Download Glossary of Architectural Terms

Glossary of Architectural Terms
Abacus In the Doric Order, the abacus is a square slab that sits on top of the column's capital and supports the architrave or arch. The function of an abacus is to broaden the support provided by the column. Aisle Alter Apse The part of a building divided off by an arcade. A vlock or stand where offering are made to a deity. An often vaulted, semicircular or polygonal end of a room, usually in a church. Similar to the Roman exedra.
Examples: ‐ Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome ‐ Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna
Arcade A series of columns or piers spanned by arches. A series of arches supported by columns or piers, either attached to a wall or freestanding. Examples: ‐ Plaza Mayor, Madrid ‐ Place des Vosges, Paris Arch A rounded element that spans an opening is called an arch. A basic element of construction, arches appear in all types of architecture. Arches can be decorative or structural. Early civilizations building arches include the Mesopotamians (as early as the 2nd millennium BCE) the Egyptians and the Greeks. Roman architecture adopted the arch from the Etruscans and used it extensively in building, bridges and their famous aqueducts. 1
Architrave The architrave is the lowest element of the entablature, and rests on top columns. Astragal A small convex moulding. Atrium The inner court of a Roman house, open to the sky; an open court in front of an early Christian church A common base used for columns in classical architecture, the Attic base is made up of an upper and lower torus, separated by a scotia with fillets. In architecture a base is the lowest part or lowest main division of a structure. For columns, the base is the lowest portion of three parts, from top to bottom: the base, the shaft and the capital. Typically, Egyptian columns and Greek Doric columns have no base and are placed directly on the floor. Ionic columns may have an elaborate base built up of groups of mouldings and fillets. Attic Base Base Barrel Vault A ceiling or roof consisting of a continuous semicircular or pointed arch. Also known as a tunnel vault. Example: ‐ St. Peter's Basilica, Rome Baroque The extravagant European architecture style of the 17th and 18th centuries. The lower part of a column. Base 2
Basilica Battlement Bead Beak Moulding Beam Bed‐mould A Roman and Christian building type with an aisled nave. A parapet with alternating high and low sections; also called crenellation. A convex moulding, usually semi‐circular. There are a variety of different types of beads. Examples include: angle bead, nosing bead, double bead and so forth. Moulding shaped into a beak‐like form. A structural member that caries a load. Beams are usually placed horizontally and care a vertical load where the weight is transferred to walls, girders or columns. The moulding that appears under the projecting cornice. It is considered part of the cornice. Bell In reference to columns, the bell is a bell‐shaped part of the capital between the neck moulding and the abacus. It is common to columns in the Corinthinian order where it is decorative with acanthus leaves. Bell Tower Buttress A tower for bells. Pier of brick or stone giving additional strength to the wall to which it is attached An arched support carrying the trust of a vault to an outer buttress Buttress, Flying 3
Campanile A freestanding bell tower, usually near a church. Examples: ‐ Campanile di San Marco, Venice ‐ Houses of Parliament Clock Tower, London Cantilever An overhanging projection with no support on its outside edge. Example: ‐ Falling Water, Mill Run Capital Cap The top of a column. In architecture, a cap is the top element in a division or structure. Caryatid A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. Cella Celrestorey Principal interior of a temple, housing the cult image. The upper part of the side walls of a building, especially a church, rising above the aisle roofs and pierced by windows. A lime‐based paste that binds together and sets hard; it is used in mortar, concrete, and as render. A subsection of a church with its own altar, or a small church. A style of commercial architecture developed by the Chicago School, applied primarily to multistory office Cement Chapel Chicago School Style 4
Coffers buildings and mercantile buildings constructed from about 1875 to 1930. Usually characterized by a tripartite scheme consisting of a base that is one to three stories high, a shaft many stories high; and a cap, usually one to three stories high that tops the structure; a flat roof; an overhanging cornice; unadorned fenestration, most often with large rectangular windows sometimes called the Chicago Commercial style. A recessed, usually square or octagonal panel in a ceiling often used to lighten the weight of a dome. Examples: ‐ Pantheon, Rome ‐ Union Station, Washington Capital The uppermost elements of a column. In classical architecture capitals are one of the most distinctive elements defining the different orders. Colonette Colonnade Column A small column. A row of columns. A vertical support element. In classical architecture, columns are visually distinctive elements that help define the order. 5
