History of Architecture Terms: Definitions Flashcards

Definitions of the vocabulary words in AH 118: History of Architecture and the Built Environment taken from the textbook Buildings across Time (49 cards)

0
Q

Oriel Window

A

A corbeled bay window in English medieval architecture

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1
Q

Spandrel

A

A wall surface, ornamented or non-ornamented, between major architectural elements such as windows or arches

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2
Q

Rustication

A

Rough stonework with exposed joints

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3
Q

Pilaster

A

A rectangular column, engaged in a wall, which is sometimes articulated as an order

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4
Q

Cornice

A

The uppermost element of an entablature, which projects beyond the plane of the exterior wall; more generally, the overhanging molding atop any building

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5
Q

Tablero

A

The vertical, often ornamented, plane in Pre-Columbian pyramid construction, comparable to the frieze in ancient Greek architecture

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6
Q

Talud

A

The inclined plane in Pre-Columbian pyramid construction

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7
Q

Ha-Ha

A

A ditched used to control the movement of livestock, which is not visible in a planned landscape

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8
Q

Stupa

A

In Buddhist architecture, the mound of earth and stones erected over relics of the Buddha, or, by extension, over the remains of a holy person

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9
Q

Shikhara

A

A tall, curving roof, often with a parabolic profile, that rises like an artificial mountain over the garbhagriha in a Hindu temple

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10
Q

Garbhagriha

A

The “womb chamber” or shrine room at the heart of a Hindu temple

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11
Q

Abbott Suger

A

Patron of Gothic architecture; rebuilt the Church of Saint-Denis

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12
Q

Polychromy

A

The decorative use of colored stone, seen primarily in medieval architecture

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13
Q

Groin Vault

A

The vault formed by two intersecting barrel vaults (also known as a cross vault)

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14
Q

Clerestory Windows

A

Windows placed high in a wall, generally above lower roof elements

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15
Q

Martyrium

A

A building associated with a Christian martyr

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16
Q

Sahn

A

An open courtyard in a mosque

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17
Q

Pendentive

A

A spherical triangle that transforms a square bay into a circle for the springing of a dome

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18
Q

Mihrabs

A

A niche in the qibla wall indicating the direction of Mecca

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19
Q

Qibla

A

The direction of Mecca, indicated in a mosque by the mihrab; by extension, the wall in which the mihrab is placed

20
Q

Pagoda

A

A tapering tower with multiple roof levels, built by Buddhists particularly in China and Japan. The word derives from the Sanskrit dagoba, meaning stupa

21
Q

Tatami Mats

A

Mats woven of rice straw, approximately three by six feet, that establish the module for room dimensions in traditional Japanese houses

22
Q

Opus Reticulatum

A

A Roman wall formed of pyramidal stones, their points set inward and their square heads set to form a diagonal grid

23
Q

Basilica

A

Literally, “king’s hall.” In Roman architecture, a hall used for public administration. The term generally refers to a rectangular building that has a central section with a higher roof (the nave of a church) flanked by lower aisles on both long sides. A semicircular projection, the apse, was often set at one or both of the shorter ends. Early Christians adapted the forms as a basis for church design, replacing one apse with the main entrance and establishing a processional axis the length of the building. The altar was placed in the apse at the end.

24
Entablature
In classic architecture, the horizontal elements supported by columns, consisting (in ascending order) of the architrave, frieze, and cornice
25
Pediment
The gable end of a temple, framed by cornices
26
Frieze
The horizontal elements above the architrave and below the cornice in an entablature
27
Metope
An element of the Doric frieze, set alternately with triglyphs; contains low-relief carvins
28
Triglyph
A channeled block set between metopes in a Doric frieze
29
Stoa
In Greek architecture, a linear building with one or more rows of columns. Stoas could be used for shops, meetings, or exhibitions.
30
Megaron
In Mycenaean architecture, a rectangular room having a central hearth and four columns supporting a roof with an atrium opening. More generally, the term applies to a single-cell house in the Aegean region
31
Corbeled Vault
Construction, without true arching action, made by shifting opposing courses slightly and regularly inward until they meet
32
Doric Order
The Greek order that has a fluted shaft, no base, and an echinus molding supporting the abacus; has a base
33
Echinus
The curved cushion-like molding that, together with the abacus, forms the capital in the Doric order
34
Abacus
On a classic column, the stone set directly over the capital
35
Ionic Order
The order that features volutes in the capital; the shaft is usually fluted
36
Corinthian Order
The order that features acanthus-leaf capitals atop a fluted shaft
37
Mastaba
An Egyptian tomb, named after the tomb of King Mausoleus
38
Pylon
A massive entrance to an Egyptian temple, with sloping walls and a central openin
39
Hypostyle Hall
A large hall composed of many columns placed close together to support the roof
40
Enfilade
The aligning of a series of doors through a series of adjacent rooms
41
Pilotis
Freestanding posts or supports for an upper-level structure; the term was most commonly used by Le Corbusier
42
I-beam (I-section)
A structural member with an I-shaped cross section; its horizontal members are called flanges and its vertical member a web
43
Post
An upright structural member; a column
44
Lintel
Any horizontal member that spans an opening
45
Voussoir
A wedge-shaped masonry unit set to form an arch
46
Keystone
A central voussoir of an arch
47
Truss
A structural frame composed of relatively short elements, typically reconfigured into triangles, used to form a bridge or span a roof
48
Ziggurat
A stepped pyramid form used in ancient Mesopotamia as the platform for a religious building