glossary arch history

acropolis

highest part of ancient greek cities; most famous is athens' acropolis

adi

italian industrial design association, founded in milan 1956, promoted italian design and created the compasso d'oro award

altarpiece

a painting placed above a church altar

amphitheatre

spectators seated all around a central arena, unlike roman theatres where they faced a stage; colosseum is most famous example

anamorphosis

a perspective image only readable correctly from a non-perpendicular viewpoint

apse

terminal part of a church behind the altar, usually semicircular or polygonal, visible from outside

bas-relief

sculpted figures that project only slightly from the background

bastion

a polygonal projecting section of a walled city's perimeter

battlements // merlons

toothed upper part of fortified walls

battuto

a floor type made of compressed clay or a lime layer mixed with crushed stone, cement, and sand

bifora

two-light window divided by a small column, usually with two pointed arches; three lights = trifora, more = polyfora

bracing

a reinforcing member that increases a structure's resistance to horizontal stress and wind pressure

brise-soleil

french for "sun-breaker"; façade elements that shade windows from sunlight

broletto // arengario

medieval meeting place where citizens decided on city government

bay

the distance between two supports (pillars/piers) of an arch; bridges are measured by number of bays

c.a.d.

abbreviation for computer-aided design

capital

upper part of a column; supports the architrave/arch and decorates. main types: doric, ionic, corinthian, composite, tuscan

capitolato // specification document // bill of quantities

a list of all works (e.g. demolition, systems installation) needed for a building project, with quantities specified per item

capriccio

an (often 18th century) landscape invented or composed by freely combining real elements from different places

cardo // decumanus

one of two main roman city streets, crossing at right angles; ran north

caryatid

a pilaster/column shaped as a woman, supporting a structure above; male versions are atlantes or telamons

coffers

geometric recesses carved into ceilings or domes for decoration

catacombs

underground galleries excavated by christians to bury the dead and hide from persecution

cenotaph

a funerary monument that is purely commemorative and contains no body

census

a survey collecting data on a community; in italy done every ten years, covering family units, sex, age, marital status, profession, education and housing conditions

centering

a wooden arch

charterhouse

typical carthusian monastery, where each monk had a small individual dwelling

chiaroscuro

a graded mix of light and dark tones in painting, creating transition effects

ciborium // tabernacle // baldachin

a structure built over the altar in churches

collage

french technique (first used by cubists c.1911

compasso d'oro

award established 1954 by milan's la rinascente store, symbolizing italian design quality; managed by la rinascente/adi until 1979, then independently; annual until 1962, biennial until 1967, triennial after, annual again since 1979

crypt

an underground, accessible part of a church beneath the presbytery, forming a small church itself

cross-shaped plans

ordering symbol used in sacred building plans (churches, basilicas)

latin cross plan

nave and transept arms have different lengths

greek cross plan

arms are equal length and meet at the centre

tau cross plan

arms form a t shape

volume // cubage

indicates a construction's volume, expressed in cubic metres

curtain wall

english term for a panel (often glass/aluminium) used as external enclosure on contemporary buildings, often making the façade appear uniform

design

english term for a discipline centered on industrial serial production; unlike italian "disegno" (drawing), it means planning, ideation and methods for realizing an idea

industrial design

broadly, design of mass

duplex

a housing unit on two levels connected by stairs, usually daytime area on ground floor, sleeping area on the first floor

entasis

device in greek temples that optically corrects column distortion by slightly enlarging the shaft at about a third of its height

ergonomics

term coined by english psychologist murrell (1945) re: wartime stress; from the 1960s, a method for evaluating environments/equipment; in design, concerns person-object and person-work relationships; today refers to ideal human-environment measurements

etching

engraving technique where a design is incised on a copper plate and reproduced in copies on paper

flying buttress

formed by two non-symmetrical arches joined at the impost point, one higher than the other; typical of gothic churches

foundations

the part of a building in the ground that determines its static stability; type depends on ground conditions (continuous, e.g. strip foundations/inverted beams; or discontinuous, e.g. isolated footings/piles)