Composite Order One of the five orders of classical architecture developed by the Romans. As the name implies, the Composite order combines elements from the Corinthian and Ionic orders. Very similar to the Corinthian order, but here ionic volutes are added to the capital. Examples: ‐ Pantheon, Rome ‐ US Capitol, Washington DC Concave Concrete Congé Convex Corinthian Order A curved surface like the interior of a circle. A mixture of cement and aggregate (sand and stones) that dries very hard; it is used as a building material. A concave moulding. A round surface curved outward. One of the five orders of classical architecture. Typically, Corinthian columns are slender and fluted. Their capitals are bell‐shaped and ornately decorated with acanthus leaves. The most ornate of the classical Greek orders, characterized by a fluted column and a capital decorated with acanthus leaves. Examples: ‐ Pantheon, Rome ‐ US Capitol, Washington DC Cornice The top element of the entablature including the following elements: the cyma, the corona and the bed‐
moulding. A molding or ornamentation that projects from the top of a building. 6
Corona A component of the cornice that has a vertical face and horizontal soffit. Crossing The area in a church where nave, transepts, and choir intersect. A tunnel or barrel vault intersecting at right angles. Also known as a groin vault; the groin is the line created by the intersection. Examples: ‐ Seville Cathedral ‐ St. Paul's Church, Antwerp Cross Vault Crystal Palace Cupola The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and plate-glass building
originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house
the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors
from around the world gathered in the Palace's 990,000
square feet (92,000 m2) of exhibition space to display
examples of the latest technology developed in the Industrial
Revolution. Designed by Joseph Paxton, the Great Exhibition
building was 1,851 feet (564 m) long, with an interior height
of 128 feet (39 m). Because of the recent invention of the cast
plate glass method in 1848, which allowed for large sheets of
cheap but strong glass, it was at the time the largest amount
of glass ever seen in a building and astonished visitors with
its clear walls and ceilings that did not require interior lights,
thus a "Crystal Palace".
A small, domed structure on top of a roof. Examples: ‐ Massachusetts State House, Boston ‐ St. Peter's Basilica, Rome Cupola, Merchant's Exchange, Philadelphia
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Curtain Wall A nonstructural exterior wall, usually of glass and steel.
Examples: ‐ Lever House, New York City ‐ UN Secretariat, New York City Cyclopean Masonry Cyma Very large masonry. Cyma Recta A moulding with a double curvature is called a cyma or sometimes, a wave moulding. Used as the uppermost element in a cornice. A cyma moulding having an upper concave curve and a lower convex curve Cyma Reversa A cyma moulding having an upper convex curve and a lower concave curve. Cymatium A small cyma is called a cymatium. When a cyma is used as the crown moulding of an entablature, it is called a cymatium. 8
Dentils Tooth‐like blocks used in a close repeating pattern. Dentils are used in some Doric Order buildings in place of mutules. Dentils also appear on the bed moulding of Ionic, Corinthian and Composite orders. Die On a pedestal, the die is a rectangular block that separates cap from the base. Dome A vaulted structure with an elliptical plan, usually a cross‐section of a sphere, used to distribute an equal thrust in all directions. Examples: ‐ US Capitol, Washington DC ‐ St. Peter's Basilica, Rome US Capitol, Washington DC
Doric Order One of the five orders of classical architecture, which also include: Tuscan, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite. The Doric order was developed in Greece and adopted by the Romans. Identifying features include columns that are stouter than the other orders, often 6 to 7 times as tall as the diameter at the base. In Greece Doric columns rested directly on the floor without the benefit of a pedestal or base moulding. Roman Doric columns tend to be slimmer and sit upon an Attic base. The Doric entablature is characterized by the triglyphs and metopes. 9
Dormer A window in a small, often gabled structure set vertically on a sloping roof, allowing light to enter the attic. Example: ‐ Palacio de Santa Cruz, Madrid Drum A circular or polygonal wall which supports a dome or cupola. Examples: ‐ Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan ‐ St. Paul's Cathedral, London Eaves The edge of a roof. In most structures the eaves project beyond the surface of the wall protecting it from rain and snow. Echinus Decorative moulding. Used on columns in classical architecture, the echinus sits below the abacus and above the necking Egg and Dart An ornamental band molding of egg forms alternating with dart forms. Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889, held
in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789.
