Interior Design (Building Construction)

Building

A relatively permanent enclosed structure constructed over a plot of land for habitable use.

Superstructure

The vertical extension of a building or other construction above the foundation.

Shell

The exterior framework or walls and roof a building.

Substructure

The underlying structure forming the foundation of a building or other construction.

System

A group of interacting interrelated, or interdependent things or parts forming a complex or unified whole, esp. To serve a common purpose.

Skyscraper

A building of exceptional height and many stories, supported by a steel or concrete framework from which the walls are suspended.

Edifice

A building, esp. one of large size, massive structure, or imposing appearance.

High-rise

Describing a building having a comparatively large number of stories and equipped with elevators.

Story

A complete horizontal division of a building, having a continuous or nearly continuous floor and comprising the space between two adjacent levels.

Low-rise

Describing a building having one, two , or three stories and usually no elevator.

Mid-rise

Describing a building having a moderately large number of stories, usually 5 to 10, and equipped with elevators.

Loft

One of the upper floors of a warehouse or factory typically unpartitioned and sometimes converted or adapted to other uses, such as living quarters, artists' studios, or exhibition galleries.

Loft building

A building having several floors with large areas of unobstructed space, originally rented out for light industrial purposes and now frequently converted to residential occupancy.

Attic

A room or space directly under the roof of a building. Esp. A house.

Half-story

A usable living space within a sloping roof, usually having dormer windows for lighting.

Crawl space

An area in a building having a clearance less than human height, but accessible by crawling, esp. Such a space below the first floor that is enclosed by the foundation walls.

Cellar

A room or set of rooms for the storage of the food, fuel, or the like, wholly or partly underground and usually beneath a building.

Storm cellar

A cellar or other underground place for shelter during violent storms, such as cyclones, tornadoes, or hurricanes

Bulkhead

A horizontal or inclined door over a stairway

Floor

A continuous supporting surface extending horizontally throughout a building, having a number of rooms and consulting one level in the structure.

Mezzanine

A low or partial story between two main stories of a building, esp. One that projects as a balcony and forms a composition with the story beneath it.

First floor

The ground floor of a building. In Britain and elsewhere, the first floor is the floor immediately above the ground floor.

Ground floor

The floor of a building at or nearest to ground level.

Basement

A story of a building that is wholly or partly below ground level.

Areaway

A sunken area affording access, air, and light to a basement door or window.

Subbasement

Any story or floor below the main basement of a building.

Facade

The front of a building or any of its sides facing a public way or space, esp. One distinguished by its architectural treatment.

Frontispiece

A principal facade, or a part or feature of a facade, often treated as a separate element of the design and highlighted by ornamentation.

Pavilion

A projecting subdivision of a facade, usually accented by more eleborate decoration or greater height and distinction of skyline.

False front

A facade falsifying the size or importance of a building.

Story

A major horizontal architectural division, as of a facade or the wall of a nave.

Bay

Any of a number of principal compartments or divisions of a wall, roof, or other part of a building marked off by vertical or transverse supports.

Blind story

A major horizontal division of a wall having no exterior windows.

Blind

Describing a recess in a wall having the appearance of a window (blind window) or door (blind door), inserted to complete a series of windows or to provide symmetry of design.

Balcony

An elevated platform projecting from the wall of a building and enclosed by a railing or parapet.

Fenestration

The design, proportioning, and disposition of windows and other exterior openings of a building.

Porch

An exterior appendage to a building, forming a covered approach or vestibule to a doorway.

Portico

A porch having a roof supported by columns, often leading to the entrance of a building.

Forecourt

A courtyard before the entrance to a building or a group of buildings.

Veranda

A large, open porch, usually roofed and partly enclosed, as by a railing, often extending across the front and sides of a house.

Lanai

A veranda, esp. One used as a living room.

Colonnade

A series of regularly spaced columns supporting an entablature and usually one side of a roof structure.

Porte-cochère

A vehicular passageway leading through a building of screen wall into an interior courtyard.

Postern

A private or side entrance, as one for pedestrians next to a porte cachere.

Porte-cochère

A porch roof projecting over a window a driveway at the entrance to a building and sheltering those getting in or out of vehicles.

Terrace

An open, often paved area connected to a house or building and serving as an outdoor living area.

Deck

An open, unroofed porch or platform extending from a house or other building.

