A to Z Guide of Architectural Terms

Introduction

• Shift in focus from visible elements of urban systems to their dynamics.
• Architecture often uses complex jargon that can confuse listeners.
• Vocabulary is essential for architects, similar to doctors and scientists.
• This presentation aims to define important architectural terms from A to Z.

A - Aesthetic

• Everyday meaning: visual vibe of something.
• Architectural meaning: encompasses all senses (visual, smell, sound) in experiencing a building.

B - Buttress

• Noun: An architectural element providing external support.
• Verb: To offer external support.
• Example: Flying buttress in Gothic architecture (e.g., Notre Dame Cathedral).

C - Circulation

• Refers to spaces allowing the flow of people in a building.
• Can be through corridors or connected rooms.
• Related concept: Curvilinear - smoothly curving shapes.

D - Diagrammatic

• Simple, clear, irreducible, and singularly minded.
• Used positively or negatively in architectural critique.
• Example: Buildings like the Toledo Glass Museum.

E - Enfilade

• A series of rooms connected directly without hallways.
• Useful in museums for fluid movement through spaces.

F - Fenestration

• Openings in a facade, primarily windows, but can include other types of openings.
• Describes the pattern of these openings.

G - Geodesic

• A curve representing the shortest path between two points on a surface.
• Associated with Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic domes.

H - Hierarchy

• Relationship between major and minor elements in design.
• Establishes what is important and what is less significant.

I - Iconic

• Colloquial meaning: something famous or recognizable.
• Linguistic meaning: resembles something else (e.g., graphic icons).

J - Jamb

• Sides of doorways that transfer loads and provide structural security.
• Jam statues: carved figures at building entrances.

K - Kitsch

• Low culture objects of questionable taste.
• In architecture, it describes pastiche - fake layers of decoration.

L - Legibility

• Clarity in building design; how easily one can understand a building’s layout.
• Related to wayfinding and user experience within a building.

M - Morphology

• Study of forms and structures in architecture.
• Examines deep structural relationships within design elements.

N - Nodes

• Junction points within a network, important in metabolic architecture.
• Kevin Lynch’s five elements: paths, edges, nodes, districts, landmarks.

O - Ornament

• Elements providing visual sensation that are intrinsic to the building.
• Different from decoration, which is applied.
• Reference to Adolf Loos' essay "Ornament and Crime."

P - Program

• List of requirements for spaces in a building (sizes, activities).
• Describes the intended functions of those spaces.

Q - Quoin

• Block corners in buildings for structural support and visual emphasis.

R - Rustication

• Roughening of materials, especially at lower facades, for visual weight.

S - Stereotomic

• Craft of cutting solids into volumes, often associated with stone cutting.

T - Tectonics

• Describes how building elements are assembled.
• Related to construction systems and expressing how a building is made.

U - Urbanism

• Study of interactions between inhabitants and the built environment.
• Qualities of different cities categorized based on urbanism.

V - Vernacular

• Architectural solutions responding to local environmental and cultural conditions.

W - Weathering

• Visual changes on buildings over time, such as patina.

X - Xylography

• Art of woodcuts or engravings, can include modern CNC techniques.

Y - Yurt

• Traditional portable dwelling used by nomadic groups in Central Asia.

Z - Zeitgeist

• Concept of the spirit of the age, relevant cultural ideas of the time.

Conclusion

• 26 architectural terms discussed.
• Encouragement to explore these terms further and engage in discussions.