Exam one arch vocab

Voussoir A wedge-shaped stone or brick used to form an arch [1, 2].

Keystone The central stone at the top of an arch that locks the voussoirs in place [1, 2]. When the keystone is secured, the arch can support itself and bear immense loads [3].

Spandrel The space between a curved arch and a rectangular boundary [4]. Rings in a dome can operate like a spandrel [5].

Abutment A structure that absorbs the lateral thrust coming off an arch [4].

Dome An arch rotated 360 degrees on its axis, creating a large interior void [6]. Domes can be supported by arches and piers with relieving arches [5]. The Pantheon in Rome is a model of the universe and has a perfect sphere [6].

Oculus A round opening at the apex of a dome [5, 7]. The oculus in the Pantheon is 27 feet wide and is the only natural light source inside [5, 7].

Parti Pris: The organizing thought behind a design [1]. It can help in making an account of a building [1].

Plan: A diagram of the horizontal layout of rooms that shows the function, purpose, and use of a building [2].

Section: A vertical slice through a building's stories that illustrates how a building is supported [3, 4].

Elevation: The exterior of a building as if one were facing it [5]. It demonstrates beauty [4].

Bay: A building module usually defined by the repetition of an element, such as a column or an arch [6].

Column: A vertical support, cylindrical in shape [7].

Pier: A vertical support, generally square [7]. It can also be described as a "squared column" [7].

Pilaster: A rectangular element that projects slightly from the wall [7].

Tension – Stretching apart [1].

Compression – Squeezing together [1].

Tensile strength – The ability of a material to resist the forces of gravity and span a horizontal distance [1].

Corbel - A bracket or stone that projects from the face of a wall to support a cornice, beam, or arch [1, 2]. Corbelling is a method where each stone projects slightly inward over the stone below, forming a dome [1].

Pylon – A massive gateway, often a wall pierced by a door [3]. They are imposing entrances, 146 feet high and 50 feet thick at the base, covered with painted reliefs, that recur at intervals in a processional [3, 4].

Battered - The receding upward slope of a wall or structure [5].

Hypostyle hall – A large interior space whose roof rests on columns [3]. Since the Egyptians lacked the arch, many supports were needed to support stone lintels in these halls [6].

Stoa A "covered walk consisting of a roofed colonnade with a back wall" [1]. In ancient Greece, the stoa was a public structure that faced the agora and provided shelter [1].

Triglyph The "incised vertical bands in the entablature" of a Doric-style temple, representing the ends of rafters [2]. Triglyphs alternate with metopes in the frieze section of the entablature [3].

Metope The space between two triglyphs in a Doric frieze [4]. Metopes can be decorated with sculpture [3, 4].

Acanthus A stylized leaf that decorates Corinthian capitals [5, 6].

Pediment A "wide, low-pitched gable forming a triangular space above the facade of a building in a Classical style" [7]. The pediment is often found above doors, windows, and niches, and is often a triangular crowning element [7]. Sculptures are often placed in the triangular pediment of a Greek temple [4, 8, 9].

Entasis The "slight convex curve on Greek columns to overcome the optical illusion of concavity that would result if the shafts were straight" [4, 10, 11]. This swelling in the column diameter is a subtle visual refinement used in the design [10]