Portal

A doorway, gate, or entrance, esp. An imposing one emphasized by size and stately architectural treatment.

Rotunda

A round, domed building, or a large and high circular space in such a building, esp. one surmounted by a dome.

Tower

A building or structure high in proportion to its lateral dimensions, either standing alone or forming part of a larger building.

Block

A large building divided into a number of separate apartments, offices, or shops.

Loggia

A colonnaded or arcaded space within the body of a building but open to the air on one side, often at an upper story overlooking an open court.

Piano nobile

The principal story of a large building, such as a palace or villa, with formal reception and dining rooms, usually one flight above the ground floor.

Cortile

A large or principal courtyard of an italian palazzo.

Palazzo

A large, imposing public building or private residence, esp. In italy.

Piloti

Any of a series of columns supporting a building above an open ground level.

Slab

A rectangular building having little width with respect to its length and height.

Ell

A wing at right angles to the length of a building.

Wing

A part of a building projecting from and subordinate to a central or main part.

Court

An area open to the sky and mostly or entirely surrounded by walls or buildings.

Atrium

A skylit, central court in building, esp. A large interior one having a glass roof and surrounded by several stories of galleries.

Courtyard

A court adjacent to or within a building, esp. One enclosed on all four sides.

Patio

A courtyard, esp. Of a house, enclosed by low buildings, arcades, or walls.

Atrium

An open, skylit court around which a house or building is built.

Claim

To assert or demand recognition or possession.

Merge

To combine, blend, or unite gradually by stages so as to blur identity or distinctions.

Plaza

A public square or open space in a city or town.

Piazza

An open square or public place in a city or town, esp. In italy.

Quadrangle

A square or quadrangular space or court surrounded by a building or buildings, as on a college campus.

Galleria

A spacious promenade , court, indoor mall, usually having a vaulted roof with commercial establishments.

Promenade

An area used for a stroll or walk, esp. In a public place, as for pleasure or display.

Allee

French term for broad walk planted with trees.

Arbor

A shelter of shrubs and branches or of latticework intertwined with climbing vines and flowers.

Trellis

A frame supporting open latticework, used as a screen or a support for growing vines or plants.

Lattice

A structure of crossed strips arranged to form a regular pattern of open spaces.

Pergola

A structure of parallel colonnades supporting an open roof of beams and crossing rafters or trelliswork, over which climbing plants are trained to grow.

Orientation

The position of a building on a site in relation to true north, to points on the compass, to a specific place or site feature, or to local conditions of sunlight, wind, and drainage.

Front

To face in a specific direction or look out upon.

Surround

To enclose or encompass on all sides.

Folly

A whimsical or extravagant structure built to serve as a conversation piece, lend interest to a view, or commemorate a person or event, found esp. In 18th- century england.

Pavilion

A small, often ornamental building in a garden.

Gazebo

A freestanding roofed structure, usually open on the sides, affording shade and rest in a garden or park.

Belvedere

A building or architectural feature of a building, designed and situated to look out upon a pleasing scene.

Topiary

Clipped or trimmed into ornamental and fantastic shapes, or the work of art of such clipping.

Parterre

An ornamental arrangement of flower beds of different shapes and sizes.

Arch

A firm structure for spawning and opening design to support a vertical load primarily by axial compression

Masonry Arch

An arch constructed of individual stone or brick voussoirs

Springer

The first voussoir resting on the impost of an arch

Keystone

The wedge-shaped often embellished voussoirs at the crown of an arch serving to lock the other voussoirs in place

Rise

The height of one arch from the spring line to the highest point of the intrados

Extrados

Curved surface or boundary of the feasible face of an arch

Archivolt

A decorative molding or banned in the face of an arch following the curve of the intrados

Intrados

The inner curve or surface of an art form in the concave underside

Spring

The point at which an arch or dome rises from it support

Spandrel

The triangular shaped sometimes ornamental area between the extrados of two adjoining arches or between the left or right extrados of an arc and the rectangular framework surrounding it

Crown

The highest part or point of a convex construction such as an arch, vault or roadway.

Haunch

Either side of an arch curving down from the crown to the impost

Impost

The uppermost part of an abutment often in the form of a block capital or molding from which an arch springs

Order

Any of several concentric rings of masonry forming an arch specially when each projects beyond the one below

Lag/Boister

Acrostics connecting the ribs enix entering.