornamental pattern made by cuts or scratches through a surface layer of one color to reveal an underlying material of another color
- stop chamfer – a lark’s tongue, at the end of a chamfer
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taenia – like a string course, but specifically under a frieze
- triglyph – a vertical block on a Doric freize, with grooves and chamfers, separating the metopes of the frieze
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medallion – (e.g. a plaster ceiling medallion) round or oval ornament on a flat surface
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cartouche – like a medallion, but on a wall, and oval or ablong, with a smooth convex surface in the center
- grotesque – decoratations like gargoyles, deliberately fantastical and incongruous
- antic – a gargoyle or other grotesque-style sculpture of a person or creature
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imbrication – a pattern like fish-scales, of overlapping shingles or tiles
- strapwork – flat straps (e.g. metal) that are interlaced into ornamental patterns
examples
examples
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calf’s tongue – like egg-and-dart, or dentils: a strip of molding, carved in relief on a flat surface, with triangular “tongues”
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scallop – an ornamental border (e.g. of an awning) that looks sort of like a row of fish-scale shingles
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purfle – miniature architectural forms used as lacy decoration on a larger structure
- cove – like crown molding, connecting wall and ceiling, in a concave shape
- boltel – molding (e.g. wood) in a convex shape, sort of like a railing
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Arron’s rod – a round bar of molding with 3D scrollwork of vines and leaves
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cable molding – a round bar of molding that looks like twisted rope
- bead – molding with a a small cylindrical rod running along it
examples
examples
- baguette – a smaller version of an astragal
- reeding – molding that looks like several astragal rods running next to each other
- picture rail – horizontal wall molding near the ceiling, for hanging pictures from
- plate rail – horizontal wall molding, to make a shelf for plates
- chair rail – horizontal wall molding at the height of the top of the back of a chair
- broken pediment – a pediment with a gap at the center (often filled with some other ornamentation)
examples
examples
- return – an end bit of molding that continues at a right-angle to the main run of the molding
- coronet – an ornamental pediment over a window or door
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marquee – an awning-like sign thing above the entrance to a theater or hotel
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newel drop – an ornamental post projecting down from an upstairs newel post
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tracery – lacy ornamental openwork in the top part of a gothic window
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cinquefoil – a round tracery opening with a scalloped interior edge so that it looks like a little five-leaf clover
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ferrule – a metal band (or cap) near the end of wood post, to prevent splitting (and to look steampunk)
- vitruvian scroll – scroll pattern used on moldings and borders
passage
- alure – a passageway behind parapets, or along a cloister
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cloister – a covered walkway, typically with a wall on one side and a colonnade on the other – a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walkways
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gangway – a narrow passage, or a temporary raised walkway made of planks
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passageway – a hall or walkway, often narrow, that connects two buildings (or rooms), (typically without doors except at the two ends?)
- porte cochere – a driveway that runs through a building into a courtyard
- postern – a pedestrian side entrance next to a “porte cochere”
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portico – a porch or colonnade leading to an entrance, with a roof over a walkway
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enfilade – doorways that line up in a row, so that you can see down through a series of rooms
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dromos – a long underground passageway into an underground tomb
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causeway – a raised passageway (like an aquaduct for people)
- syrinx – a narrow rock-cut passage
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aisle – walkway between rows of seats in a theater, church, etc.
