Glossary of Architectural Terms

Below you find a list of common architectural terms, sorted alphabetically.
Note this is a work in progress, more terms will be added over time.

	apse 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
	arcade A series of arches supported by columns or piers, either attached to a wall or freestanding. Examples: Plaza Mayor, Madrid Place des Vosges, Paris
	azulejo Painted and glazed ceramic tile, mainly in Portugal and Andalusia, Spain. Examples: Palacio Nacional de Sintra, Lisbon Plaza de Espana, Seville
	balustrade A railing with supporting balusters (small closely spaced posts). Example: Bourla Theater, Antwerp
	barrel vault A ceiling or roof consisting of a continuous semicircular or pointed arch. Also known as a tunnel vault. Examples: St. Peter's Basilica, Rome Basilica da Estrela, Lisbon
	blind arch An arch with no opening. Example: Vrtba Garden, Prague
	campanile A freestanding bell tower, usually near a church. Examples: Campanile di San Marco, Venice Houses of Parliament Clock Tower, London
	cantilever A beam or other projection that is unsupported at one end. Example: Falling Water, Mill Run
	capital The top part of a column or pillar.
	composite order Very similar to the Corinthian order, but here ionic volutes are added to the capital. Examples: Pantheon, Rome US Capitol, Washington DC
	coffer 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
	corbie gable A gable with a series of steplike projections.
	corinthian order 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 A molding or ornamentation that projects from the top of a building.
	crenelation A wall at the top of a fortified building with regular gaps allowing defenders to shoot from. Also known as battlement. Examples: Steen, Antwerp Bargello, Florence
	cross vault 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
	cupola A small, domed structure on top of a roof. Examples: Massachusetts State House, Boston St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
	curtain wall A nonstructural exterior wall, usually of glass and steel. Examples: Lever House, New York City UN Secretariat, New York City
	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
	doric order The oldest of the five classical orders, characterized by a fluted column with no base and a plain capital. Example: Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC
	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
	exedra Semicircular, often domed recess. Example: Trajan's Markets, Rome
	fanlight A semicircular window, usually located above a door.
	festoon Ornamental garland, usually suspended from both ends. Examples: Edificio Metropolis, Madrid Palais Garnier, Paris
	finial A sculptured ornament fixed to the top of a peak, arch, gable or similar structure.
	flemish bond A brickwork bond with alernating headers (short side) and stretchers (long side) in each course (row).
	frieze The horizontal part of a classical entablature just below the cornice, often decorated with carvings. Examples: Pantheon, Rome Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC
	gable The triangular section of a wall on the side of a building with a double-pitched roof.
	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
	gazebo A freestanding ornamental pavilion - often at the top of a hill in a garden - that provides a view over the area. Example: Jardin des Plantes, Paris
	ionic order One of the classical orders characterized by a fluted column, a molded base and a capital decorated with volutes. Example: Palais Garnier, Paris
	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
	lunette The half-moon shaped space framed by an arch, often containing a window or painting. Examples: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan Grant's Tomb, New York
	mascaron An architectural ornament representing a face or head. The head - either from a human or an animal - is often grotesque or frightening. Examples: Bridge of Sighs, Venice New York Public Library
	mausoleum A building constructed as a burial chamber for a deceased person or persons. Examples: Mausoleum of Augustus, Rome Taj Mahal, Agra Grant's Tomb
	mudéjar architecture A style of Spanish architecture employed by Muslims after the Christian reconquest. Characterized by a fusion of Islamic with Gothic and Romanesque elements. Example: Arc de Triomf, Barcelona
	oriel A projecting bay window on an upper floor.
	pagoda A tower structure, often rectangular or octagonal, with projecting roofs at each story. Commonly used as a temple, particularly in Asia. Examples: Kew Gardens, London Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco
	pedestal A construction, often decorated with sculptures or reliefs, that supports a statue, column, vase, etc. Examples: Statue of Frederick the Great, Berlin Golden Rider, Dresden
	pediment A wide, low-pitched gable, often surmounting a colonnade. Examples: Pantheon, Rome Palais Bourbon, Paris
	pilaster A rectangular column with a base, shaft and capital projecting from a wall as an ornamental motif. Examples: City Hall, Philadelphia São Roque Church, Lisbon
	plinth A base, usually projecting, upon which a pedestal, wall or column rests. Examples: Giraldi Monument, Janiculum, Rome Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, London
	pointed arch An arch with a pointed crown, typically seen in Gothic architecture. Examples: Notre-Dame de Paris Römer, Frankfurt
	portico A roofed porch usually supported by columns, often leading to the entrance of the building. Examples: White House, Washington Pantheon, Rome
	quatrefoil A decorative element shaped in the form of four leaves. Examples: Ca' d'Oro, Venice Notre Dame, Paris
	reinforced concrete Concrete containing steel rods or metal netting to increase its tensile strength.
	richardsonian romanesque A Romanesque revival style named after the American 19th century architect H.H. Richardson. Characterised 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
	sgraffito A technique used for the decoration of walls, where plaster is scratched to reveal a differently colored pattern beneath. Example: Royal Palace, Dresden
	steeple A tall ornamental structure, usually surmounting a tower and ending in a spire. Example: Independence Hall, Philadelphia
	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
	turret A small tower projected on a building. Examples: Old Town Hall, Munich Powder Tower, Prague
	tuscan order A classical order characterized by an unfluted column and a plain base and capital. Example: Union Station, Chicago
	vault 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