chemistry

Glossary of architecture

Glossary of architecture is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Glossary of architecture rather than just read about it. In short: This page is a glossary of architecture. A Abacus A flat slab forming the uppermost member or division of the capital of a column.

Key takeaways

Glossary of architecture belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Glossary of architecture to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Glossary of architecture from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

This page is a glossary of architecture.

Abacus A flat slab forming the uppermost member or division of the capital of a column.

Accolade A sculptural embellishment of an arch.

Aisle The subsidiary space alongside the body of a building, separated from it by columns, piers, or posts.

Anta The posts or pillars on either side of a doorway or entrance of a Greek temple – the slightly projecting piers which terminate the side walls (of the naos).

Ante-choir The space enclosed in a church between the outer gate or railing of the rood screen and the door of the screen.

Apron 1. A raised panel below a window or wall monument or tablet. 2. An open portion of a marine terminal immediately adjacent to a vessel berth, used in the direct transfer of cargo between the vessel and the terminal. 3. A concrete slab immediately outside a vehicular door or passageway used to limit the wear on asphalt paving due to repetitive turning movements or heavy loads.

Apse A vaulted semicircular or polygonal end of a chancel or chapel. That portion of a church, usually Christian, beyond the "crossing" and opposite the nave. In some churches, the choir is seated in this space.

Araeostyle A style of intercolumniation in which the distance between columns is at least four diameters. The large interval between columns necessitates the use of a wooden architrave.

Araeosystyle An architectural term applied to a colonnade, in which the intercolumniation is alternately wide and narrow.

Arcade A passage or walkway covered over by a succession of arches or vaults supported by columns. Blind arcade or arcading: the same applied to the wall surface.

Arch A curved structure capable of spanning a space while supporting significant weight.

Architrave A formalized lintel, the lowest member of the classical entablature. Also the moulded frame of a door or window (often borrowing the profile of a classical architrave).

Area or basement area In Georgian architecture, the small paved yard giving entry, via "area steps", to the basement floor at the front of a terraced house.

Arris A sharp edge created when two surfaces converge; this includes the raised edge between two flutes on a column or pilaster, if that edge is sharp.

Arris Rail A type of rail, often wooden, with a cross-section resembling an isosceles triangle.

Arrowslit A thin vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows.

Articulation The manner or method of jointing parts such that each part is clear and distinct in relation to the others, even though joined.

Ashlar Masonry of large blocks cut with even faces and square edges.

Astragal A moulding profile composed of a half-round surface surrounded by two flat planes (fillets).

Atlas A support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of a column, a pier or a pilaster.

Atrium (plural: atria) The inner court of a Roman house; in a multi-story building, a toplit covered court rising through all stories.

Attic A small top story within a roof above the uppermost ceiling. The story above the main entablature of a classical façade.

Balconet A false balcony, or railing at the outer plane of a window.

Ball flower An architectural ornament in the form of a ball inserted in the cup of a flower, which came into use in the latter part of the 13th, and was in great vogue in the early part of the 14th century.

Baluster A small moulded shaft, square or circular, in stone or wood, sometimes metal, supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. A series of balusters supporting a handrail or coping is called a balustrade.

Bar-stayed girder A structural member of inadequate capacity for its load or span that is augmented by one or two steel bars anchored to each bearing end at or above the centroid of the girder to assume the tension forces. The bar(s) runs down and below the girder and stand off the girder on one or more struts anchored to the girder at its bottom surface. The struts are sized to accept the compressive forces imposed without bending. The load limit to this member is the crippling capacity (horizontal failure) of the girder.

Bargeboard A board fastened to the projecting gables of a roof.

Barrel vault An architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance.

Bartizan An overhanging, wall-mounted turret projecting from the walls, usually at the corners, of medieval fortifications or churches.

Basement Usually the lowest, subordinate storey of building, generally either entirely or partially below ground level; the lowest part of classical elevation, below the piano nobile.

Basilica Originally a Roman, large roofed hall erected for transacting business and disposing of legal matters; later the term came to describe an aisled building with a clerestory. Medieval cathedral plans were a development of the basilica plan type.

Batement Lights The lights in the upper part of a perpendicular window, abated, or only half the width of those below.

Batter (walls) An upwardly receding slope of a wall or column.

Battlement A parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which rectangular gaps or indentations occur at intervals to allow for the discharge of arrows or other missiles.

Bays The 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, the external divisions of a building by fenestration (windows).

Bay window A window of one or more storeys projecting from the face of a building. Canted: with a straight front and angled sides. Bow window: curved. Oriel: rests on corbels or brackets and starts above ground level; also the bay window at the dais end of a medieval great hall.

Belfry A chamber or stage in a tower where bells are hung. The term is also used to describe the manner in which bricks are laid in a wall so that they interlock.

Belvedere A cupola or some other elevated structure designed as a lookout space to enjoy a view.

Bench table A stone seat which runs round the walls of large churches, and sometimes round the piers; it very generally is placed in the porches.

Bond Brickwork with overlapping bricks. Types of bond include stretcher, English, header, Flemish, garden wall, herringbone, basket, American, and Chinese.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Glossary of architecture

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Glossary of architecture claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Glossary of architecture before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Glossary of architecture ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Glossary of architecture

In research: Glossary of architecture appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Glossary of architecture in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Glossary of architecture is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Architectural elements, Architecture lists, Building engineering, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Glossary of architecture outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Glossary of architecture in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Glossary of architecture means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Glossary of architecture out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Glossary of architecture in simple terms?

This page is a glossary of architecture. A Abacus A flat slab forming the uppermost member or division of the capital of a column.

Why does Glossary of architecture matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Glossary of architecture?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Glossary of architecture.