- sottoportego – an alley that passes underneath a building
railing
examples
examples
- balustrade, projecting – a section of a balustrade that juts out from the rest so that it looks a bit like a balcony
- finial, baluster – finials spaced along posts of a balustrade
roof
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barge board – on a pitched roof, a decorative piece of wood (often carved or shaped) at the edge of the roof, in front of a gable
examples
examples
examples
- crest – e.g. ornamental wood or iron ridge crest that runs along the top of a pitched roof, or around the side of flat roof
examples
- finial – ornamental post at the peak of a roof
- finial, blind – finial at the peak of a blind gable
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gable – the triangular portion of a wall, beneath a pitched roof
- lantern – aka: Roof Lantern
examples
-
pediment – a low, wide gable, sometimes over a door or window, or sometimes over a whole front of a facade (e.g. the front of the Jefferson Memorial)
examples
-
pennant flag – a long, thin, triangular flag – on a finial, or in a row on a parapet
- roof –
- roof, gable-and-valley – e.g. a square building with gables on all four faces, with a roof that looks like four giant dormer window roofs wedged together
- roof, bell – cross-section is shaped like a bell
examples
- roof, hipped – like a pavillion roof, but on a rectangular building, so that there is an apex line at the top
- roof, pavillion – 4 sloped sides on a square building, meeting at an apex point, like a pyramid
- roof, pitched – 2 sloped sides, meeting at an apex line, with gables at the ends
- roof, thatched – made from layers of thatch
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gable – triangular section of wall below a pitched (gabled) roof
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rise vs run – run is the x component, rise is the z component
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hipped gable – a cross between a hipped roof (no gables) and a gabled roof, such that there are little baby-sized hips, and the gable wall ends up being a trapezoid instead of a triangle
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gambrel roof – a barn-style gable roof, resulting in a gable wall as a pentagon instead of a triangle
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mansard roof – like a barn-style roof, but with no gables (like a hipped-gambrel roof)
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hipped roof – a roof that slopes down on all four (or more) sides (no gable walls)
- barrel roof – a roof in the shape of half a cylinder (like a Quonset hut)
examples
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lean-to – a small shed roof set against the wall of a larger building
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appentice – a small shed roof as a porch roof, set against a larger building, to shelter a door
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sawtooth roof – a roof with a cross-section that looks like a series of little 45-45-90 triangles
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eaves – the lower edge of a roof that hangs out beyond the wall
examples
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monitor – like a roof lantern but a long rectangular one that runs along the ridge of the roof
- ridge – horizontal line where two planes of a roof meet
- valley – line of a concave meeting of two roof planes
- hip – line of a convex meeting of two roof planes
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dormer – on a sloping roof, a section that juts out for a window placement
- gable dormer – a dormer with a gable roof
- link dormer – a large gable dormer that ends with a chimney rather than a window, or that joins to parts of a building
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saddle – a roof ridge that runs betwen two other (higher) ridge lines
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cricket – on a sloped roof, a mini gable roof behind a chimney, to divert rainwater around the chimney
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cheek – one of the two sides of dormer (or other projection)
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gutter – metal channel for rainwater at the edge of the roof
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scupper – opening in a wall (e.g. just below a parapet) to drain rainwater from a roof
- king post – center vertical post from the peak of a roof down to the bottom of a gable
examples
- queen post – a pair of vertical posts offset from the center of a roof, instead of using a king post at the center
examples
examples
- hammer-beam roof – a roof supported by sets of horizontal beams that are in turn supported by braces or brackets
examples
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knee wall – a short wall supporting roof rafters (e.g. the wall separating an attic room from the eave storage)
- fly rafter – on a gable roof, the end-most rafter that projects beyond the gable wall
- barge couple – the pair of fly rafters that support the end of a gable roof that projects past the gable
- bargeboard – fancy (e.g. carved) vertical board just below the roof line, in front of a gable
- vergeboard – aka bargeboard
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outrigger – the end of a horizontal roof-support beam that projects out past a (gable) wall to support a projecting roof
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staggered course of shingles – a row of shingles where the different shingles have slightly different lengths, so that the bottom edge of the row is not even
- rafter tail – the end of a rafter supporting an eave, projecting out beyond the wall
examples
- tail cut – an ornamantal cut-away sahpe at the bottom of a rafter tail
- box cornice – a closed area under the eaves, with a soffit between the gutter and the wall
- open cornice – an open area under the eaves, between the gutter and the wall
- cornice return – an end of a cornice that turns 90 degrees and goes around the corner for a foot or two, as an engaged feature in the gable
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diminishing course – courses of shingles that get smaller as they get closer to the ridge of the roof
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standing seam – a seam in a metal roof, where two pieces of sheet metal are crimped together
- wimperg – a gable with decorative carved stuff above the gable, sort of the opposite of having a decorative bargeboard below
structures
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barbicon – an outer building, like a drawbridge gate or watchtower, on the approach to a town or castle
- crane –
- crane, construction – temporary crane used while building the building
- crane, maintenance – e.g. crane attached to the top of building, used for window washing or facade repairs, or to bring HVAC equipment to roof
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crescent – a curved street with a single curved building along it, or matching rowhouses that look like one structure
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insula – common Roman apartment building, mixed-use, with retail ground floor
- mall – a building code term describing a complex of adjacent, connected buildings that operate as one building
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mew – a cul-de-sac of old stables converted to little apartments
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mill wheel – like a paddlewheel on a riverboat, but attached to the side of a mill
- rise, low-rise – 1, 2, or 3 floors
- rise, mid-rise – 5 to 10 stories
- rise, high-rise – has elevators
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stepwell – water well in India with lots of flights of stairs on the sides of an open atrium
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substation – a smaller power station where current is converted from DC to AC, or voltage is converted
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monopteron – a round building with a ring of columns around a central building or courtyard (e.g. the back of the Jefferson Memorial)
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caravansary – an inn for caravans, with a large courtyard surounded by solid walls and a big gate
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rath – a Hindu temple carved out of solid rock to stand as a single piece
- transformer vault – a fire-rated room for transformer equipment, ususally ventilated to the outside, and usually at or below grade
tower
- bartizau – an overhanging turret that juts out from a wall, often at a corner or near a gate
- chimney – vertical shaft to carry fireplace smoke outside
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machicolation – an parapet that overhangs an exterior wall, supported by corbeled arches
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pinnacle – a little solid (stone) tower (spire) to add weight at the top of a buttress or flying buttress
- tower –
examples
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trompe – a splaying, conic surface of masonry (like a trumpet), upon which projecting towers are usually supported
- tower, circular –
- tower, semi-circular –
- tower, spiral minaret –
- tower, square –
examples
wall
examples
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blind door – a doorway set against a flat wall, with no door, as decoration
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brace – like a bracket, but often larger, less decorative and more structural, and often inside the wall structure
examples
- brace, arched –
- brace: coathanger truss – a brace that looks like a wide ^, often spanning two stories
- brace: scissor brace – a brace that looks like an X, often spanning two stories
- bracket – a piece of wood or stone (or metal) that juts out from a wall to support something above (a ceiling, a bay window, etc.)
