Architectural Vocab

coffer

square or polygonal sunken panel used in series as decoration

portico

porch

atrium

large open air skylight covered space surrounded by ceiling

pendentives

triangular segments that allow the placement of an elliptical dome on a rectangular room

cornice

decorated projection at top of wall used as protection or ornamentation to finish the eaves

parts of the entablature

cornice, frieze, architrave

lintel

beam that spans openings used for decorative and structural purposes

mihrab

niche in wall which muslims face when praying and points to Mecca

Mecca

holiest city according to Islam

minaret

tower in Islamic religious architecture, always connected with mosque and has balconies

mulaprasada

principle central temple structure including garbhagriha

mandapa

pillared hall for public rituals in Indian architecture

garghagriha

sanctum where main idol is housed

shikhara

spire above sanctum ‘mountain roofs’

vimana

structure over garbhagriha or inner sanctum

nave

central part of church from main entrance for congregation

gopura

monumental entrance to Hindu tower

kalinga

architectural hindu style

Mudejar

architectural style resulting from jewish, muslim and christian culture living side by side and characterised by brick

cloister

open courtyard connecting monastery buildings by covered walkways

arcades

a series of arches supported by columns or piers

buttress

an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to reinforce the wall

mansard

type of roof having two slopes on every side

sarcophagus

an elaborate coffin

crypt

a vaulted room frequently made of stone and located beneath a building, usually a church or cathedral

cenote

a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting when a collapse of limestone bedrock

sudano

sahelian architecture style

cardinal

NSEW

cella

the body of a temple in which the image of the deity is housed

colonnades

row of columns generally supporting an entablature

pediment

triangular gable forming the end of the roof slope over a portico

hexastyle

six columns across facade

engaged columns

one that is built into a wall and protrudes only partially from it

pilaster

rectangular column-like structure also built into, or onto, a wall

rotunda

any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome

hypogeum

part of a building below ground

torii

arched entrance gate for shinto buildings

naiku

shinto inner shrine

geku

shinto outer shrine

chumon

secondary entrance found in traditional Japanese Buddhist temple architecture

pagoda

a towerlike, multistory, solid or hollow structure associated with a Buddhist temple complex

kondo

in a Japanese Buddhist temple complex, the main hall for worship

kodo

in a Japanese Buddhist temple complex, the lecture hall

balusters

a row of small, evenly spaced columns and topped with a handrail

shinden

japanese architectural style

tenon joint

the end of one piece fashioned to fit into a hole in another piece

Carolingian

style of north European Pre-Romanesque architecture

ambulatory

continuation of the aisled spaces on either side of the nave

cupola

a small dome-like structure on top of a building

stucco

a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water

mausoleum

monument used to enshrine the remains of a famous or powerful person

greek cross

church plan in the form of a Greek cross, with a square central mass and four arms of equal length

latin cross

a nave with aisles or chapels, or both and a transept that forms the arms of the cross

bifora

is a type of window divided vertically into two openings by a small column

loggias

a fully roofed corridor running along the side of a larger room within a building with more than one side open to the elements

piano nobile

main floor of a Renaissance building

saloon

large hall in a public place for entertainment

Mughal

type of Indo-Islamic architecture developed by the Mughals

iwan

a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open, very tall

Solomonic column

a helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew

clerestory

a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level

Churrigueresque

a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament

convent

residential buildings used by members of Christian communities so that they can live a daily religious life detached from everyday pressures

rocco

Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture

monolith

means composed all in one piece

dromos

an entrance passage or avenue leading to a building

parthenon

a Doric peripteral temple

voussoir

a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault

tympanum

semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window

stupa

a place of burial for religious objects

torana

a sacred gateway in Buddhist and Hindu architecture

la venta

an elaborate series of buried offerings and tombs, as well as monumental sculptures

tzompantli

skull rack

feng shui

an ancient Chinese philosophy that focuses on the flow and chi, spaces are arranged according to the rules in architecture, it can foster happiness, prosperity and good health

gong brackets

created by placing a wooden block (“dou”) onto a column to form a solid base. Another wooden bracket (“gong”) is then inserted into the dou to support either a wooden beam, or another gong

mannerist (palladio)

architects experimented with using architectural forms to emphasize solid and spatial relationships

microcosms

models of the universe

colonialism

territory under rule of foreign power

imperialism

ambition to instill influence in other countries with the effect politics is somewhat now under their control

desornamentado

stripping building of ornamentation as much as possible

plazas

squares typical of Spanish cultural cities

Vitruvius three qualities

stability, utility, and beauty

trompe l’oesl

deceives the eye