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Archtionary
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A-Frame Houses
 A
residential-style characterized by a steeply-pitched and
angled roof extended to ground-level giving the house an "A"
shape. Gained popularity between the mid-1950's through the
1970's. Typically inexpensive, the A-Frame utilizes natural
materials like wood and have many large windows on the front
and rear facades and is 1 1/2 or 2 1/2 stories. Because of
the the limited living space, these homes are most often
found as vacation homes frequently located in wooded areas,
in the mountains or by the beach.
Acre
A plot of land of total area
equaling 43,560 ft
Adam
Style
See Federal style
definition.
Adaptive Reuse
Is a process that adapts or
re-orders buildings for new uses but maintain its aesthetic
expression historically or otherwise.
Aisle
Subsidiary space alongside the
body of a building that is separated columns or posts
Air
Duct
Pipes that carry warm and cool
air back and forth to rooms and the climate control system.
Air
Plenum
 Any
space used to convey air in a building, furnace, or
structure for heating, ventilation or air-conditioning. The
space above a suspended ceiling or beneath a raised floor is
often used as an air plenum.
Alcove
A small room or recessed opening out of a larger room or in a hollow space in a wall.
American Foursquare Houses
 Post-Victorian
style which typically features a boxy, two-story form with
hipped roofs, dormers, front porches, deep overhangs, and
roomy interiors. Most decorative features were saved for the
front porch which could reflect either Colonial Revival
details or Bungalow elements.
Anchor
Any fastener used to attach
parts such as joists, trusses, posts, etc. to masonry or
concrete
Apron
Trim used under the stool on
interior windows: a driveway apron is the area, construction
or improvement between the curb cut or proposed curb line
and the back edge of walk line, to provide ingress and
egress for vehicles from the alley, street, or roadway to a
definite area of the private property.
Apse
Vaulted semicircular or
polygonal end of a chancel or chapel
Arcade
Passage or walkway covered over
by a succession of arches or vaults which are supported by
columns.
Arch
A curved structure that will
support itself and the weight above its curved opening by
mutual pressure
Architrave
In classic architecture:
lowest section of an entablature, which comes into
contact with the top of the columns.
Areaway
Below-grade recessed area
around the foundation to allow light and ventilation into
the basement window
Arris
Sharp edge formed when two
planes or surfaces meet
Art
Deco
 An
architectural style popularized between 1925-1945 themed to
a machine-styled or futuristic motif predominately used in
small scale commercial buildings. Characteristics often
begin with an asymmetrical design which includes an emphasis
on verticality and low-relief geometrical ornamentation.
Chevrons, hallow fluted columns and muted polychromes are
common features. External materials include ornamental
metal-often bronze-granite or terra cotta with flat roofs
and irregularly placed but rectangular or squared sections.
Art
Moderne
 Art
Moderne a type of architecture popular in the United States
from 1925 to around 1980; sometimes confused with Art Deco,
it uses horizontal orientation while Art Deco uses vertical
orientation. Features stripped down forms and
geometric-based ornament with a unique streamlined or wind
tunneled look, which is emphasized by the use of curved
window glass that curves around that corners of the
buildings. Some other characteristics of Art Moderne
buildings include rounded edges, corner windows, glass wall
blocks, mirrored panels, ribbon or band windows with metal
frames, string course along coping of wall, flat roof,
curved canopies, smooth wall finish, and railings,
balusters, and door and window trim all done with either
aluminum or stainless steel.
Ashlars
Masonry of large blocks cut
with even faces and square edges
Atrium
Open court within a building.
Attic
The space between the ceiling
and roof of a structure.
Attic Ventilators
In houses, screened openings
provided to ventilate an attic space.
Awning Window
Has sashes that are hinged at
the top, swings out at an angle, and resembles an awning
when open
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Backfill
The replacement of excavated
earth into a trench around and against a basement
foundation.
Backsplash
A vertical extension at the back of a counter or other working surface to protect the wall behind it.
Bahut
Dwarf-wall of plain masonry,
carrying the roof of a cathedral or church and masked or
hidden behind the balustrade
Balcony
A porch suspended or elevated from an upper level of a building having no outside access.