examples
examples
examples
examples
examples
examples
- buttress, curved – a buttress with a curved profile rather than a straight or angled profile: e.g. like a J instead of a / or I
examples
- buttress, triangular – a buttress with a profile that looks like a /
- corbeling – row(s) of brick (or stone) that project out slightly over the row(s) below
- corbie gable – a roof gable with “corbiestep” coping
- corbiestep – ornamental step-like coping on a gable wall above a roof line
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cross-bracing – X-shaped support beams that are one, two, or many stories tall
- dripstone – a slanted stone projection, on a cornice over a door or window
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embrasure – an interior widening of the wall opening for door or window, so the opening area is larger on the inside of the wall than on the outside
- fractable – ornamental gable wall coping above a roof line
- interlacing arcade – a blind arcade with arches that span the even columns, and interlaced arches spanning the odd columns
- label – a molding or dripstone, with a horizontal part over a door or window, and then shorter vertical segments down a bit on the sides
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niche – a little recessed alcove in a wall, typically with an arched ceiling above
- rammed earth – a wall made of compressed dirt, clay, sand, etc.
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scarcement – ledge on a wall where there is a setback in the wall
- course –
examples
- string course – in a brick or stone wall, a horizontal row (of bricks or stones) that juts out a couple inches, typically at something above head height
examples
examples
- weathering – a small pitched surface on an otherwise vertical wall (like the “water-table” band that runs around the outside of house, say 4 feet from the ground, where the top of the foundation skirting meets the bottom of the ground-story wall
examples
- canton – a feature like a pilaster that projects out from the corner of a building
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return – short perpendicular end-most section of something (e.g. a wall)
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parapet – a low wall at the edge of a roof, or a party wall between buildings that projects up above the roof
- saddle coping – a ^ shape to shed rain, at the top of a wall or top of a railing
- splayed coping – a / shape to shed rain, at the top of a wall
- partition – an interior wall
- interior wall – a wall in a space that is entirely enclosed by exterior walls
- exterior wall – a wall that is not entirely enclosed by other exterior walls
- corner board – a vertical board at the corner of an exterior wall
- rake – a board at the top of a gable, flat against the gable, just under the roof eaves
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dado – the part of an interior wall below about chair rail height
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supercolumniation – the columns on a multi-story building, where the upper-story columns and arches line up with the lower-story columns and arches
- anchor – a metal plate fastened to the outside of a brick wall (sometimes star shaped)
examples
- anta – a thick engaged column at the corner of two exterior walls
- buttress – like an engaged column, but with a splayed out “nosing” so that it is wider near the ground
- amortizement – an outward sloping section, to shed rainwater, on a buttress or pier
- nosing – a projecting edge of a buttress
- green wall – a wall covered in plants
- diagonal bracing – any sort of cross-brace or knee-brace or diagonally oriented brace
examples
- living wall – a green wall with its own soil, independent of the ground, and an automatic irrigation system
- biowall – aka living wall
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green facade – a green wall with climbing plants that have their roots in the ground below
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trombe wall – a thermal mass wall with a glass facade for absorbing solar radiation
- headwall – a retaining wall at one end of a culvert, where water flows into a big drain pipe to go under a road
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spandrel – in a multi-story office building, a panel between the top of the window on one story and the bottom of the window on the next story
- batter – a slight inward slope on the face of a wall
examples
window
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clerestory window – series of windows near the roofline (often above the neighboring roof)
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deep set window – a window in a thick wall, where the window glass is set back from the plane of the wall
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lintel – horizontal stone (or wood) beam that holds up the rest of the wall above a doorway (or window)
examples
- lucarne window – synonym for “dormer window”
- lucarne window, circular – see also: oeil-de-boeuf
- lucarne window, wasted-oval –
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middle rail – in tudor buildings, a horizontal beam running under a set of windows, sort of like a big sturdy chair-rail
- oeil-de-boeuf – aka “ox-eye window” – a small oval (or round) window, on an upper story or on a dormer
examples
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oriel window – a window that pokes out from the side of a wall, like a bay window or a dormer window?
