315 Final Exam Terms

Acanthus leaves

Capitals for Corinthian leaves, used for aesthetics in architecture.

Acropolis

A citadel or fortified city built on a hill, notably in Athens with structures like the Parthenon.

Adobe

A building material made from compacted mud, sand, straw, and grass formed into bricks.

Anthropomorphic

Design elements that directly or indirectly recall human faces or expressions.

Architecture parlante

Architecture that explains its own function or identity.

Architecture Without Architects

An exhibition by Rudofsky exploring the functional value and artistic richness of communal architecture.

Arcuated architecture

Architecture that extensively uses arches and vaults, differing from a post and beam system.

Barrel vault

A large, extruded arch over a central space, giving a semi-cylindrical appearance.

Basilica

A large public building with multiple functions, typically early Christian or Roman.

Black Death, 1348

Pandemic in which 50% of Europe's 14th-century population perished.

Brises soleils

Sun-shading structures, often exemplified by Le Corbusier's simple patterned concrete walls.

Campanile

A bell tower typically built beside or attached to a church, serving as a watch tower or civic monument.

Capital

The topmost member of a column or pilaster, serving as a decorative element that enhances the column's design.

Catalan Modernismo

An Art Nouveau movement reacting to industrialization, drawing inspiration from nature and individuality.

Cenotaph

Memorial architecture, notably in India and later in England.

Chahar Bagh plan

An organizing pattern for paradise gardens, structured geometrically into four parts.

City Beautiful Movement

An American urban-planning movement led by architects from 1890 to 1920.

Classical orders: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian

Architectural styles, with Doric being the simplest and Corinthian being the most elaborate.

Coffer

Detailed square panel on a ceiling, often representing the days of the week.

Colossal order

Giant architectural elements, like pilasters or columns, that span more than two stories.

Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture

A work by Venturi that discusses the intricacies of architectural design.

Compression

A force that squeezes down on another structural member.

Cornice

A horizontal decorative molding that crowns a building or furniture element.

Crenellation

A wall structure with alternating raised and lowered sections and gaps.

Crossing square

A dominant architectural form in middle and late Byzantine period, centered around a square structure topped by a dome.

Cruciform

Buildings designed in the shape of a cross, typically with an altar at the east end.

Curtain wall

An exterior covering that is non-structural, often made of glass.

Deutsche Werkbund

An association founded in 1907 of artists, architects, designers, and industrialists.

Drawings

Visual representations in architecture including plans, elevations, perspectives, and sections.

École des Beaux-arts

An influential architectural school in France focusing on city planning and neoclassical styles.

Élan vitale

A concept referring to the 'life force' in art and architecture that reveals relationships with the environment.

Fin-de-siecle

Refers to the end of the century characterized by sophistication, escapism, and world-weariness.

Flock of Geese plan

A pattern of buildings arranged in a scattered layout resembling a flock of geese.

Follies and mock ruins

Architectural structures that mimic ruins or serve decorative purposes.

Fusama

Vertical rectangular sliding wall panels used to redefine spaces in traditional Japanese architecture.

Gesamtkunstwerk

A German term for 'total work of art' indicating an immersive artistic experience.

Greek cross plan

A church layout that resembles a Greek cross, similar to a plus sign.

Harem

A domestic space reserved for women in Muslim cultures, excluding non-family males.

Haussmannization

A comprehensive renovation of a city aimed at social betterment.

Horror vacui

The fear of empty spaces in artistic compositions.

Humanism

A philosophical stance emphasizing the individual and the social potential of human beings.

I-beam

A steel structural support shape used in construction.

Iconoclasm

A period in Byzantine history during which images of icons on buildings were forbidden.

Intarsia

Using various wood shapes and sizes to create intricate patterns in art and architecture.

International Style

An architectural movement exemplified at MoMA in 1932 emphasizing functional design and minimalism.

Jugendstil

A German counterpoint to Art Nouveau, characterized by naturalistic forms and floral motifs.

Kaaba

A simple, ancient cubical structure in Mecca made of granite, containing the Black Stone.

Linear perspective

A technique that creates the illusion of depth in art by depicting height, width, and depth.