The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the
Exposition, but it still stands today, despite all protests from
contemporary artists who feared the construction would be the
advent of structures without 'individuality' and despite the many
people who feared that this huge 'object' would not fit into the
architecture of Paris.
The Tallest
Inaugurated March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower would be the
tallest structure in the world until the completion of the Chrysler
Building in 1930.
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Engaged Column A column partially built into a wall; not freestanding. Entabulature In classical architecture, the uppermost elements supported by columns are referred to as the entablature. Components of the enblature include: the architrave, the frieze and the cornice. Entasis From the word "bowed," entasis describes the subtle curve of a column. Extrados The convex curve formed by the outer edge of an arch. The inner edge is called the intrados. Semicircular, often domed recess. Example: ‐ Trajan's Markets, Rome A flat horizontal surface. In classical architecture, fascia are often used in multiple bands, each projecting beyond the one below. Fascia Federal Style American neoclassical architecture of c. 1776‐1830. Fenestration The arrangement of windows and doors on the 11
Fillet elevations of a building. A narrow band with a vertical face. Fillets are often interposed between curved mouldings. Fillet, Sunk A fillet that is depressed between two other architectural elements. Finial A sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure. Frieze Sitting below the cornice and above the architrave, the frieze is the central element of the entablature. The frieze may be left plain or decorated in relief. The horizontal part of a classical entablature just below the cornice, often decorated with carvings. Examples: ‐ Pantheon, Rome ‐ Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC Fresco A painting with pigment applied directly into wet plaster. The front face or projection created by a pitched roof. The triangular section of a wall on the side of a building with a double‐pitched roof. Gable 12
Gargoyle A grotesquely carved figure that serves as a spout to carry water from a gutter away from the building. Examples: ‐ Notre‐Dame, Paris ‐ Sacré‐Coeur, Paris Georgian Style Giant Order English architecture style of C. 1714‐1830. Gothic Style Gothic Revival Groin Vault Hieroglyph Columns or pilasters rising from the ground floor through more than one story. Gothic architecture developed in Europe during the medieval period, from about 500 CE to 1500 CE. Evolving from Romanesque architecture it fell from vogue with the renewed interest in classical architecture during the Renaissance, from about 1400 CE to 1500 CE. A late 18th and early 18th century style drawing on ancient Greek example. A vault caused by the intersection at right angels of two barrel vaults. Hip Roof An inclined section of the roof connecting two sloping roof planes that meet at the ridge. Hypostyle Hall 13
Ionic Order One of five orders of classical architecture, the others being: Tuscan, Doric, Corinthian and Composite. The Ionic and Doric styles were widely used in ancient Greece and later adopted by the Romans. Ionic columns are characterized by volutes in the capital. One of the classical orders characterized by a fluted column, a molded base and a capital decorated with volutes. Example: ‐ Palais Garnier, Paris Intrados The inside curved soffit of an arch. The opposite face is known as the extrados. Italianate A style occurred in the early 19th century as American trade with areas around the Mediterranean increased. Keystone The central wedge‐shaped stone at the crown of an arch that locks all parts together. Examples: ‐ Arc de Triomf, Barcelona ‐ Arch of Titus, Rome Jamb Law of Frontality The sides of a door or window frame. 14