- pediment – ornamental “hat” above a door, window, or niche
- pediment, arched (segmental) –
- **pediment, triangular ** –
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shop stall – a wooden shutter with a hinge on the bottom instead of the side, so that it opens down from a window to form a shelf
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transom – horizontal beam between lower window (or door) and transom window
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window unit – the entire assembly for a window, including frame, sash, etc.
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sash – the moving (openable) structure that the glass is fixed in
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dressing – the ornamental molding around the window (or door) frame
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muntin – the vertical or horizontal woodwork between different panes in a sash
- apron – a flat piece of wood on the inside of building right below the inside window sill
- skirt – aka: apron
- horn – a bit of a windowsill that projects beyond the edge of the frame
- box-head window – a double-hung window where the top sash can slide into a wall pocket above the window frame
- drop window – a double-hung window where the bottom sash can slide into a wall pocket below the window sill
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jalousie – a window blind, like a venetian blind, with slats that can be adjusted
- french window – like french door: a pair of casement windows that go all the way to the floor
- cremorne bolt – a vertical locking rod (actually a pair) on a French window, with a knob at the middle
- balconet – a little railing or balustrade that projects only a tiny bit out from a wall in front of a window
examples
examples
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clerestory – windows in the top of wall, above adjacent rooftops
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borrowed light – light coming through a window in an interior wall or partition into an interior room
examples
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internal dormer – a dormer that is cut back into the roof, so that it has no external walls of its own, and no added roof surfaces
examples
examples
examples
not-parts-of-a-building
- 4-inch cubical module coordinates – a building component planning grid based on 4” or 100mm cubical voxels
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anamorphosis – a distorted projection (e.g. around a mirrored cylinder)
- architecture, humble –
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archetype – the pattern that all instances of a kind are based on (e.g. midrise quad archetype)
- barrier-free ergonomics – buildings (and places) that are fully accessible by everyone
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belvedere – any architectural structure sited to take advantage of a nice view (could be a whole building, or just a turret or balcony)
- building area – total area inside the exterior walls of the building, excluding courts (and vent shafts), but including other areas covered by the ceiling above
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feasibility study – analysis of the cost and technical feasibility of a proposed project
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forced perspective – (e.g. stone wall where upper courses are narrower than lower courses, or flight of stairs where treads and risers gradually diminish in size)
- organic – irregular shapes that look like plants or animals
- parametric modeling – systems of rules and constraints to define 3D objects
- post-occupancy studies – study of a completed building’s functionality
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preferred angle – an angle for a flight of stairs between 28 and 36 degrees, or an angle for a ramp less than 5 degrees
- proposal – offering a plan for consideration
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prosopopoeia – something in the garden/landscape that speaks directly to the passerby
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quadrant – a 90-degree arc of a circle, or one of the four quarters of a plane, numbered 1,2,3,4 counterclockwise from the upper right
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restrictive covenant – agreement (e.g. among property owners) that restricts the uses of a property (e.g. no burning fossil fuels)
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sketch – quickly done preliminary representation of the main features of something, without exact details
- tight fit – careful design, where the use of a space is pre-planned with the shape of the space (e.g. for built-ins), vs big open-plan spaces
- universal design – designing products and buildings to be accessible to everyone
- bearing – horizontal direction, measured in degrees east (or west) of north
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interstice – little gap spaces between things (as in “intersticial”)
- xylograph –
construction
examples
- insulating concrete – concrete made with a foaming agent or lightweight aggregate (like perlite) that gives low thermal conductivity
- vermiculite – a lightweight aggregate of mica that has been expanded into threads
- air-entraining agent – substance added to concrete to disperse air in insulating concrete
- Sonotube – brand name for cardboard tubes used as forms for columns
examples
