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 soon.

	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. Example:    - St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
	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
	copula
	A small, domed structure on top of a roof. Examples:    - Massachusetts State House, Boston    - St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
	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
	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 copula. 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
	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
	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.
	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. Example:    - City Hall, Philadelphia
	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