Lean‐to The lean‐to is one of the simplest roofs formed by a single sloping plane. Lintel A horizontal beam spanning the opening, such as one made by a door or window. An ancient Egyptian tomb with a rectangular base, sloping sides, and a flat roof. Mastaba Medieval Mausoleum Metope Minaret Modernist Modillion The period in European history, c 1000‐ c 1550 ce. A building constructed as a burial chamber for a deceased person or persons. Examples: ‐ Mausoleum of Augustus, Rome ‐ Taj Mahal, Agra ‐ Grant's Tomb The panel between the *triplyphs in the *Doric frieze, often carved A tall slender tower with balconies usually related to a mosque. The architectural style currently from c 1920 till the late 20th century. Brackets that appear beneath the corona. Frequently used in the Corinthian and Composite order. 15
Modillion, Block Modillions Rectangular shaped modillions. Mosaic Motif Mouldings A picture made of tiny colored tiles. A decorative element, usually repeated. A variety of decorative strips. Mouldings come in a variety of shapes and forms. A rectangular block that hangs from the soffit of the cornice in the Doric order. Mutules appear over the triglyphs. Large vestibule at the western end of a church The main arm of a church, west of the crossing and generally flanked by aisle. On a Doric column, the necking appears as a plain section beneath the capital and above the astragal. Mutule Narthex Nave Necking Neoclassical An architectural style based on Classical precedents, Obelisk Oculus Ovolo which was fashionably in the 18th and early 19th centuries. A tall, four‐sided tapering form. A round window; a circular opening in a wall or at the apex of a dome. A convex moulding, among woodworkers it is referred to as a "quarter round." 16
Parapet Pavilion Pedestal A small villa or pleasure pavilion In classical architecture columns may sit on a pedestal, usually having a square die, a base and cornice. Pediment A wide, low‐pitched gable, often surmounting a colonnade. Exemples: ‐ Panthéon, Rome ‐ Palais Bourbon, Paris The spherical triangle or concave spandrel connecting the corners of a square or polygonal interior with a circular dome A square pillar or the part of a wall that sits between doors or windows. A rectangular column with a base, shaft and capital projecting from a wall as an ornamental motif. Example: ‐ City Hall, Philadelphia Pendentive Pier Pilaster 17
Perisyle Hall Plinth The lowest part of the base of a column or pedestal. The plinth helps to distribute the weight born by the column more evenly. A platform supporting a Classical temple. Doorway A roofed porch usually supported by columns, often leading to the entrance of the building. Examples: ‐ White House, Washington ‐ Pantheon, Rome Podium Portal Portico Post A vertical element that may be used to support walls or horizontal beams. A term descriptive of trabeated construction. Post and Example: vertical supports carrying horizontal beams. lintel Processional Quoin Reed Large block used to strengthen angles and corners. Sometimes called reed moulding or reeding, a series of convex mouldings running parallel. Renaissance The revival of Classical forms and learning in Italy in the 15th ‐16th centuries and 16th‐17th centuries in northern Europe. 18
Ridge Two sloping roofs join to create a ridge. A light and delicate 18th century style. Pertaining to ancient Rome, and especially the Roman Empire 27 BCE ‐330 CE Romanesque The architectural style of C 1000‐1200 CE. Rococo Roman Style A Romanesque revival style named after the American Richardson Romanesque 19th century architect H.H. Richardson. Characterized by heavy arches and masonry walls. Examples: ‐ Trinity Church, Boston ‐ Ontario Legislative Building, Toronto Rose Window A circular window usually found in churches and symmetrically decorated with stained glass. Examples: ‐ Notre‐Dame, Paris ‐ National Cathedral, Washington, DC Rotunda A circular room, often with a dome. Examples: ‐ National Gallery of Art, Washington DC ‐ Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco Rustication Sea‐shell Masonry in which the blocks are separated by deeply—
cut joints. A ground‐floor room giving access to the garden, often decorated naturalistically of like a grotto A decorative element in the shape of a sea‐shell. Shaft Shingle The cylindrical body of a column. A wooden tile; also a late 19th century American Sala terrena 19