Balloon Framing
Also called eastern framing, is characterized by placement of the first floor joists directly upon the sill plate and the second
floor joists bearing on ledger strips set into the studs.
Baluster
One of the short posts or columns that support the railing of a staircase, balcony or terrace.
Balustrade
A row of balusters and the railing on them.
Banisters
The handrail of a staircase, balcony or terrace and its row of supports.
Bargeboard
The extended boards from a
gable end-often decorated in Victorian and Gothic
architecture.
Baroque
 Flamboyant,
highly ornamented style of
architecture and art which was big and bold in form and
color. Baroque means means “irregular, contorted,
grotesque”. The style
started in Italy and Spain, as a post-Renaissance style and
was popular in Austria, Germany and Russia in the 1600s -
1750s. Some common characteristics include enormous curving
forms, elaborate facades, colonnades and domes.
Barrel vault
A vault with a simple semi-cylindrical roof found especially in Roman and Romanesque architecture.
Baseboard
Trim affixed at the base of an interior wall.
Basement
The lowest level of the house
that is mostly below the grade level
Batten
Narrow strips of wood used to
cover joints or as decorative vertical members over plywood
or wideboards.
Bauhaus
 A
social, political, art and architecture movement which arose
out of a school founded by Walter Gropius in Germany which
operated between 1919 to 1933. The term "Bauhaus" arises
from the German words for "to build" and "house." The
Bauhaus style of architectural design which was known as the
International style in the United States and brought into
prominence by German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is
typically identified by a number of characteristics. This
was a radical departure from the classicism and Victorianism
of the past and defined the start of the modernist era.
These characteristics include: a departure from
ornamentation, functionality, cubic, asymmetry, right angles
but liberality in use of rounded corners and balconies,
smooth, often white facades and open plans.
Tel Aviv has the largest
collection of buildings built in the International Style,
anywhere in the world.
Bays
Internal compartments of a
building; each divided from the other by subtle means such
as the boundaries implied by divisions marked in the side
walls (columns, pilasters, etc) or the ceiling (beams, etc).
Also external divisions of a building by fenestration
(windows)
Bay
Window
Any window space projecting
outward as a square or polygonally from the walls of a
building.
Beam
A structural member
transversely supporting a load.
Beam Ceiling
A ceiling in which the ceiling
beams are exposed to view
Bearing wall
Solid walls that support themselves and the weight of a floor and roof.
Beaux Arts
 French
phrase meaning "fine arts"
it defined a very rich, lavish
and heavily ornamented classical style taught at L'Ecole des
Beaux Arts in Paris in the 19th century. In America, the
Beaux Arts flourished from about 1890 to 1920 and included
the French and Italian Renaissance and Neoclassical Revival
periods of architecture. Dominant features of this style are
typically large and grandiose compositions, wall surfaces
with decorative garlands and floral patterns with sculptural
ornamentation, symmetrical exterior, smooth stone walls of a
lighter tone, flat low-pitched roofs often mansard, paired
colossal columns, windows framed by freestanding columns, a
balustraded sill, a pedimented entablature on top and
free-sanding statuary.
Belfry
Chamber or stage in a tower
where bells are hung
Benchmark
In surveying, a mark made on a rock, post or other landmark and used as a starting point or guide in a line of levels for the
determination of altitudes.
Bids
Legal proposals to construct a project as defined in a contract.
Big-Box stores
A style of large (typically
50,000 -200,000 sq ft floor space) rectangular stand-alone
retail stores with flat roofs, and a single floor. Often
located in suburban or rural areas and is associated by
extension to the company behind the store.
Bilbao Effect
Phenomenon where an
architecturally spectacular structure is introduced into an
economically depressed or neglected region and singularly
revives interest in that locale.
Biophilic Design
 Referred
to also as 'regenerative design' it is the innate,
hereditary affiliation of human beings to other living
organisms which incorporates the complementary goals of
minimizing harm and damage to natural systems and human
health as well as enriching the human body, mind and spirit
The essential idea is that nature can be incorporated and
mimicked in urban design and architecture, not just to save
energy, but to create human energy. Specific building
elements that figure prominently in a discussion of
biophilic architecture include organic forms; views to
nature; indoor greenery; natural lighting, ventilation, and
materials; and spatial and visual diversity.
