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Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section
of the glossary. If the term you are looking for starts with a digit or symbol, choose the
'#' link.
- abacus
- A tablet placed horizontally on the capital of a column, aiding the
support of the architrave.
- abutment
- A solid piece of masonry used to support a projecting part of a
structure, for example, the supports that connect a bridge with a river bank.
- acropolis
- The citadel in ancient Greek towns.
- adobe
- Sun-dried brick used in places with warm, dry climates, such as Egypt and
Mexico; the clay from which bricks are made; the structures built out of adobe bricks.
- ambulatory
- A continuous aisle in a circular building, as in a church.
- apse
- A semicircular area; in most churches it contains the altar.
- arabesque
- Ornament consisting of garlands of foliage with figures, fancifully
interlaced to form graceful curves and painted, inlaid, or carved in low relief.
- arcade
- A series of arches supported by columns or piers, or a passageway formed
by these arches.
- arch
- A curved structure that supports the weight of the material above it.
- architrave
- The lowest part of an entablature resting on the capital of a column;
also, the holdings around a doorway.
- ashlar
- Stones hewn and squared for use in building, as distinguished from rough
stones.
- atrium
- In an ancient Roman structure, a central room open to the sky, usually
having a pool for the collection of rainwater. In Christian churches, a courtyard flanked
by porticos.
- attic
- The part of the entablature above the cornice, serving to hide the roof.
- baldachin
- A richly ornamented canopy structure supported by columns, suspended from
a roof, or projected from a wall, as over an altar.
- Baroque
- A style that flourished in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,
characterized by exuberant decoration, curvaceous forms, and a grand scale generating a
sense of movement; later developments show greater restraint.
- basilica
- The early Greek name for a royal palace; a large oblong building with
double columns and a semicircular apse at one end, frequently used by Christian emperors
of Rome for religious purposes.
- Bauhaus
- The style of the Bauhaus School, founded in Germany by Walter Gropius in
1919, emphasizing simplicity, functionalism, and craftsmanship.
- buttress
- A projecting support built into or against the external wall of a
building, typically used in Gothic buildings.
- Byzantine
- A style dating from the fifth century, characterized by masonry
construction around a central plan, with domes on penditives, typically depicting the
figure of Christ; foliage patterns on stone capitals; and interiors decorated with mosaics
and frescos.
- campanile
- A bell tower usually not actually attached to a church; also, lofty
towers that form parts of buildings.
- cantilever
- A horizontal projection, such as a balcony or beam, supported at one end
only.
- classicism
- A tradition of Greek and Roman antiquity, distinguished by the qualities
of simplicity, harmony, and balance.
- Classical Revival
- The Italian Renaissance or neoclassical movements in England and the
United States in the nineteenth century that looked to the traditions of Greek and Roman
antiquity.
- clerestory
- Part of an interior rising above adjacent rooftops, permitting the
passage of light.
- cloister
- In religious institutions, a courtyard with covered walks.
- colonnade
- A row of columns, usually equidistant.
- column
- A vertical support; in an order it consists of a shaft and capital, often
resting on a base.
- Composite Order
- A Roman order; its capital combines the Corinthian acanthus leaf
decoration with volutes from the Ionic Order.
- Corinthian Order
- The last of the three Greek orders, similar to the Ionic, but with the
capital decorated with carvings of the acanthus leaf.
- cornice
- The upper part of an entablature, extending beyond the frieze.
- dome
- A roof formed by a series of arches, roughly forming a semicircle.
- Doric Order
- The first and simplest of the three Greek orders and the only one that
normally has no base.
- entablature
- The upper horizontal part of an order, between a capital and the roof; it
consists of the architrave, frieze, and cornice.
- facade
- Any important face of a building, usually the principal front with the
main entrance.
- frieze
- The middle part of an entablature, often decorated with spiral scrolls
(volutes).
- gargoyle
- A spout placed on the roof gutter of a Gothic building to carry away
rainwater, commonly carved fancifully as in the shapes of animal heads.
