Glossary Flashcards
A buttressing or supporting structure
Abutment
The branch of physics that deals with sound. In architectural application the sound qualities of a room or space
Acoustics
In an ancient Greek city, a citadel, usually on a high plateau
Acropolis
A sun dried brick of earth, used in the American Southwest
Adobe
The branch of philosophy that deals with the quality. aspects, and perception of beauty.
Aesthetics
The rights to the use or control of space above a property, such as highways, railroad tracks or buildings.
Air Rights
Reflectivity measured as the relative permeability of a surface to radiant energy flowing in either direction.
Albedo
Horizontal or vertical deviation from the straight or level centerline of the road.
Alignment
An arena encircled by tiers of seats.
Amphitheater
An electromagnetic device that indicates the activation of certain circuits; a device to signal the existence and location of a fire in a building.
Annunciator
The eastern or alter end of a church usually semi circular in plan
Apse
Masonry having a face of square of rectangular stones.
Ashlar
A glazed decorative tile with the color blue most prominent.
Azulejo
Earth or other fill material placed between an outside foundation wall and the excavation.
Backfill
A partial obstruction against flow, in a duct or pipe.
Baffle
The proportioning of components by offsetting or contrasting so as to produce an aesthetic equilibrium in the whole.
Balance
A style in European architecture developed in the late Renaissance in reaction to classical forms, containing elaborate curves, scrolls, and ornament.
Baroque
East - West lines from which townships are established on government surveys. They run perpendicular to meridian lines.
Base Lines
A part usually half of a broken brick; also a unit of flat insulation
Bat
A cleat like member placed across a series of boards to tie them together; also a narrow strip covering the joint between two vertical boards.
Batten
Roof structure or pavilion located to command a view.
Belvedere
An excavated level terrace in a slope used to collect running water.
Bench
A relatively permanent surveyor’s mark of know location and elevation.
Bench Mark
A bank of earth, often piled against a wall
Berm
Describing cement, mastic or roofing material which contains asphalt as a principal ingredient.
Bituminous
An area usually urban that has deteriorated in quality and value, and which functions well below its economic and social potential.
Blighted Area
A division of urban land, normally private property, that is surrounded by public streets, and which is officially established and recorded.
Block
A stone guard to prevent damage to a wall; also a free standing stone or metal post to divert vehicular traffic
Bollard
Drilling into the earth to obtain soil samples in order to determine soil bearing capacity.
Boring
A sun break, an architectural shading device for blocking unwanted sun rays.
Brise - Soleil
British Thermal Unit, the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water 1 degree F.
BTU
A defined limit within a property line beyond which a structure may not protrude.
Building Line
An air chamber without a bottom, used in excavation through water or mud.
Caisson
A bell tower
Campanile
To set at a slant from the horizontal or vertical.
Cant
A small room in a library
Carrel
A sieve like device at the entrance to a storm sewer to trap matter that could block up the sewer.
Catch Basin
A geographical area from which the participants in an activity are drawn, such as the customers of a shopping center or the employees of a manufacturing plant.
Catchment
To fill a joint with mastic, usually done with a pressure gun.
Caulk
The inner enclosed room of an ancient temple.
Cella
The separation of traffic lanes by the use of islands or dividers.
Channelization
A valve in a pipe that permits water to flow only in one direction.
Check Valve
The flow or movement of people, goods, vehicles, etc. from place to place.
Circulation
The prevailing or average weather conditions of a place as determined over a number of years.
Climate
A brick that has been overburned by being near the fire in a kiln.
Clinker
A type of grade separated interchange used in highway design. Named for its shape.
Cloverleaf
A method of residential siting in which a series of housing units are grouped to form common interior spaces, as well as a unified peripheral space.
Cluster
A street to which minor streets connect and that, itself leads to a major arterial.
Collector Street
The sensation resulting from stimulation of the retina of the eye by light waves of certain lengths; the property of reflecting light of a particular wavelength.
Color
Hollow and curved inward (the inside surface of a hollow sphere)
Concave
The speed with which energy (normally heat energy) passes through a given material after penetrating its surface.
Conductivity
Pertaining to cone bearing trees and shrubs, mostly evergreens, such as pine, spruce, fir, cedar, etc.
Coniferous
A pattern of land use in which random cluster or development are connected to one another.
Constellation Pattern
A procedure in which an owner contracts with a construction manager (CM), who is generally responsible for control of a project’s time, cost and quality
Construction Management
An amount included in a construction budget, normally 5 to 10 % to provide for unforeseen or unpredictable costs.
Contingency Allowance
An imaginary line of constant elevation on the ground surface used to designate elevation and describe the form of land surface graphically.
Contour
The distribution of energy (normally heat) by fluid movement of air or water.
Convection
Curved outward (the surface of a sphere)
Convex
A deed restriction that regulates land use, construction materials, appearance, and aesthetic qualities of an area.
Covenant
To develop minute surface cracks in stucco, concrete or glaze.
Craze
A system of planning and scheduling construction operations that analyzes sequences and durations of time using network diagrams and identifies construction tasks that have great impact in schedule.
Critical Path Method
A short road with no outlet, serving only those buildings or properties that front on it.
Cul-De-Sac
A length of pipe, running under a road or other barrier, used to drain or carry water.
Culvert
A raised margin running along the edge of a street pavement, usually of concrete.
Curb
Earth that is removed and earth that is added in grading.
Cut and Fill
A platform raised above floor level
Dais
A horizontal plane elevation used as a reference for other elevations in surveying and mapping
Datum
Shedding leaves annually, as contrasted with evergreen
Deciduous
A written instrument that is used to transfer property title from one party to another.
Deed
A measure of the number of people, families, etc. that occupy a specified area.
Density
The arrangement of parts, details, form, color etc. so as to produce a complete entity.
Deisgn
The temperature at which air becomes saturated with moisture and condensation occurs.
Dew Point
Two sheets of glass with an air space between, to insulate against the passage of heat or sound
Double Glazing
The system by which excess water and wastes are controlled, transported and disposed.
Drainage
Clay pipe, usually with open joints to convey water away from a footing or to disperse fluid in a septic tank field.
Drain Tile
A pit, usually filled with coarse stone, into which water is conducted for leaching out into surrounding soil.
Dry Well
A dome, hence often a cathedral.
Duomo
An ingredient living area that includes its own private cooking and bathing facilities.
Dwelling Unit
The modifications involved in altering existing topography.
Earthwork
A legal right that an individual or the public may have to use or have access to a portion of another person’s land.
Easement
Sensation produced by the combined effects of absolute temperature, relative humidity and air movement.
Effective Temperature
The height above a known point of reference, often taken as the height above sea level.
Elevation
The right of a public agency to expropriate private property for public use.
Eminent Domain
The slight convexity of a column used to give an impression of vertical strength.
Entasis