Blind
stop
In window frame assembly, a
rectangular molding, usually 3/4 x 1-3/4 inches or more in
width functioning as a stop for screen, storm or combination
windows and to hinder air flow into a room.
Blocking
Short, typically 2 x 4 members nailed between floor joists for added support.
Blueprint
A photographic print copy of building plans, mechanical drawings or maps that contrast blue outlines on a white background or
white outlines on a blue background.
Bonding
A technique used to lay bricks
in a wall so that the bricks will interlock.
Boss
The projecting keystone of a
ribbed vault, usually carved.
Bracing
Typically wood members attached to wall frames at an inclined angle to make them more rigid.
Bressumer
A large, horizontal beam
supporting the wall above, especially in a jettied building
Brick veneer
Brick facing attached to wood-framed walls.
Bridging
Short members placed between joists to prevent drift and warp and to help distribute loads more evenly.
Brise Soleil
Projecting fins or canopies
which shade windows from direct sunlight
Building codes
A collection of laws to ensure that minimum building standards are met to safeguard life, health, property and the public
welfare.
Bull's-eye Window
Horizontally set, it is a
small oval window
Bungalow
 A 1-1/2 story house of brick,
stone or wood shingles with low-pitched overhanging gables
with exposed beams and projecting brackets. Porches extend
across the front of the house and are supported by wide
squat or battered columns.
Buttress
Additional external support attached to the base of a wall or arch.
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Overhanging or projecting
member supported at one fixed end.
Cape Cod
 Architectural
style originating and prevalent in New England, now common
throughout the country. Typical characteristics of these
residences include 1-1/2-story symmetrical design, gable
roof with dormers, central chimney, double-hung windows with
shutters, batten board siding.
Casement
A window that typically is
operated by a hand crank and opens along its side.
Cathedral ceiling
A ceiling with exposed beams through which the sides of a sloping roof are visible.
Chateau Style
 A
French castle, country manor, or large estate characterized
by massive and asymmetrical forms, steep hip or gable roofs
with dormers, towers, and elaborately decorated chimneys.
Chevrons
A
V-shaped pattern or zigzag molding or group of moldings
common in Norman architecture.
Cincture
Ring,
list, or fillet at the top and bottom of a column, which
divides the shaft from the capital and base.
Citadel
A fortress, the final point of defense often a part of a
city.
Clapboard
Overlapping horizontal or
vertical siding.
Classical Revival
 Classic
Revival signaled a return to the classical forms of Greece
and Rome following the elaborately decorated and picturesque
styles of the Victorian period. Dating from the late 1890s
through 1920, Classical Revival represents a more refined
stage of the Beaux Arts tradition and is evident mainly on
large institutional buildings.
Often, classical details such
as large column porticos are combined with Colonial Revival
elements on residences, leading to some confusion as to the
style. Characteristics
of Classical Revival include symmetrical facades, colossal
porticos, large columns, pilasters, pedimented windows, and
domes. The buildings are generally masonry structures of
monumental proportions, using terra cotta, brick, and stone
materials.
Clerestory
A portion of an interior,
rising above adjacent rooftops and with windows admitting
daylight.
Cloister
A place such as a religious
monastery devoted to seclusion; a covered walkway adjacent
to a building such as a lanai which face a quadrangle.
Closing costs
Legal tax insurance and lender’s costs paid by the owner before taking possession of a property.
Coffered ceiling
 Ornamental
ceilings set with sunken grid-like or polygonal panels,
usually enhanced with decorative motifs. Depending on the
room and tastes of the homeowner, they can be designed to be
simple yet substantial or elaborate and very detailed. This
application is often used in home offices, libraries and
dens. They are also becoming more popular in kitchens and
dining rooms.
Colonial-revival
See Georgian-revival.
Colonnade
A row of columns, usually
supporting a roof of arches.
Column
A circular or rectangular
vertical support structure consisting of a base, shaft, and
capital.
Compression force
A type of force that exerts a crushing pressure on a structure.
Coniferous
Cone-bearing trees such as evergreens and pines which retain their foliage all year round.
Contemporary
architecture
 Not
to be confused with Modern Architecture which points to a
period in the mid-19th century sometimes referred to as the
International Style defined by architects such as Mies van
der Rohe, Walter Gropius, and Corbusier in the forefront.
