This website makes references to a number of terms that may not be familiar to you. Use the links below to explore this glossary.

 

Canopy

roof-like projecting cover over a window, door, or niche

 

Cantilever

unsupported end of a beam that overhangs a wall, column post or pier

 

Capital

decorative feature at the top of a column or pilaster

 

Casement Window

window where the sash is hinged along its vertical edge and swings to the side like a door

 

Chevron

v-shaped decoration typically used in a continuous band as a moulding

 

Chimney

vertical structure of brick or stone to carry up smoke from a fireplace or furnace

 

Clapboard

thin narrow board used for covering the exterior of timber-framed buildings

 

Classical

architecture of ancient Greece and Rome, and subsequent styles derived from these; characterized by the use of the five orders of classical columns consisting of the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders of Hellenic Greece, and the Tuscan and Composite orders of Imperial Rome

 

Clerestorey Window

elevated series of windows for light and ventilation

 

Column

upright post, usually a tapered cylinder, used for support or decoration; in classical architecture a column consists of a base, shaft and capital

 

Column Plinth

square slab forming the bottom element of a column base

 

Concrete

artificial stone mixture made by combining water, an aggregate of crushed stone and sand, and a cementing or bonding material

 

Corbel

masonry unit or series of masonry units that progressively step out from a supporting wall or column; creates a shelf or bracket to support overhanging masonry walls or corbel tables, the bases of arches, or ornamental elements

 

Corbel Table

projecting line of masonry or belt courses supported by corbels

 

Cornice

horizontal, projecting decorative moulding along the top of a wall or building; top portion of an entablature

 

Crenellation

series of square indentations in a parapet giving a castle-like appearance

 

Cresting

line of ornaments on the ridge of a roof, often made of wrought iron

 

Cupola

small domed structure on top of a roof or larger dome

 

Curtain Wall

non-loadbearing, prefabricated exterior sheathing system usually consisting of steel or masonry spandrel panels and/or window panels attached to a structural frame of steel or concrete