Architecture Terms Flashcards
Architectural Orders
Formulas for building which produce a specific
aesthetic result. The Greek architectural orders include the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian order - Each of these orders has a characteristic style.
Architrave
The bottom or lowermost element of an entablature which rests on a vertical support such as a column.
Capital
The top design element of a column.
Caryatid
A supporting column sculptured in the form of a female figure.
Cella
Inner room or sanctuary of an ancient Greek/Roman temple, where the statue of the god was situated.
Colonnade
A row of freestanding columns.
Column
A circular post used to support a lintel or the entablature of a building. Columns typically consist of at least a base, a shaft, and a capital.
Corinthian
The last of the three Greek architectural orders to be developed, with columns whose capitals are ornately decorated with scrolls and carved acanthus leaves.
Cornice
The uppermost part of a classical entablature.
Engaged Column
A nonfunctional half column, which protrudes from and is set into a wall. (Cheap)
Entablature
The sum of the horizontal elements which rest on columns of one of the Greek architectural orders. It consists of three main elements that from bottom to top are the architrave, the frieze, and the cornice.
Facade
Generally the face or front of a building. Facade can also be used to describe any exterior side of a building (e.g. the northern facade).
Fluting
Shallow, concave grooves running vertically on the shaft of a column, pilaster, or other surface.
Frieze
The middle section of the entablature. It is located above the architrave and below the cornice. Often carved and decorated.
Pediment
The low-pitched triangular form created by two sloped roofs of a building, or over porticos, doorways, or windows.