Contemporary architecture is of course open to varying
interpretations but generally refers to a design philosophy
which is post-modern and deconstructivist. It is typically
expresses by new technologies, asymmetrical forms with an
emphasis on extensive floor-to-ceiling fenestration for
natural light, flat roofs, smooth exteriors often utilizing
new sustainable materials and open plans.
Contracts
Legal agreements between two or more parties.
Coping
A cap or top course of a
masonry wall used to protect areas beneath it from water
penetration.
Corbel
A bracket of stone or other
building material which projects from the face of a wall in
supporting a cornice, shelf, beam, arch or other such
weight.
Cornice
Ornamental strip of molding
along the upper exterior edge of a wall.
Cotswold Architecture
 A
variation of English Tudor-style design. More modernized
versions were popularized in the United States around the
1920's and 1930's. Typical features of these homes include
an asymmetrical form, stone, brick or stucco exteriors,
sloping roof sometimes constructed with slate, cedar or
pseudo-thatch materials, irregular roof lines, steep cross
gables, small dormer windows, massive chimneys, small
casement fenestration often recessed, low or arched doors,
and a closed plan with small atypically-shaped spaces.
Courtyard
An outdoor space enclosed by walls in or near a building.
Craftsman-style Bungalow
 With
its historical roots in the American artistic movement known
as "Arts and Crafts," the Craftsman style home, often seen
as a bungalow, is a late 19th and early 20th century style
characterized by attentive, manual refinement and a lack of
machine-driven appearance. The design elements
look to nature, local
materials, local (nationalist or native) building
traditions. The house layout emphasizes the horizontal,
rather than multiple stories, typically one to
one-and-a-half stories, with a long sloping roof line and a
wide, exposed beams and rafters, sheltering overhang, wide
porches and dark and heavy woodwork.
Crawlspace
The unfinished, typically
shallow area beneath the first floor of a house.
Cricket
 Also called a saddle is
an additional flashing support at the intersection of the
chimney's high side and the roof. The cricket prevents
debris, snow and ice from piling up behind the chimney. The
cricket also deflects water running down the roof around the
chimney.
Cripples
Short structural wood members which allow floor levels to be raised without raising the foundation height.
Cross
Bracing
Boards nailed diagonally
across studs or other boards to make framework rigid.
Cul-de-sac
Street which dead ends with a
circular turn around.
Cupola
A small dome or tower of a roof, especially a small often squared tower on a barn with louvered sides to allow air flow.
Curtain wall
Exterior panels such as glass used to cover the frame of a structure but provides no structural support.
Cyrto-style
Circular projecting portico
with columns.
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Dead load
Weight of building materials and permanently installed components on a structure.
Damper
A door which separates the firebox from the flue area assisting in the flow of air and expelling of smoke.
Deciduous
Trees which maximize summer cooling and winter heating by retaining their leaves in summer and losing their leaves in winter.
Deck
An open elevated platform attached to a building to add exterior living space.
Deconstructivism
An approach to building design
which attempt to view architecture in bits and pieces. The
basic elements of architecture are dismantled. Deconstructivist
buildings may seem to have no logic: They may seem to be
made up of unrelated, disharmonious abstract forms.
Deed
A legal certificate of property ownership.
Dipteral
 Temples which have a double
range of columns in the peristyle.
Dome
A vaulted structure with a
circular plan usually a half portion of a sphere.
Door
Jamb
The frame that fits inside the
rough opening of a door.
Dormer
Structure projecting from a
sloping roof to accommodate a window.
Double-Hung
Window
Has two sashes; the weight of
each sash is usually counterbalanced or friction devices can
be used to hold the sashes in the desired positions
Downspout
A vertical, typically metal
pipe designed to direct rainwater flow away from a roof.
Drip
cap
A molding placed on the
exterior top side of a door or window frame to direct water
drippage away from a frame.
Ducts
Rectangular or round metal
pipes functioning to channel cooled or heated air from room
to room throughout a house or building from a conditioning
unit or heating plant respectively.
