This website makes references to a number of terms that may not be familiar to you. Use the links below to explore this glossary.
Balcony
Structural platform extending from the wall of a building and enclosed with a balustrade; supported from below or cantilevered from a supporting wall.
Baluster
upright post that supports a handrail
Balustrade
series of balusters under a handrail (as in a porch or stair railing); may also refer to a low parapet
Bargeboard
Board, often decorative, covering the projecting edge of a gable edge or eaves line.
Baroque
architectural style that developed in 17th century Italy from the late Renaissance style; characterized by the use of interacting oval spaces, curved forms, exuberant decoration, sculpture and color
Base
projecting member between the shaft of a column and its plinth
Battered
vertical element such as a wall or a column that slopes in from the base; the wall or column appears to flare outwards at its base
Battlement
parapet built atop a wall with openings for defense
Bay
regularly repeated visual division of a facade, usually related to the building’s structural system; division often indicated by pilasters, columns or piers on the facade
Bay Window
A roofed window unit that projects from an exterior wall; projection could be angular or curved
Beam
horizontal structural member that spans an opening
Belt course
slender, horizontal band that projects from an exterior wall often at window sill or interior floor levels
Belvedere
raised turret or lantern
Board and Batten
wide vertical wood sheathing (boards) with narrow vertical wood strips (battens) covering the joints between all the boards
Boomtown
false front masking a roof line
Bracket
A small projecting piece of stone or wood that supports a horizontal member such as eaves.
Bungalow (1910 - 1940)
The word Bungalow can be traced to the Bengali term bangala, which is the typical one-story native dwelling found in British Bengal. The style came to North America in the early twentieth century and was closely associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. The typical bungalow is a one or one and a half storey high structure with a low pitched gable roof that extends out to incorporate the front porch. Eaves are broad and left open underneath thereby exposing rafters, ridge poles, and purlins. Roof brackets are standard, while porch roofs are often supported by oversized piers. Exterior finish materials are usually wood shingles, textured brick, or stucco. Chimneys are sometimes massive.
Buttress
vertical structural member resembling a massive post built against an exterior wall; designed to absorb outward-pushing (lateral) forces of a roof