fresco

mural painting technique where pigments are applied to wet plaster

frigidarium

room of roman baths containing cold water pools

gargoyle // waterspout

a projecting roof conduit through which rainwater flows out

gipsoteca // plaster-cast gallery

a building where copies of ancient plaster statues are collected

golden section // golden ratio

a geometric proportion dividing a segment into two harmoniously-ratioed parts (~5/8); invented by the greeks as a canon of beauty

greek key pattern

decoration repeating geometric elements at right angles in succession

gres // stoneware

hard compact ceramic from pressed clay and colouring agents; unglazed but uniformly coloured throughout, giving high resistance

gouache

painting technique using colours ground with water and gum, applied quickly so they aren't absorbed

gross floor area

common urban-planning index for a building's floor area; e.g. a 3-floor house with 100m² per floor = 300m² gross floor area

hypogeum

term for any underground construction

iconostasis

element separating the central nave from the presbytery in churches

keep // donjon

the most fortified tower-like part of a castle

keystone

the central voussoir/stone of an arch or dome, often decorated

lantern

element projecting from the top of a dome, letting light filter inside

lesene // pilaster strip

a half

lithography

planographic printing method (no incision/relief); design drawn on a stone matrix, inked to reproduce copies on paper

lot

a piece of land or group of buildings under single property ownership

lunette

semicircular part of a painting or architectural element

mausoleum

a large funerary building

minaret

tall slender tower beside a mosque, from which the call to prayer is made

modulor

proportional dimensional system invented by le corbusier to organize living spaces

mosque

a muslim sacred building

narthex

covered portico attached to the façade of early christian/romanesque churches

nave

part of the church from entrance to altar, meeting the transept perpendicularly and ending at the apse; if divided by rows of columns, forms a central nave and side aisles

oculus

a small circular or oval window

opus

types of roman construction technique

opus incertum

walls built with unequal-shaped/sized stones and irregular outlines, sometimes alternating with bricks

opus musivum

mosaic technique using glass and mother-of-pearl tesserae

opus caementicium

"concrete-like" technique for large vault coverings; space between outer/inner stone or brick facings filled with a conglomerate of stone fragments, brick pieces and mortar

pantheon

large roman celebratory building with a dome and circular plan

pendentive

triangular part of a vault connecting the drum to the dome

pilotis

french term (italian: pali) for visible pillars supporting the first floor, creating a fully open ground level

pinacoteca // picture gallery

a building where paintings are collected

plasticism // sculptural effect

a relief effect similar to sculpture; used for visual-art works with a strong sense of relief

propylaea

entrance vestibule of a greek building; most famous is athens' acropolis

prothyrum

a small decorated porch attached in front of a portal

presbytery // chancel

part of a church reserved for the priest, where the altar is; usually separated from the nave by a balustrade or an iconostasis

pulvino

decorative element shaped like an inverted truncated pyramid, placed between the capital and the arch

ready-made

an ordinary object isolated from its original context and displayed as "art," provoking controversy

rib

in groin vaults, the projecting elements marking the intersection of the vault's four parts

ridge

upper line where two roof slopes meet; an internal junction is called a valley

roof slope // roof pitch

the sloping parts of a roof

rose window

large circular window with geometric motifs, found on romanesque/gothic church façades

rustication

wall surface made of stones with regular, projecting, shaped faces; e.g. palazzo dei diamanti (ferrara), palazzo strozzi (florence)

solid wood // solid block

term for wood consisting of the same material throughout, varying by the cut from the tree trunk

screed

layer of concrete poured over a floor's load

screen printing // silk-screen printing

planographic colour technique where design is obtained by filtering pigment through a fabric stencil

shed // sawtooth roof

english term for a roof type in industrial buildings needing diffused light; sloping surfaces alternate with near-vertical glazed surfaces facing north to avoid sun reflection

synagogue

a jewish temple

sinopia

preparatory drawing for a fresco, made with red ochre directly on the wall

urban-planning standards

values referenced by regulations, considered guarantees for building quality

drum

vertical masonry structure (cylindrical/polygonal) on which a dome rests

tapestry

artistic/decorative work with the design made on fabric

temenos

sacred enclosure dedicated to deities, where temples were built in ancient greece