Dutch
Colonial Revival
 A
variation of the Colonial style, most Dutch Colonial Revival
homes were built of wood, brick, or stone (or, occasionally
a combination), with a barn-like shingle gambrel roof, a a
simple floor plan behind an often no-nonsense façade. The
house features a symmetrical plan that flanks a central
door, often leading to a central hallway with flanking
rooms.
Duplex
Outlet
Electrical
wall outlet having two plug receptacles.
Dwarf
Wall
A low wall built to retain an
excavation or embankment
Back to Top
Part of a roof that projects
over the outer wall.
Eclectic
Selecting or borrowing from and using what’s deemed best from diverse sources, styles, systems or schools of thought.
Egress
Path or opening for going
out, and exit.
Ell
An extension or wing of a
building at a right angle to the main section.
Ergonomics
Science that deals with
designing and arranging things for ease of use by people.
Escrow
Money collected and held by mortgage holders from the homeowner to ensure the timely payment of property taxes.
Escutcheon
Door
hardware that accommodates the knob or keyhole.
Estate
A large piece of land belonging to a person or an area of
land usually near a city or
Estrade
French term for raised
platform.
Back to Top
Exterior face of a building.
Fascia
Vertical board nailed on the
ends of the rafters at the eave line.
Faux
Finish
Wood-graining, marbleizing, or
other painted finishes that are replicating the look of a
natural material.
Federal (Adam) Style
 The
Federal or Adam style was a dominant style in the United
states around the period of 1780-1820's. It came about as a
refining development of the earlier Georgian style house
plans. The term Adam style has it's roots in the work of the
Adam brothers, who at the time of this style's popularity,
had a large architectural firm in Britain. The federal
colonial home plans or Adam house plans are most commonly a
simple box like the Georgian colonial homes. It is usually a
two story with two or more rooms deep. Windows and doors are
always arranged in a symmetrical pattern. What makes the
federal home plans different from other colonial house plans
is that the simple box may be modified with oval-shaped
rooms, recessed wall arches and projecting wings on one or
both sides.
Identifying features of the federal house plans include
fanlight over the front door with or without sidelights. The
fanlight is usually a semi-circular or elliptical shape. The
front door is often emphasized with decorative mouldings.
The windows are double-hung sashes with 6 panes per sash and
are aligned horizontally and vertically in a symmetrical
pattern five rank on the front facade. The windows are never
in pairs; Palladian windows are common above the front
door and are typically sectioned in three parts. The roofs
are mostly hipped and can be seen gabled as well. Federal
style house plans are commonly seen with and without covered
entries.
Fenestration
Arrangement of windows or
openings in a wall.
Feng-Shui
System of spirit
influences for good and evil believed by the Chinese to
attend the natural features of landscape.
Feretory
Enclosure or chapel within
which the fereter, shrine, or tomb was placed
Finial
An ornament, such as one on top of a roof, the corner of a tower, end of a pew or top of a bedpost.
Fire
stop
Typically 2 x 4 cross-blocking
between studs positioned in a space to prevent the spread of
fire and smoke through that same location.
Flue
An opening in a chimney which allows smoke to travel upwards and out from the smoke chamber.
Flagstone
Flat stone used for floors,
steps, walks, driveways or walls.
Flashing
Sheet metal or any additional
covering used over a roof joint to provide complete
waterproofing.
Floor Joists
Horizontal framing members
which rests on interior beams or girders or on foundation
walls placed typically 16 inches apart to support a floor
system .
Flying Buttress
Helps support the sides of a wall without adding additional support.
Foreclosure
To take possession of property after the default of loan payments.
Footing
The concrete base upon which a
foundation rests.
Foundation
The concrete or masonry
structure, typically below grade upon which a structure is
built.
Foursquare
 Popular
in the early 20th century, this was one of the earliest
examples of Prairie-style houses. Often seen as a stripped
down version of the Italianate and Georgian architectural
styles. Common characteristics include a symmetrical plan, a
hipped or pyramid-shaped roof with dormers, overhanging
eaves, a front porch, double-hung sash windows, exterior can
be frame, brick or stone.
Foyer
An entrance hall or interior waiting area near an entry; anteroom.