Mannerism/la maniera

An artistic style known for twists, surprises, and unconventional shapes emerging post-High Renaissance.

Martyrium

A structure built over the tomb of a Christian martyr.

Minaret

A tall tower used to call people to Islamic prayer, indicating the presence of a mosque.

Minka

Traditional Japanese houses constructed in various styles, typically for farmers or artisans.

Mortise and tenon joinery

A woodworking technique where a tenon fits into a mortise cavity, commonly used in Japanese architecture.

Mughal Empire

An Indo-Islamic architectural movement, known for its bulbous domes and slender minarets.

Muquarnas

A three-dimensional decorative element in Islamic architecture with interlocking patterns.

Nave

The main walking space in a church leading towards the altar.

Neoclassicism

A revival of classical architecture characterized by simplicity and geometric forms.

Oculus

An opening at the top of a dome, prominent in structures like the Pantheon.

Open plan

Architectural design emphasizing minimal walls to create open spaces for interaction.

Organic architecture

Architectural design that incorporates non-geometric, curvilinear forms.

Pagoda

A multistoried tower associated with Buddhist temples, developed in India.

Palazzo

Grand residences for wealthy families, noted for symmetry and elaborate designs.

Panopticon

An architectural concept for prisons featuring a central watchtower.

Parterre

A formal garden laid out in symmetrical patterns and often elevated.

Pediment

A triangular architectural element typically found above the entrance of Greek temples.

Peripteral temple

A temple design feature surrounded by a portico supported by columns.

Piazza

A public square in an Italian town serving civic purposes.

Pilaster

Column-like feature embedded in walls, representing half of a column.

Pilotis

Columns made of iron, steel, or reinforced concrete used as structural supports.

Pishtaq façade

An architectural portal projecting from a building's facade adorned with decorative tiles.

Portico

An entrance porch or colonnade leading into a building.

Post and lintel construction

A structural system where horizontal beams (lintels) are supported by vertical posts.

Prairie house

A style of American architecture characterized by low, sprawling designs.

Quattro Libri

The Four Books on Architecture by Palladio, influential in architectural design.

Reinforced concrete

Concrete that includes steel reinforcement bars (rebar) for added strength.

Reliquary

A sacred container used to hold relics of venerated individuals.

Ricetto

A fortified small area in Italian villages used for protecting agricultural products.

Shakkei

A Japanese gardening technique that incorporates borrowed landscape scenery into design.

Shogun

Military rulers in Japan; the highest-ranking general.

Shoji

Translucent screens used as doors, windows, or room dividers in traditional Japanese architecture.

Skeletal-frame construction

A structural system using a frame of thin materials covered with other exterior materials.

Solomonic column

A twisted column style characteristic of Baroque and Renaissance architecture.

Spandrel

The area between the sill and the head of a window in multi-story buildings.

Structural rationalism

A leading architectural theory trend emphasizing function and construction logic.

Stuart and Revett

Architects known for their accurate survey of ancient Greek architecture.

Stupa

A hemispherical structure in Buddhist architecture serving as a commemorative monument.

Suspension bridge

A bridge suspended by cables, notable for its expense and engineering challenges.

Tabula rasa

A 'clean slate' concept representing the potential to create anew without past constraints.

Tatami

Traditional Japanese mats made of straw, used in construction and interior design.

Tension

The force exerted when being stretched tight.

Tenshu

The highest tower in a Japanese castle complex, often made of timber.

Terracotta

Brownish-red earthenware used in ornamental building materials.

The Picturesque

An artistic concept combining the pictorial values of architecture and the landscape.

The Sublime

A concept denoting a spiritual dimension or grandeur in art and architecture.

Thin-shell concrete

A construction technique allowing for domes or plates without internal supports.

Topiary

The practice of trimming trees and shrubs into decorative shapes.

Toron sticks

Decorative elements in African architecture, protruding from mosque surfaces.

Trabeated architecture

Construction style utilizing horizontal beams supported by posts.

Transcendentalism

An architectural philosophy aiming to elevate users to a transcendent state.

Trivium

The lower division of seven liberal arts consisting of grammar, logic, and rhetoric.