Spire arcitectural variation of the Queen Anne style. The tall, tapering top of a church tower; also called a steeple. Sphinx A sphinx is a mythical creature with a body of a lion and the head of a human or a cat. Scotia A concave moulding between two fillets. A scotia is one of the elements used in the Attic base of columns. Shaft The portion of a column between the base and the capital. A tall ornamental structure, usually surmounting a tower and ending in a spire. Example: ‐ Independence Hall, Philadelphia Steeple Soffit The underside of a roof formed by eaves or a cornice. 20
Spandrel The triangular space formed by the extrados of an arch and other wall elements. String Course Horizontal moulding usually made from a series of complex profiles. Tænia A fillet positioned directly above the architrave. Part of the entablature. Temple of Queen Hatshepsut Terracotta Clay material that has been molded and fired, often used for building ornaments or cladding. Also written terra cotta or terra‐cotta. Examples: ‐ The Drake, Philadelphia ‐ Fisher Building, Chicago ‐ Natural History Museum, London 21
Three Orders Doric Three‐
quarter Hollow Three‐
quarter Moulding Characterized by sturdy column with cushion capital and a *frieze of *triglyphs and *metopes. Corinthian Characterized by a slender and ornate column with a bell‐shaped capital adorned with *volutes and two rows of acanthus leaves Ionic Characterized by capitals with large *volutes, a continuous *frieze, and elegant detailing Moulding shaped by a three‐quarter concave profile. Moulding shaped by a three‐quarter convex profile. Thumb Molding Thumb‐shaped moulding. Torus A semi‐circular, convex moulding. The torus is one of the distinctive elements in the Attic base used by columns in classical architecture. Tower of Babel The building of the Tower of Babel and the Confusion of Tongues (languages) in ancient Babylon. "Babel" is composed of two words, "bab" meaning "gate" and "el," "god." Hence, "the gate of god." A related word in Hebrew, "balal" means "confusion." Trabeated Descriptive of architecture based on the post‐and –
lintel system of the Greeks in contrast to the actuated 22
Travertine Triglyph Trinity Church system of the Roman An Italian cream‐colored limestone A rectangular detail, representative of the beams used in post and beam construction. In the Doric order, regularly spaced triglyphs appear on the frieze. The spaces between the triglyphs are called metopes. Boston, Mass.
Designed in 1877 by Henry Hobson Richardson
Trinity Church 79 Broadway, Lower Manhattan, is a historic, active parish
church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Trinity
Church is at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway, in
New York.
Tuscan Order One of the five orders of classical architecture. The Tuscan order was developed in Rome and does not appear in ancient Greece. Added to the classical orders by Renaissance architectural scholars who felt that the Tuscan order predates the Greek Doric and Ionic. Tuscan columns are unfluted with a simple base and unadorned capital and entablature. A classical order characterized by an unfluted column and a plain base and capital. Example: ‐ Union Station, Chicago Tympanum Triangular or segmental vertical surface enclosed by the mouldings of a pediment; area between the lintel of a doorway and the surmounting arch 23
Valley The area formed between the ridges of two adjoined roofs. Valley Horizontal Valley The area formed by the parallel ridges of two roofs. Vault Volute Vaults are formed by the continuation of an arch. The spiral scroll on the corners of Ionic and Corinthian capitals A spiral form which is a distinctive element of the capital of Ionic columns. An arched structure of stone, brick or reinforced concrete forming a ceiling or roof over a wholly or partially enclosed space. Examples: ‐ Friedrichswerdersche Kirche, Berlin ‐ Grand Central Terminal, New York City Moulding formed by two round mouldings. Volutes Wave Moulding 24