French
Provincial
 An
architectural type originating in the of rural manor homes,
or chateaus, built by the French nobles during the reign of
Louis XIV in the mid-1600s. The French Provincial design was
a popular Revival style in the 1920s and in the1960s. It
features steep, massive hipped roofs, French windows or
shutters, often a symmetrical appearance, tall second-story
windows have low curved heads which break through the
cornice, exterior materials are brick, slate, copper,
and concrete block.
Frieze
The wide often decorative
(bas-reliefs, sculpted or painted) central section area of
an entablature.
Frostline
The depth of frost penetration
in soil which determines the depth of footing placement to
minimize movement of the house or structure and varies from
region to region.
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Gable
The portion of the roof above
the eaves line of a double-sloping roof.
Gabel End
The extension of a gable roof
beyond the end wall of the house; also called a rake.
Gadrooning
Carved or curved molding used
in architecture and interior design as decorative motif,
often consisting of flutes which are inverted and curved.
Popular during the Italian Renaissance
Galleting
The process in which the
gallets or small splinters of stone are inserted in the
joints of coarse masonry to protect the mortar joints. They
are stuck in while the mortar is wet
Gargoyle
A carved figure of a
grotesquely human or animal appearance, particularly one
with an open-mouth spout.
Garrett
An attic or unfinished part of
a house just under the roof.
Gazebo
A separate or stand-alone porch, often round, frequently screened-in area with a cover, usually a canvas for outdoor enjoyment.
Gentrification
Restoration and upgrading
of deteriorated urban property by middle class or
affluent people, often resulting in displacement of
lower-income people.
Georgian Revival
 Architectural
style prevalent in the late 19th to mid-20th century was
sometimes referred to as Colonial-revival. Dominate
features include a symmetrical form with classical details,
a central and paneled front door with elaborate decorative
crowns or entablatures, pilasters, double-hung windows,
hipped or gambrel roof, and a decorative cornice.
Glazing
Placing of glass in windows or
doors.
Gothic
 Of or relating to an
architectural style prevalent in Western Europe from the
12th through the 15th century and
characterized by pointed arches, rig vaulting, and a
developing emphasis on verticality and the impression of
height.
Grade
The surface of ground around a
building.
Greek Revival Style
 An
adaptation of the Greek temple front. Popular in mid 1800's
America. Typical features of this architectural style
include the use of columns and/or pilasters supporting entry
or full-width porticos, low pitched gable or hip roof with
pediments, wide entablatures often divided into two parts,
frieze windows, and cornice returns on gabled ends. Doorways
were often flanked by narrow sidelights and a rectangular
transom above.
Green Architecture
Creating
the most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly
building possible, by using such things as double paned
windows, hay bale-insulated walls, advanced heat movement
and airflow design, low compact building location and
"sustainable" construction techniques, solar panels, garden
roofs, and renewable building materials.
Greenhouse Effect
Buildup of heat created when
sunlight falls on trapped air.
Gusset
A bracket or plate used to reinforce the joints of a structure.
Gutter
A
trough attached to the sides and around the eave of a
building to carry off water.
Gypsum
board
Typically referred to as
drywall or sheetrock; it is a widely used construction
material in the building industry consisting of gypsum
plaster layered between paper or fiberboard and is used to
construct interior walls and ceilings.
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Bathroom that contains only a
lavatory and water closet.
Header
Horizontal supporting members above door and window openings that serve as lintel or one or more pieces of lumber supporting the
ends of a joists.
Hearth
The floor area in front of a fireplace typically extending 16” beyond the firebox face to help in the prevention of fire
spreading outside the firebox.
Hip
Rafter
The diagonal rafter that
extends from the plate to the ridge to form the hip
Hip
Roof
A roof that rises by inclined
planes from all four sides of a building.
Human
scale
That which accommodates or
takes into consideration how individuals can comfortably
relate to and interact with a structural environment in
terms of its proportionality, visibility, accessibility, and
desirability.
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I-beam
Structural steel beam with an I-shaped cross section.
Italianate
 The
Italianate style was derived from the villas of the Italian
countryside. Two full stories, low-pitched hip roofs with
cupolas, and expansive overhangs supported by decorative
brackets are typical features of the style. These houses
often had small porches and double entrance doors. Interior
spaces were large with tall ceilings and massive decorative
features.
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