- Georgian
- The prevailing style of English architecture during the reigns of George
I, II, and III (1714- 1820), based on the principles of the Italian Renaissance architect
Andrea Palladio. The style was transported to England by Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher
Wren. It became the prototype for the colonial style in America.
- Gothic
- A style employed in Europe during the thirteenth, fourteenth, and
fifteenth centuries; also called pointed. It is characterized by the use of pointed arches
and ribbed vaults, piers, and buttresses in the support of its stone construction. The
style is best exemplified by the Notre Dame in Paris and the cathedrals of Amiens and
Bourges.
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- Ionic Order
- Second of the three Greek orders. Its capital is decorated with spiral
scrolls (volutes).
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- lintel
- See post and lintel.
- loggia
- A rostrum developed in medieval Italian towns, roofed, slightly elevated,
and open on three sides, from which orators could address crowds.
- minaret
- A slender, lofty tower with balconies attached to a Muslim mosque.
- module
- The measurement that architects use to determine the proportions of a
structure, for example, the diameter of a column.
- narthex
- An enclosed passage from the nave to the main entrance of a church.
- nave
- The principal area of a church, extending from the main area to the
transept.
- Norman
- A style of buildings erected by the Normans (1066 - 1154) based on the
Italian Romanesque. It was used principally in castles, churches, and abbeys of massive
proportions. Sparsely decorated masonry and the use of the round arch are characteristic.
- order
- A term applied to the three styles of Greek architecture, the Dorian,
Corinthian, and Ionic, referring to the style of columns and their entablatures; it also
refers to the Composite and the Tuscan, developed from the original three orders.
- pagoda
- A temple or sacred building, typically in an Asian nation, usually
pyramidal, forming a tower with upward curving roofs over the individual stories.
- pediment
- In a classical-style building, the triangular segment between the
horizontal entablature and the sloping roof.
- pendentive
- A curved support shaped like an inverted triangle, used to support a
dome.
- pier
- A large pillar used to support a roof.
- portico
- A structure usually attached to a building, such as a porch, consisting
of a roof supported by piers or columns.
- post and lintel
- A method of construction in which vertical beams (posts) are used to
support a horizontal beam (lintel).
- pyramid
- In ancient Egypt, a quadrilateral masonry mass with steeply sloping sides
meeting at an apex, used as a tomb.
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- relief
- Moldings and ornamentation projecting from the surface of a wall.
- Renaissance
- Styles existing in Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries;
adaptations of ancient Roman elements to contemporary uses, with attention to the
principles of Vitruvius and to existing ruins. Symmetry, simplicity, and exact
mathematical relationships are emphasized.
- Rococo
- A style originating in France c. 1720, developed out of Baroque types,
and characterized by its ornamentation of shellwork, foliage, etc., and its refined use of
different materials, such as stucco, metal, or wood for a delicate effect.
- Romanesque
- A style developed in western and southern Europe after 1000 characterized
by heavy masonry and the use of the round arch, barrel and groin vaults, narrow openings,
and the vaulting rib, the vaulting shaft, and central and western towers.
- spire
- A tall, tapering, acutely pointed roof to a tower, as in the top of a
steeple.
- tracery
- Ornament of ribs, bars, etc., in panels or screens, as in the upper part
of a Gothic window.
- transept
- A structure that forms the arms of a T - or cross-shaped church.
- Tudor
- A style of English architecture prevalent during the reigns of the Tudors
(1485- 1558), transitional between Gothic and Palladian, with emphasis on privacy and
interiors.
- turret
- A small tower, usually starting at some distance from the ground,
attached to a building such as a castle or fortress.
- Tuscan Order
- A Roman order resembling the Doric without a fluted shaft.
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- vault
- An arched brick or stone ceiling or roof. The simplest form is the barrel
vault, a single continuous arch; the groined vault consists of two barrel vaults joined at
right angles; a ribbed vault has diagonal arches projecting from the surface.
- westwork
- In German Romanesque, a monumental entrance to a church consisting of
porches and towers, with a chapel above.
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- Links -
Architecture resources
- directory of architecture related websites and discussion groups.
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